Benet blanks Waubonsie in season-opener
Klos leads the way; Redwings prevail 2-0
By Matt Le Cren
LISLE – The Bible says he who gives shall also receive.
So it was for Benet’s Anthony Klos on Tuesday.
The junior midfielder was on the front end of one successful restart and the back end of another and that made all the difference as Benet, ranked no. 16 in Chicagoland Soccer's First 50 preseason poll, knocked off visiting Waubonsie Valley 2-0 in the season-opener for both teams.
Klos got the assist on Benet’s first goal, which came with 25:22 left in the first half, then scored the second at the 24:22 mark of the second half. Both came on free kicks of starkly different varieties.
“I think early in the year our communication is really good with all of our returners from last year,” Klos said. “So we were all on the same page for both free kicks. That helps, having a lot of the same guys.”
Klos, who combined with Nick Renfro and Sam Hepburn to give the Redwings a solid midfield performance, was the common denominator. His booming free kick from 60 yards out on the right wing came down just inside the 6, where junior forward Hans Haenicke rose up to meet and head the ball across the crease and inside the right post.
“I was like, ‘Anthony, play it now;’ and it just worked out,” Haenicke said. “It was a good ball.”
Klos wasn’t looking specifically for the head of Haenicke but wasn’t surprised at the result.
“I was just trying to put it to a spot,” Klos said. “I knew one of our guys would go up and get there and surely enough, we did.”
Benet coach Sean Wesley relaxed a little bit after the goal.
“It was nice to get one early,” Wesley said. “I thought it was against the run of play.
“I thought they had the better of it for the first 15 minutes and then to break the ice and score the first goal put us in a position that was better. (The serve) was perfect and to Hans’ credit he goes up and gets it. We talk about that all the time.”
That was all the offense Benet would need, though it took the Redwings a long time to put the game away. Unlike last year’s meeting, an 8-0 Benet win in Aurora, the Warriors put up a tough defense, with goalkeeper Bryan Grimaldo making nine saves, including a couple of point-blank rejections on Haenicke.
The Redwings got their insurance goal when Christopher Mankowski was tripped just outside the top right corner of the Waubonsie box, setting up a 20-yard free kick.
Rather than putting a shot on frame, senior Nicholas Augustyn sent a ground ball into the box intended for Renfro, who dummied the ball to give Klos the shot, which he slotted through traffic inside the right post for the 2-0 lead.
“I think (Renfro) purposely let it go, and then I kind of saw it coming,” Klos said. “We always say we’ve got to attack the ball, and that’s just what I did. Luckily, I put it in.”
Wesley was pleased to see it because the Redwings are counting on Klos and Haenicke to carry a pretty big scoring load along with Renfro. The team has 14 returning varsity players and a club refugee in Hepburn but lack a big-name scorer, at least so far.
“It’s huge for us,” Wesley said. “Both guys were contributors last year.
“Anthony was a big contributor (last year), and Hans was a guy that was trying to find his way and finding playing time on the left side. (Hans) has definitely earned it, so great for him to break the ice.
“I think he maybe could have had three today, but just that speed and athleticism was big, and Chris Mankowski played great on the right side in the second half.”
Waubonsie Valley did not play badly, but the Warriors were not good enough defending the free kicks.
“We just messed up on the set pieces,” Waubonsie Valley senior forward Jerry Perez said. “We just need to mark up well on those plays, and we need to get better with our touches so we can go forward, because our touches were a little off today.
“So at our next practice we’re going to work on that so that we don’t make those mistakes the rest of the season.”
The Warriors didn’t make many mistakes in the run of play but they didn’t create many opportunities, either. Benet’s rebuilt backline of Tom Miskin, Zach Serafin, Preston Wray and Conor Perkins did a good job of limiting Waubonsie star Noah Glorioso, and most of the visitors’ seven shots came from long-distance, including a pair of 58-yard free kicks off the toe of sophomore Javy Martinez, who put both offerings on target.
Vito Staniskis, who started in goal for the Redwings, made a leaping grab of Martinez’s first shot on the right post in the 16th minute. Backup Hunter Randolph, who took over at halftime, stopped the second one in the 47th minute.
Randolph made a diving save to tip a hard header around the left post in the 51st minute with the score still 1-0. Waubonsie’s other decent chance came in the 79th minute when Dan Morgan slithered a 12-yard shot just wide of the left post.
Despite the result, the match was a good measuring stick for the Warriors and showed they have vastly improved from last year. That came as no surprise to Perez.
“Last year was a rebuilding year,” Perez said. “We were working hard all offseason.
“We were working on our plays and working out our positions. But we need to work harder in practices and in games.
“(This) was a tough game. It was a great battle for our boys.”
It was a useful game for Wesley, who used his entire roster in a competitive game.
“We hope that’s not going to be our prettiest game,” Wesley said. “For the first-game jitters, everybody is excited and flying around.
“We’ve been working on possession and playing better soccer. We didn’t show it as much as I would have liked but certainly we saw it in moments. We created a lot of good chances and their goalie made a couple point-blank saves from inside the six-yard box.”
Haenicke said that while the Redwings have a few things they need to improve on, the opening win was a good beginning to what they hope will be a memorable season.
“We want to start with big goals,” Haenicke said. “Our goal is to win state, but it’s one game at a time, one practice at a time. We’re just going to focus on each game and each practice and getting better.”
Benet is considered a legitimate contender for the Class AA state title, though Notre Dame (Peoria) is the favorite. But the Redwings know better than to think ahead.
“Obviously, everyone says they want to win state, but you’ve got to do what it takes to get there,” Klos said. “I think just coming with intensity and motivation to every practice is key and taking it day-by-day. (This win) is a good start.”
Starting lineups
Waubonsie Valley
GK Bryan Grimaldo
D Adrien Mehra
D Teague Stotler
D Brandon Garduno
D Javy Gonzalez
M Dan Morgan
M Zach Stanley
M Daniel Fritz
F Milan Erastus-Obilo
F Noah Glorioso
F Jerry Perez
Benet
GK Vytautas Staniskas
D Thomas Miskin
D Zach Serafin
D Preston Wray
D Conor Perkins
M Sam Hepburn
M Anthony Klos
M Nick Renfro
F Michael Rocco
F Trent McVey
F Hans Haenicke
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Anthony Klos, jr., MF, Benet
Scoring summary
First half
Benet – Hans Haenicke (Anthony Klos) 25:22
Second half
Benet – Klos (Nicholas Augustyn) 24:22
Klos leads the way; Redwings prevail 2-0
By Matt Le Cren
LISLE – The Bible says he who gives shall also receive.
So it was for Benet’s Anthony Klos on Tuesday.
The junior midfielder was on the front end of one successful restart and the back end of another and that made all the difference as Benet, ranked no. 16 in Chicagoland Soccer's First 50 preseason poll, knocked off visiting Waubonsie Valley 2-0 in the season-opener for both teams.
Klos got the assist on Benet’s first goal, which came with 25:22 left in the first half, then scored the second at the 24:22 mark of the second half. Both came on free kicks of starkly different varieties.
“I think early in the year our communication is really good with all of our returners from last year,” Klos said. “So we were all on the same page for both free kicks. That helps, having a lot of the same guys.”
Klos, who combined with Nick Renfro and Sam Hepburn to give the Redwings a solid midfield performance, was the common denominator. His booming free kick from 60 yards out on the right wing came down just inside the 6, where junior forward Hans Haenicke rose up to meet and head the ball across the crease and inside the right post.
“I was like, ‘Anthony, play it now;’ and it just worked out,” Haenicke said. “It was a good ball.”
Klos wasn’t looking specifically for the head of Haenicke but wasn’t surprised at the result.
“I was just trying to put it to a spot,” Klos said. “I knew one of our guys would go up and get there and surely enough, we did.”
Benet coach Sean Wesley relaxed a little bit after the goal.
“It was nice to get one early,” Wesley said. “I thought it was against the run of play.
“I thought they had the better of it for the first 15 minutes and then to break the ice and score the first goal put us in a position that was better. (The serve) was perfect and to Hans’ credit he goes up and gets it. We talk about that all the time.”
That was all the offense Benet would need, though it took the Redwings a long time to put the game away. Unlike last year’s meeting, an 8-0 Benet win in Aurora, the Warriors put up a tough defense, with goalkeeper Bryan Grimaldo making nine saves, including a couple of point-blank rejections on Haenicke.
The Redwings got their insurance goal when Christopher Mankowski was tripped just outside the top right corner of the Waubonsie box, setting up a 20-yard free kick.
Rather than putting a shot on frame, senior Nicholas Augustyn sent a ground ball into the box intended for Renfro, who dummied the ball to give Klos the shot, which he slotted through traffic inside the right post for the 2-0 lead.
“I think (Renfro) purposely let it go, and then I kind of saw it coming,” Klos said. “We always say we’ve got to attack the ball, and that’s just what I did. Luckily, I put it in.”
Wesley was pleased to see it because the Redwings are counting on Klos and Haenicke to carry a pretty big scoring load along with Renfro. The team has 14 returning varsity players and a club refugee in Hepburn but lack a big-name scorer, at least so far.
“It’s huge for us,” Wesley said. “Both guys were contributors last year.
“Anthony was a big contributor (last year), and Hans was a guy that was trying to find his way and finding playing time on the left side. (Hans) has definitely earned it, so great for him to break the ice.
“I think he maybe could have had three today, but just that speed and athleticism was big, and Chris Mankowski played great on the right side in the second half.”
Waubonsie Valley did not play badly, but the Warriors were not good enough defending the free kicks.
“We just messed up on the set pieces,” Waubonsie Valley senior forward Jerry Perez said. “We just need to mark up well on those plays, and we need to get better with our touches so we can go forward, because our touches were a little off today.
“So at our next practice we’re going to work on that so that we don’t make those mistakes the rest of the season.”
The Warriors didn’t make many mistakes in the run of play but they didn’t create many opportunities, either. Benet’s rebuilt backline of Tom Miskin, Zach Serafin, Preston Wray and Conor Perkins did a good job of limiting Waubonsie star Noah Glorioso, and most of the visitors’ seven shots came from long-distance, including a pair of 58-yard free kicks off the toe of sophomore Javy Martinez, who put both offerings on target.
Vito Staniskis, who started in goal for the Redwings, made a leaping grab of Martinez’s first shot on the right post in the 16th minute. Backup Hunter Randolph, who took over at halftime, stopped the second one in the 47th minute.
Randolph made a diving save to tip a hard header around the left post in the 51st minute with the score still 1-0. Waubonsie’s other decent chance came in the 79th minute when Dan Morgan slithered a 12-yard shot just wide of the left post.
Despite the result, the match was a good measuring stick for the Warriors and showed they have vastly improved from last year. That came as no surprise to Perez.
“Last year was a rebuilding year,” Perez said. “We were working hard all offseason.
“We were working on our plays and working out our positions. But we need to work harder in practices and in games.
“(This) was a tough game. It was a great battle for our boys.”
It was a useful game for Wesley, who used his entire roster in a competitive game.
“We hope that’s not going to be our prettiest game,” Wesley said. “For the first-game jitters, everybody is excited and flying around.
“We’ve been working on possession and playing better soccer. We didn’t show it as much as I would have liked but certainly we saw it in moments. We created a lot of good chances and their goalie made a couple point-blank saves from inside the six-yard box.”
Haenicke said that while the Redwings have a few things they need to improve on, the opening win was a good beginning to what they hope will be a memorable season.
“We want to start with big goals,” Haenicke said. “Our goal is to win state, but it’s one game at a time, one practice at a time. We’re just going to focus on each game and each practice and getting better.”
Benet is considered a legitimate contender for the Class AA state title, though Notre Dame (Peoria) is the favorite. But the Redwings know better than to think ahead.
“Obviously, everyone says they want to win state, but you’ve got to do what it takes to get there,” Klos said. “I think just coming with intensity and motivation to every practice is key and taking it day-by-day. (This win) is a good start.”
Starting lineups
Waubonsie Valley
GK Bryan Grimaldo
D Adrien Mehra
D Teague Stotler
D Brandon Garduno
D Javy Gonzalez
M Dan Morgan
M Zach Stanley
M Daniel Fritz
F Milan Erastus-Obilo
F Noah Glorioso
F Jerry Perez
Benet
GK Vytautas Staniskas
D Thomas Miskin
D Zach Serafin
D Preston Wray
D Conor Perkins
M Sam Hepburn
M Anthony Klos
M Nick Renfro
F Michael Rocco
F Trent McVey
F Hans Haenicke
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Anthony Klos, jr., MF, Benet
Scoring summary
First half
Benet – Hans Haenicke (Anthony Klos) 25:22
Second half
Benet – Klos (Nicholas Augustyn) 24:22