St. Charles East finds way to get past Benet
2 2nd half goals give Saints win in early season test
By Matt Le Cren
LISLE – Junior Megan O’Neal earned Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors Monday because she scored the game-winning goal in fourth-ranked St. Charles East’s 2-0 win over no. 15 Benet at Benedictine University.
But a half-dozen other Saints made a good case for taking the award.
The defensive line, led by senior Julia Peterson, junior Tory Schumann and sophomore Hayley Popiel did not give up a goal for the fifth time in as many outings.
Senior goalkeeper Alison Chesterfield came up with a tremendous save on Benet’s Betsy Keefe midway through the second half to preserve a 1-0 lead and remained perfect this season.
And senior striker Claire Rasmussen assisted on O’Neal’s goal with a perfectly placed cross early in the second half.
In the end, both sides were happy with how they played in the early-season matchup of ranked teams and pleased they got the opportunity to face a formidable opponent.
“This was a massive test today,” St. Charles East coach Paul Jennison said. “We’ve been very excited to have a couple of nonconference games this year that we knew were going to be high quality.
“We’ve been pretty excited to get ready to play Benet for a few weeks now. We knew what they were going to bring, and they’re a very, very talented team, hard-working and they really did test us today.”
The Saints (5-0-0) had breezed to victories in their first four matches, though none of the opponents are as talented as Benet, a team they had not played in recent memory.
So a road win over a strong program that had opened the season with a drubbing of Queen of Peace was something to be proud of.
“Obviously a lot of question marks for us today walking in, but I think the girls put forward some great answers today,” Jennison said. “We had a solid performance.
“There’s a lot for us to work on but definitely an enjoyable game, and I know the girls are going to be very, very happy after that.”
O’Neal certainly was.
“We knew this was going to be a challenge, but coming out here we just wanted to put one away, and we wanted to show why they want to play us and prove ourselves,”
O’Neal said. “We haven’t had the best test yet.
“I would say that was our first big one. We wanted to prove ourselves and set the tone for the rest of the season.”
After a first half in which both teams were held scoreless and Benet was held shotless, O’Neal set the tone three minutes into the second half when she volleyed home Rasmussen’s cross for her first goal of the season.
The play came on a corner kick from Shannon Gatehouse, whose serve from the left corner sailed through the crease and found Rasmussen in the far corner of the six-yard box.
The Redwings tried to dislodge the ball but Rasmussen fended off the challenge and found O’Neal in the right spot at the right time.
“Claire played the perfect ball,” O’Neal said. “All I needed to do was place it right in. She did the work for me.”
The corner was just the second of the game for the Saints, who had been unable to produce any scoring chances in the first half until Gatehouse sent a 21-yard free kick over the crossbar two seconds before intermission.
So the visitors were feeling a sense of urgency.
“We knew this was one our opportunities and if we didn’t take it then we don’t know when our next one is going to come,” O’Neal said. “So it was just being persistent in front of the net is what got us there.
“We knew we needed to put it in the back of the net, so it just felt great to have one in.”
Junior Rose Stackhouse took advantage of one of the few Benet defensive breakdowns to add an unassisted insurance goal with 8:06 left in the game.
Up until that point, it was anyone’s game as Benet (1-1-0), which started only one senior along with four freshmen and three sophomores, gave the Saints all they could handle, relentlessly trying to move forward even before O’Neal’s goal.
“It was a competitive game,” Benet coach Bob Gros said. “We didn’t just sit back.
“I thought we attacked with some relish. We couldn’t quite finish the deal, but we put them on their heels every once in a while.
“But that’s one of the better defenses I’ve seen in a long time.”
Benet senior midfielder Ellie Bumpus agreed.
“We tried to swing it out wide to our wings like Betsy (Keefe) and Mia (Ullmer), and they knew how to defend that very well,” Bumpus said. “Their outside backs are very good and then their center backs were great at just controlling the ball and keeping possession in the back of the field.”
Indeed, the defense consistently shut down every foray either outside the box or just inside it. The Saints were particularly impressive in slowing the dangerous Keefe, who had her team’s only real scoring chance with 23:00 left in the second half.
Coming out of a short corner kick, the Redwings found Keefe momentarily open in the middle of the St. Charles East box. She had to settle the ball and that gave Chesterfield the split second she needed to prepare for the shot to come.
Keefe drove her 12-yard blast through traffic and toward the lower left corner of the net, but Chesterfield sprawled to her right to deflect it wide of the post.
“It’s not normally that we give a shout-out to an individual player, but the save that (Chesterfield) made in goal, that’s world class,” Jennison said. “You don’t get to see saves like that very often.
“If that goes in (to tie the game) at 1-1, you can make a fair argument that Benet’s going to be pushing on and looking to get something else. We’re very fortunate (Chesterfield) was in net doing that.”
The stop was one of two made by Chesterfield, who hasn’t seen much action thus far as her teammates have dominated the action.
“It does get the adrenaline going again,” said Chesterfield, one of only three seniors on the Saints roster. “It’s a little difficult when you’ve not been tested for a certain amount of time and then you have to make those saves.”
But Chesterfield, a second-year starter, had confidence in herself.
“I just kind of found a spot between where everyone was,” Chesterfield said. “They were all over the place, and I got myself set and just made the save. It’s just like second nature by now.”
That confidence, combined with the Saints’ great defense, has Chesterfield optimistic that her team is primed for a great season.
“Our defenders have been doing a great job all season (and it is) all across the field, too,” Chesterfield said. “We try to defend from each section of the field so it doesn’t always have to be just relying on me and the defenders, so it’s a team effort.
“We’re definitely excited about (the hot start). Our team is kind of young, so it’s a great sign for the rest of the season.”
Benet is an even younger team, yet the Redwings are just as excited. The attitude is justified considering the way the back line of sophomores Erin Flynn and Clare Bumpus and freshmen Mary Kate Hansen and Mary Kate Wilhelm limited an offense that had scored 19 goals to only five shots on frame.
“Our defense is real young but they’re great,” Bumpus said. “I couldn’t be more proud of them.
“I think if we can play like we played that first half all season, no team will be able to score on us. I played with some great defenses over the years (led by the likes of) Emily Curtis and Rachel Bernicky, and I have more confidence in them than I do with any other team I’ve played here.”
Starting line-ups
St. Charles East
GK: Alison Chesterfield
D: Julia Peterson
D: Hayley Popiel
D: Tory Schumann
MF: Megan O’Neal
MF: Hannah Kolb
MF: Kaitlyn Dziubinski
MF: Shannon Gatehouse
MF: Alessia D’Argento
F: Chantel Carranza
F: Claire Rasmussen
Benet
GK: Anna Keefe
D: Erin Flynn
D: Mary Kate Hansen
D: Mary Kate Wilhelm
D: Clare Bumpus
MF: Ellie Bumpus
MF: Katie Gesior
F: Maddie Becker
F: Betsy Keefe
F: Abby Casmere
F: Mia Ullmer
MVP of the Match: Megan O’Neal, MF, St. Charles East
2 2nd half goals give Saints win in early season test
By Matt Le Cren
LISLE – Junior Megan O’Neal earned Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors Monday because she scored the game-winning goal in fourth-ranked St. Charles East’s 2-0 win over no. 15 Benet at Benedictine University.
But a half-dozen other Saints made a good case for taking the award.
The defensive line, led by senior Julia Peterson, junior Tory Schumann and sophomore Hayley Popiel did not give up a goal for the fifth time in as many outings.
Senior goalkeeper Alison Chesterfield came up with a tremendous save on Benet’s Betsy Keefe midway through the second half to preserve a 1-0 lead and remained perfect this season.
And senior striker Claire Rasmussen assisted on O’Neal’s goal with a perfectly placed cross early in the second half.
In the end, both sides were happy with how they played in the early-season matchup of ranked teams and pleased they got the opportunity to face a formidable opponent.
“This was a massive test today,” St. Charles East coach Paul Jennison said. “We’ve been very excited to have a couple of nonconference games this year that we knew were going to be high quality.
“We’ve been pretty excited to get ready to play Benet for a few weeks now. We knew what they were going to bring, and they’re a very, very talented team, hard-working and they really did test us today.”
The Saints (5-0-0) had breezed to victories in their first four matches, though none of the opponents are as talented as Benet, a team they had not played in recent memory.
So a road win over a strong program that had opened the season with a drubbing of Queen of Peace was something to be proud of.
“Obviously a lot of question marks for us today walking in, but I think the girls put forward some great answers today,” Jennison said. “We had a solid performance.
“There’s a lot for us to work on but definitely an enjoyable game, and I know the girls are going to be very, very happy after that.”
O’Neal certainly was.
“We knew this was going to be a challenge, but coming out here we just wanted to put one away, and we wanted to show why they want to play us and prove ourselves,”
O’Neal said. “We haven’t had the best test yet.
“I would say that was our first big one. We wanted to prove ourselves and set the tone for the rest of the season.”
After a first half in which both teams were held scoreless and Benet was held shotless, O’Neal set the tone three minutes into the second half when she volleyed home Rasmussen’s cross for her first goal of the season.
The play came on a corner kick from Shannon Gatehouse, whose serve from the left corner sailed through the crease and found Rasmussen in the far corner of the six-yard box.
The Redwings tried to dislodge the ball but Rasmussen fended off the challenge and found O’Neal in the right spot at the right time.
“Claire played the perfect ball,” O’Neal said. “All I needed to do was place it right in. She did the work for me.”
The corner was just the second of the game for the Saints, who had been unable to produce any scoring chances in the first half until Gatehouse sent a 21-yard free kick over the crossbar two seconds before intermission.
So the visitors were feeling a sense of urgency.
“We knew this was one our opportunities and if we didn’t take it then we don’t know when our next one is going to come,” O’Neal said. “So it was just being persistent in front of the net is what got us there.
“We knew we needed to put it in the back of the net, so it just felt great to have one in.”
Junior Rose Stackhouse took advantage of one of the few Benet defensive breakdowns to add an unassisted insurance goal with 8:06 left in the game.
Up until that point, it was anyone’s game as Benet (1-1-0), which started only one senior along with four freshmen and three sophomores, gave the Saints all they could handle, relentlessly trying to move forward even before O’Neal’s goal.
“It was a competitive game,” Benet coach Bob Gros said. “We didn’t just sit back.
“I thought we attacked with some relish. We couldn’t quite finish the deal, but we put them on their heels every once in a while.
“But that’s one of the better defenses I’ve seen in a long time.”
Benet senior midfielder Ellie Bumpus agreed.
“We tried to swing it out wide to our wings like Betsy (Keefe) and Mia (Ullmer), and they knew how to defend that very well,” Bumpus said. “Their outside backs are very good and then their center backs were great at just controlling the ball and keeping possession in the back of the field.”
Indeed, the defense consistently shut down every foray either outside the box or just inside it. The Saints were particularly impressive in slowing the dangerous Keefe, who had her team’s only real scoring chance with 23:00 left in the second half.
Coming out of a short corner kick, the Redwings found Keefe momentarily open in the middle of the St. Charles East box. She had to settle the ball and that gave Chesterfield the split second she needed to prepare for the shot to come.
Keefe drove her 12-yard blast through traffic and toward the lower left corner of the net, but Chesterfield sprawled to her right to deflect it wide of the post.
“It’s not normally that we give a shout-out to an individual player, but the save that (Chesterfield) made in goal, that’s world class,” Jennison said. “You don’t get to see saves like that very often.
“If that goes in (to tie the game) at 1-1, you can make a fair argument that Benet’s going to be pushing on and looking to get something else. We’re very fortunate (Chesterfield) was in net doing that.”
The stop was one of two made by Chesterfield, who hasn’t seen much action thus far as her teammates have dominated the action.
“It does get the adrenaline going again,” said Chesterfield, one of only three seniors on the Saints roster. “It’s a little difficult when you’ve not been tested for a certain amount of time and then you have to make those saves.”
But Chesterfield, a second-year starter, had confidence in herself.
“I just kind of found a spot between where everyone was,” Chesterfield said. “They were all over the place, and I got myself set and just made the save. It’s just like second nature by now.”
That confidence, combined with the Saints’ great defense, has Chesterfield optimistic that her team is primed for a great season.
“Our defenders have been doing a great job all season (and it is) all across the field, too,” Chesterfield said. “We try to defend from each section of the field so it doesn’t always have to be just relying on me and the defenders, so it’s a team effort.
“We’re definitely excited about (the hot start). Our team is kind of young, so it’s a great sign for the rest of the season.”
Benet is an even younger team, yet the Redwings are just as excited. The attitude is justified considering the way the back line of sophomores Erin Flynn and Clare Bumpus and freshmen Mary Kate Hansen and Mary Kate Wilhelm limited an offense that had scored 19 goals to only five shots on frame.
“Our defense is real young but they’re great,” Bumpus said. “I couldn’t be more proud of them.
“I think if we can play like we played that first half all season, no team will be able to score on us. I played with some great defenses over the years (led by the likes of) Emily Curtis and Rachel Bernicky, and I have more confidence in them than I do with any other team I’ve played here.”
Starting line-ups
St. Charles East
GK: Alison Chesterfield
D: Julia Peterson
D: Hayley Popiel
D: Tory Schumann
MF: Megan O’Neal
MF: Hannah Kolb
MF: Kaitlyn Dziubinski
MF: Shannon Gatehouse
MF: Alessia D’Argento
F: Chantel Carranza
F: Claire Rasmussen
Benet
GK: Anna Keefe
D: Erin Flynn
D: Mary Kate Hansen
D: Mary Kate Wilhelm
D: Clare Bumpus
MF: Ellie Bumpus
MF: Katie Gesior
F: Maddie Becker
F: Betsy Keefe
F: Abby Casmere
F: Mia Ullmer
MVP of the Match: Megan O’Neal, MF, St. Charles East