Carmel, Benet meet for
early 'must-win' conference game
By Matt Le Cren
Even though it is still relatively early in the East Suburban Catholic Conference season, Wednesday’s game between Carmel and host Benet will be a must-win game for both teams.
On that, both coaches agree.
“It’s definitely a must-win game,” Carmel coach Stephanie Kile said. “And this will be one of those games if you beat a team like Benet, which is having such a successful season, this makes your season all the better.”
The Corsairs (4-3-3, 0-1-1) will have no shot at the league title if they lose to Benet. But the game is also important to the host Redwings (8-0-0, 2-0-0), who are ranked third in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 and need a win to keep pace with no. 11 Joliet Catholic (7-0-0, 2-0-0), which routed Carmel 6-1 Saturday.
Benet will travel to Joliet Catholic on May 17.
“This is a big week for us, starting with the Carmel game,” Benet coach Gerard Oconer said. “It will go a long way toward determining the conference champion this year.
“The Joliet Catholic game is obviously a game we’ve circled for a long, long time.”
But first the Redwings, who are ranked third in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, must take care of business against Carmel, never an easy task.
“Usually, our games with Carmel are open games, pretty much end-to-end, so it’s going to come down to who is going to be able to finish their chances, who can win the midfield,” Oconer said. “The last time we played them in 2019, it was a very odd game.”
Benet won that game 7-3 and went on to capture its first state championship. Odds are stacked against this match being so high-scoring, though both sides have high-powered offenses.
After a slow start, Benet has tallied 28 goals in its last five games and now has 32 for the season, while Carmel has 24.
The Corsairs will have their hands full trying to contain Benet star Jaimee Cibulka. The Loyola-bound senior has run rampant this spring with a team-high nine goals to go with three assists. That includes a pair of hat-tricks.
Sophomore Anna Casmere, who plays on the other wing, also has been effective, registering four goals and four assists. Midfielders Mariana Pinto and Rachel Burns have been solid, too, with Pinto producing six goals and five assists and Burns, a sophomore, netting seven goals to go with four assists.
Kile, who was a senior midfielder on Carmel’s 2008 state quarterfinal team and has coached in the program since 2009, is well aware of the rivalry and how difficult it will be to knock off the Redwings.
“It’s always a battle between Carmel, Viator, Benet and Joliet Catholic lately,” Kile said. “So it’s definitely one of those exciting games.
“They’re doing well. They’re top 3 in the state. We’re looking forward to this challenge and hopefully we can put up a good effort and hopefully we can come out with a win.”
The Corsairs, who are 0-2-1 in their last three games, are led by freshman forward Anna Hartman, who leads the team with six goals. Seniors Mia Salvi (forward) and twins Liz Galla (defender) and Sarah Galla (forward) are big-time performers.
“Anna Hartman has been doing awesome,” Kile said. “She has been a threat offensively.
“We expected big things out of her this season, and she certainly has come through. She has showed a work rate and understanding of the game that’s definitely varsity caliber, so she has done really well.”
Kile said that Sarah Galla might miss the game with an injury, which would put a little more pressure on her sister and the other Carmel defenders.
If the game comes down to defense, then Benet has the advantage. Despite starting three new backs in junior Annastacia Thiel, sophomore Sadie Sterbenz and freshman Nora Hanson, the Redwings have allowed only four goals, never more than one in a game, and have trailed only twice all season.
“They’re probably the ones that get the most overlooked in this whole situation,” Oconer said. “One of the big question marks this year was how would we fill in for the defenders that we lost.
“One of the big keys for us was Annastacia Thiel coming back to play high school soccer. She just played club the last two years and I think she’s been a stabilizing force for us at that center back spot.
“She really calms everything down so I’m fully confident that any time there is any kind of danger back there, she’ll clean it up.”
The three newcomers have meshed well with senior star Brooke Pullen, who alternates between right back and center back with Sterbenz.
“I would say Sadie is our most improved player from last year because she’s super athletic, very aggressive and very fast,” Oconer said. “I think that she added control and composure this year to it.”
Hanson has been a revelation at left back, playing so well that she appears to have that position locked down for years to come.
“She’s been the biggest surprise for us,” Oconer said. “At the beginning of the season, because I didn’t really see her play all that much, we just thought maybe she’d be part of our rotation back there.
“But from the very first day of tryouts, I knew right away that this kid belonged in our starting lineup. She’s just so steady.”
Based on recent results, Benet would figure to be a strong favorite to win this match. But both coaches know better.
“The Joliet Catholic game was tough,” Kile said. “It’s never fun to lose like that and to have six goals put up on you, it’s not something we’ve had done this season.
“I think part of it was we were tired and that showed in our performance. We had four games last week.
“Hopefully this will spark a fire in these kids. They know the level of competition this game is going to present and they also have the expectation to put for the effort. We’ll have a couple days rest so that should help.”
Oconer expects a tough battle.
“I’m sure (Kile) is doing a nice job for them,” Oconer said. “She was a former Carmel player so she knows all about the history of the rivalry.
“I’m fully confident that she’ll have them ready, and they always play us tough.”
early 'must-win' conference game
By Matt Le Cren
Even though it is still relatively early in the East Suburban Catholic Conference season, Wednesday’s game between Carmel and host Benet will be a must-win game for both teams.
On that, both coaches agree.
“It’s definitely a must-win game,” Carmel coach Stephanie Kile said. “And this will be one of those games if you beat a team like Benet, which is having such a successful season, this makes your season all the better.”
The Corsairs (4-3-3, 0-1-1) will have no shot at the league title if they lose to Benet. But the game is also important to the host Redwings (8-0-0, 2-0-0), who are ranked third in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 and need a win to keep pace with no. 11 Joliet Catholic (7-0-0, 2-0-0), which routed Carmel 6-1 Saturday.
Benet will travel to Joliet Catholic on May 17.
“This is a big week for us, starting with the Carmel game,” Benet coach Gerard Oconer said. “It will go a long way toward determining the conference champion this year.
“The Joliet Catholic game is obviously a game we’ve circled for a long, long time.”
But first the Redwings, who are ranked third in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, must take care of business against Carmel, never an easy task.
“Usually, our games with Carmel are open games, pretty much end-to-end, so it’s going to come down to who is going to be able to finish their chances, who can win the midfield,” Oconer said. “The last time we played them in 2019, it was a very odd game.”
Benet won that game 7-3 and went on to capture its first state championship. Odds are stacked against this match being so high-scoring, though both sides have high-powered offenses.
After a slow start, Benet has tallied 28 goals in its last five games and now has 32 for the season, while Carmel has 24.
The Corsairs will have their hands full trying to contain Benet star Jaimee Cibulka. The Loyola-bound senior has run rampant this spring with a team-high nine goals to go with three assists. That includes a pair of hat-tricks.
Sophomore Anna Casmere, who plays on the other wing, also has been effective, registering four goals and four assists. Midfielders Mariana Pinto and Rachel Burns have been solid, too, with Pinto producing six goals and five assists and Burns, a sophomore, netting seven goals to go with four assists.
Kile, who was a senior midfielder on Carmel’s 2008 state quarterfinal team and has coached in the program since 2009, is well aware of the rivalry and how difficult it will be to knock off the Redwings.
“It’s always a battle between Carmel, Viator, Benet and Joliet Catholic lately,” Kile said. “So it’s definitely one of those exciting games.
“They’re doing well. They’re top 3 in the state. We’re looking forward to this challenge and hopefully we can put up a good effort and hopefully we can come out with a win.”
The Corsairs, who are 0-2-1 in their last three games, are led by freshman forward Anna Hartman, who leads the team with six goals. Seniors Mia Salvi (forward) and twins Liz Galla (defender) and Sarah Galla (forward) are big-time performers.
“Anna Hartman has been doing awesome,” Kile said. “She has been a threat offensively.
“We expected big things out of her this season, and she certainly has come through. She has showed a work rate and understanding of the game that’s definitely varsity caliber, so she has done really well.”
Kile said that Sarah Galla might miss the game with an injury, which would put a little more pressure on her sister and the other Carmel defenders.
If the game comes down to defense, then Benet has the advantage. Despite starting three new backs in junior Annastacia Thiel, sophomore Sadie Sterbenz and freshman Nora Hanson, the Redwings have allowed only four goals, never more than one in a game, and have trailed only twice all season.
“They’re probably the ones that get the most overlooked in this whole situation,” Oconer said. “One of the big question marks this year was how would we fill in for the defenders that we lost.
“One of the big keys for us was Annastacia Thiel coming back to play high school soccer. She just played club the last two years and I think she’s been a stabilizing force for us at that center back spot.
“She really calms everything down so I’m fully confident that any time there is any kind of danger back there, she’ll clean it up.”
The three newcomers have meshed well with senior star Brooke Pullen, who alternates between right back and center back with Sterbenz.
“I would say Sadie is our most improved player from last year because she’s super athletic, very aggressive and very fast,” Oconer said. “I think that she added control and composure this year to it.”
Hanson has been a revelation at left back, playing so well that she appears to have that position locked down for years to come.
“She’s been the biggest surprise for us,” Oconer said. “At the beginning of the season, because I didn’t really see her play all that much, we just thought maybe she’d be part of our rotation back there.
“But from the very first day of tryouts, I knew right away that this kid belonged in our starting lineup. She’s just so steady.”
Based on recent results, Benet would figure to be a strong favorite to win this match. But both coaches know better.
“The Joliet Catholic game was tough,” Kile said. “It’s never fun to lose like that and to have six goals put up on you, it’s not something we’ve had done this season.
“I think part of it was we were tired and that showed in our performance. We had four games last week.
“Hopefully this will spark a fire in these kids. They know the level of competition this game is going to present and they also have the expectation to put for the effort. We’ll have a couple days rest so that should help.”
Oconer expects a tough battle.
“I’m sure (Kile) is doing a nice job for them,” Oconer said. “She was a former Carmel player so she knows all about the history of the rivalry.
“I’m fully confident that she’ll have them ready, and they always play us tough.”