Benet survives Saint Viator
Redwings take early lead, hang on for 3-2 home victory
By Matt Le Cren
LISLE – If Benet plays like it did in the first 15 minutes Wednesday against Saint Viator, the Redwings will be tough to stop in the upcoming Class 2A state playoffs.
But if the play is anything like the final 75 minutes, coach Gerard Oconer’s team might be in for a rollercoaster ride.
Jaimee Cibulka and Mae Tully scored on rebounds to give Benet a commanding early lead, but the game went down to the wire before the Redwings eked out a 3-2 victory in East Suburban Catholic Conference action at Benedictine University.
The win kept the Redwings (14-2-1, 4-1) mathematically alive in the ESCC race, though unbeaten Joliet Catholic continues to control its own destiny.
Of greater importance to Oconer is how his team is playing overall. He wasn’t satisfied with the performance against the Lions (8-6-1, 1-2-1), who came within inches of tying the game late in the second half.
“No, especially knowing the level of play that we’re capable of,” Oconer said. “The level we played at in the Naperville Invitational was (much better) that we played (today).
“But credit to (the Lions). They hung in there and made things a little bit ugly.
“Everything was a 50-50 ball and they go hard to it and forced our defenders to scramble a little bit and they put the ball in the goal when they had to.”
But Benet goalkeeper Eva Frantzen came up big, recording two of her four saves in the final nine minutes after Saint Viator had cut the gap to 3-2 on a volley by freshman Emilie Doersching with 12:41 remaining.
A high-bouncing ball caused some confusion in the Benet defense and the Lions nearly exploited it. Senior Claire Bottcher got a shot off from the middle of the box that was ticketed for the upper right corner, but Frantzen leaped and tipped the ball off the crossbar with 8:35 to go and the ball was eventually cleared.
Frantzen made her final save three minutes later, securing a 23-yard free kick.
The close finish was a far cry from how the match started. Benet came out like gangbusters, slicing Saint Viator’s defense with an impressive display of movement off the ball, passing and finishing.
The Redwings got their first shot off just 20 seconds after kickoff when senior Abby Casmere forced Saint Viator goalkeeper Lilly Collins to make the first of her seven saves.
Casmere, a Miami of Ohio recruit, was in the thick of the action up front and played a role in all three of her team’s goals. The first two came off rebounds after Collins made diving stops on hard Casmere shots from inside of 12 yards.
Cibulka, a sophomore, bagged the first goal at the 35:49 mark. Mia Tommasone made a run from the left wing and slid a pass into the box to Casmere, who juked a defender before firing a low liner that Collins stopped but could not control, and Cibulka scored on the rebound.
The Redwings made it 2-0 just five minutes later on a nearly identical play. This time it was Mia Ullmer who fed Casmere and Tully, a senior, who buried the rebound after Collins denied Casmere.
But the Lions seemed to regroup after that and Benet started to bog down.
“We were more aggressive and they couldn’t find a way to stop us in the first 15 minutes,” Cibulka said. “I think we kind of settled after we got the two goals.
“They were never looking to give up on (the game). So I think they caught us by surprise a little bit, but once we played our game again, we were all good.”
In retrospect, the Redwings should not have been surprised at the Lions’ comeback, given that the visitors nearly scored against the run of play midway between Benet’s first two goals.
A long pass from the midfield sprung Mary Ann Castelli on a breakaway, but Frantzen met her at the top of the box and made a kick save to deflect the ball away and preserve a 1-0 lead.
That save would loom large later, especially after Payton McDonnell got the Lions on the board with a short left-footed shot with 9:30 to go in the first half.
But the Redwings were still in good shape and regained a two-goal lead when Casmere took a few touches to get a clear shot before ripping a 25-yard blast off the hands of the diving Collins to make it 3-1 with 33:45 to go in the second half.
“That was a strong shot by her,” Tully said.
Tully liked how her team began the game but the finish left much to be desired.
“We were connecting passes to feet and then we were also moving off the ball, giving our teammates options, following our shots,” Tully said. “We need to stay focused for the entire game.
“How we played the first 10 minutes of the game, that’s how we have to play the rest of the season.”
That was not how the Redwings played in the final stages. They had only three official shots after Casmere’s goal, but they wasted plenty of promising forays into the box. Collins made a diving stop on a Casmere shot with 12:27 left and then got lucky a minute later when Tully fed Sarah Bozych into the right side of the Saint Viator box.
Bozych took the ball to the end line and her centering pass eluded Collins, but the ball was eventually cleared after a Benet player and Viator defender collided in front of the goal.
“We definitely have things that we need to iron out before the state tournament,” Oconer said. “That’s why we play these games and that’s why the conference games are good, especially against a team like Saint Viator.
“It’s always intense, always emotional. Sometimes you have to win a little bit ugly and really that’s what the end of the game was, just doing enough to survive.”
Cibulka, who was playing her first game against Viator, was asked what it was like to beat Benet’s traditional rival. Her answer was instructive and gave a glimpse into the Redwings’ mindset.
“I don’t really look at the team,” Cibulka said. “Once you step on the field, you’re looking to beat them, whoever it is.
“Obviously, I’m happy with the result and even if we didn’t really play our best game, at least we got a win at the end of the day.”
Starting lineups
Saint Viator
GK Lilly Collins
D Payton McDonnell
D Samantha DeJulio
D Natalie Krause
D Bridget DeZellar
M Emily Rascher
M Claire Bottcher
M Caroline Sexton
M Meghan Martin
F Mary Ann Castelli
F Emilie Doersching
Benet
GK Eva Frantzen
D Brooke Pullen
D Kate Flynn
D Mary Kate Hansen
D Mary Kate Wilhelm
M Kayla Brannigan
M Mia Tommasone
M Mia Ullmer
F Mae Tully
F Jaimee Cibulka
F Abby Casmere
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Abby Casmere, sr., F, Benet
Scoring summary
First half
Benet – Jaimee Cibulka 35:49
Benet – Mae Tully30:41
SV – Patyon McDonnell 9:30
Second half
Benet – Abby Casmere 33:45
SV – Emilie Doershing 12:41
Redwings take early lead, hang on for 3-2 home victory
By Matt Le Cren
LISLE – If Benet plays like it did in the first 15 minutes Wednesday against Saint Viator, the Redwings will be tough to stop in the upcoming Class 2A state playoffs.
But if the play is anything like the final 75 minutes, coach Gerard Oconer’s team might be in for a rollercoaster ride.
Jaimee Cibulka and Mae Tully scored on rebounds to give Benet a commanding early lead, but the game went down to the wire before the Redwings eked out a 3-2 victory in East Suburban Catholic Conference action at Benedictine University.
The win kept the Redwings (14-2-1, 4-1) mathematically alive in the ESCC race, though unbeaten Joliet Catholic continues to control its own destiny.
Of greater importance to Oconer is how his team is playing overall. He wasn’t satisfied with the performance against the Lions (8-6-1, 1-2-1), who came within inches of tying the game late in the second half.
“No, especially knowing the level of play that we’re capable of,” Oconer said. “The level we played at in the Naperville Invitational was (much better) that we played (today).
“But credit to (the Lions). They hung in there and made things a little bit ugly.
“Everything was a 50-50 ball and they go hard to it and forced our defenders to scramble a little bit and they put the ball in the goal when they had to.”
But Benet goalkeeper Eva Frantzen came up big, recording two of her four saves in the final nine minutes after Saint Viator had cut the gap to 3-2 on a volley by freshman Emilie Doersching with 12:41 remaining.
A high-bouncing ball caused some confusion in the Benet defense and the Lions nearly exploited it. Senior Claire Bottcher got a shot off from the middle of the box that was ticketed for the upper right corner, but Frantzen leaped and tipped the ball off the crossbar with 8:35 to go and the ball was eventually cleared.
Frantzen made her final save three minutes later, securing a 23-yard free kick.
The close finish was a far cry from how the match started. Benet came out like gangbusters, slicing Saint Viator’s defense with an impressive display of movement off the ball, passing and finishing.
The Redwings got their first shot off just 20 seconds after kickoff when senior Abby Casmere forced Saint Viator goalkeeper Lilly Collins to make the first of her seven saves.
Casmere, a Miami of Ohio recruit, was in the thick of the action up front and played a role in all three of her team’s goals. The first two came off rebounds after Collins made diving stops on hard Casmere shots from inside of 12 yards.
Cibulka, a sophomore, bagged the first goal at the 35:49 mark. Mia Tommasone made a run from the left wing and slid a pass into the box to Casmere, who juked a defender before firing a low liner that Collins stopped but could not control, and Cibulka scored on the rebound.
The Redwings made it 2-0 just five minutes later on a nearly identical play. This time it was Mia Ullmer who fed Casmere and Tully, a senior, who buried the rebound after Collins denied Casmere.
But the Lions seemed to regroup after that and Benet started to bog down.
“We were more aggressive and they couldn’t find a way to stop us in the first 15 minutes,” Cibulka said. “I think we kind of settled after we got the two goals.
“They were never looking to give up on (the game). So I think they caught us by surprise a little bit, but once we played our game again, we were all good.”
In retrospect, the Redwings should not have been surprised at the Lions’ comeback, given that the visitors nearly scored against the run of play midway between Benet’s first two goals.
A long pass from the midfield sprung Mary Ann Castelli on a breakaway, but Frantzen met her at the top of the box and made a kick save to deflect the ball away and preserve a 1-0 lead.
That save would loom large later, especially after Payton McDonnell got the Lions on the board with a short left-footed shot with 9:30 to go in the first half.
But the Redwings were still in good shape and regained a two-goal lead when Casmere took a few touches to get a clear shot before ripping a 25-yard blast off the hands of the diving Collins to make it 3-1 with 33:45 to go in the second half.
“That was a strong shot by her,” Tully said.
Tully liked how her team began the game but the finish left much to be desired.
“We were connecting passes to feet and then we were also moving off the ball, giving our teammates options, following our shots,” Tully said. “We need to stay focused for the entire game.
“How we played the first 10 minutes of the game, that’s how we have to play the rest of the season.”
That was not how the Redwings played in the final stages. They had only three official shots after Casmere’s goal, but they wasted plenty of promising forays into the box. Collins made a diving stop on a Casmere shot with 12:27 left and then got lucky a minute later when Tully fed Sarah Bozych into the right side of the Saint Viator box.
Bozych took the ball to the end line and her centering pass eluded Collins, but the ball was eventually cleared after a Benet player and Viator defender collided in front of the goal.
“We definitely have things that we need to iron out before the state tournament,” Oconer said. “That’s why we play these games and that’s why the conference games are good, especially against a team like Saint Viator.
“It’s always intense, always emotional. Sometimes you have to win a little bit ugly and really that’s what the end of the game was, just doing enough to survive.”
Cibulka, who was playing her first game against Viator, was asked what it was like to beat Benet’s traditional rival. Her answer was instructive and gave a glimpse into the Redwings’ mindset.
“I don’t really look at the team,” Cibulka said. “Once you step on the field, you’re looking to beat them, whoever it is.
“Obviously, I’m happy with the result and even if we didn’t really play our best game, at least we got a win at the end of the day.”
Starting lineups
Saint Viator
GK Lilly Collins
D Payton McDonnell
D Samantha DeJulio
D Natalie Krause
D Bridget DeZellar
M Emily Rascher
M Claire Bottcher
M Caroline Sexton
M Meghan Martin
F Mary Ann Castelli
F Emilie Doersching
Benet
GK Eva Frantzen
D Brooke Pullen
D Kate Flynn
D Mary Kate Hansen
D Mary Kate Wilhelm
M Kayla Brannigan
M Mia Tommasone
M Mia Ullmer
F Mae Tully
F Jaimee Cibulka
F Abby Casmere
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Abby Casmere, sr., F, Benet
Scoring summary
First half
Benet – Jaimee Cibulka 35:49
Benet – Mae Tully30:41
SV – Patyon McDonnell 9:30
Second half
Benet – Abby Casmere 33:45
SV – Emilie Doershing 12:41