LISLE — Benet’s Gerard Oconer saw red Saturday afternoon at Baumgartner-Gilbert Stadium.

So did Marist’s Chris Roe.

But neither coach was angry.

It was a school color thing. The red and white-clad squads clashed in an East Suburban Catholic Conference match below a sky that couldn’t have been bluer in the seasonable conditions.

“Finally, it’s nice,” Oconer said of the cooperative weather minutes before kickoff.

Six minutes in an odd thing happened -- Benet trailed in a conference match. Marist freshman forward Mia Sherry alertly scored from a spot just north of the 18 after intercepting a clearing attempt.

Benet, the two-time reigning Class AA state runnerup, hadn’t allowed a conference goal since visiting Saint Viator netted one in a 5-1 Redwings victory on May 9, 2022.

“Beautiful finish,” Roe said of Sherry’s fourth goal of the season.

Benet sophomore forward Ivana Vukas answered with a rather odd goal in the 19th minute and struck again two minutes later to help the hosts escape with a 2-1 triumph.

Benet (3-2-1, 3-0-0 in the ESCC), an honorable mention school in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 poll, defeated Marist 7-0 last spring and 5-1 and 3-0 in 2022 and 2021, respectively.

“We battled,” a proud Roe said after his club slipped to 2-6-0, 0-1-0. “We made minor mistakes on both of their goals; we’ll fix those. We normally get knocked around here, on the
scoreboard and physically. Benet is an excellent program.

“We played, by far, our best game of the season today,” added the 1997 Marist graduate and former prep striker. “Our defense was tough, especially in the second half. We closed as hard as Benet did.”

Vukas had scored only one goal in the Redwings’ first five games. Her first goal Saturday was bizarre and fluky and turtle-slow. Benet freshman midfielder Megan Bergman sent a fairly lengthy service toward the box that drew RedHawks junior goalkeeper Caitlin Schofield well off her line. Vukas poked the ball from about 20 yards, and it got behind the keeper.

“I then saw our nine (junior reserve striker Natalie Grove) run after my shot, thinking she’d tap it in. But she didn’t; she let it roll and roll. At that point I thought the grass would slow the shot down short of the goal.”

The ball trickled in, knotting the contest at 1-all.

Two minutes later Vukas put more oomph — at least 60 miles-per-hour more — on a shot that complete her brace and essentially clinched Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors.

Redwings sophomore midfielder/forward Annie Fitzgerald, one of three Benet booters on Chicagoland Soccer’s All-State Watch List with Vukas and senior midfielder Rania Fikri, had delivered the pass that preceded Vukas’ rising 15-yard shot, which sailed over Schofield’s left hand and near the far post.

“Ivana is so technical and super-fast,” Benet senior co-captain back Gabby Hedden said.

Ditto for Fikri, whose sticky defense often reduced a Marist possession into a 1.2-second moment, or less. When her disruptions didn’t result in steals, they clogged promising rushes.

Hedden displayed a smooth move in the aftermath of a midair collision with a RedHawk in the first half. Her textbook somersault may have prevented an injury or two — and would
have turned a head or two at a regional gymnastics meet.

Redwings on the bench acknowledged the acrobatic feat as Hedden smiled en route to resuming her life as an invaluable defender. Had NBA dunk contest cards been available,
Hedden’s teammates would have waved more than a few “10s.”

“She’s done that before in a game,” Vukas said. “It’s kind of Gabby’s thing.”

But Hedden’s soccer acumen overshadowed her tumbling skills to the surprise of no one.

“She’s super physical, and she distributes the ball so well from the back,” Vukas said.

Benet last played way back on March 23, and had to stage Saturday’s match at the school’s football stadium because its soccer pitch was deemed unplayable.

Oconer’s crew enjoyed the run of play for most of the afternoon, creating chance after chance and entertaining its faithful along the way. It’s not unusual for near goals in the beautiful game to be prettier than their productive cousins (goals).

Schofield collected six of her 11 saves for Marist in the first half.

“We certainly did,” Oconer said of his side having a pile of opportunities to turn a tight match into a comfortable decision.

“Marist played hard, like it always does. Marist presented a challenge.”

Benet senior co-captain and keeper Kate Grubish registered the win without having to make a save. But she helped preserve her club’s one-goal lead by pouncing on a fairly dangerous ball in the 74th minute.

Benet’s collective talent was glaring, two days before the solar eclipse. It’s not going anywhere, much to the delight of Redwings Nation. The team’s middling overall record
through six matches deserves an asterisk. The early season included an 0-2-1 record in the Wheaton North Kickoff Tournament against the likes of formerly top-ranked Metea Valley (1-0 loss), the ranked home team (2-1) and a scoreless tie versus Glenbard West. 

Optimistic Hedden, for one, likes her team’s direction as it nears the season’s midpoint.

“We’re still new,” Hedden said. “Our chemistry is still building. We’re going to get better.”

Benet hosts Plainfield East at 4:30 p.m. Monday and visits Carmel at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in a league contest; Marist faces host and conference foe Joliet Catholic at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Footnotes

Marist’s varsity roster includes 12 underclass players, including four freshmen. The speedy, canny Sherry, a freshman, could easily pass for a third-year varsity starter. “Mia is a difference-maker,” said Roe, who’s been a coach at Marist for 22 years, the last eight-plus as the helmsman of the girls’ varsity. “She’s smart, and she sees space.” … Sherry doesn’t just play soccer, because it’s fun, and she has bushels of talent. “It gets my mind off other things,” she said. … The goal allowed by Benet on Saturday snapped an impressive streak. The
Redwings had outscored eight-straight league foes by a combined 42-0 since the start of the 2023 season. The closest game in that stretch was Benet’s 1-0 defeat of visiting Saint Viator on April 18, 2023. … Sherry, on Benet’s Redwings: “They’re aggressive and they win a lot of 50/50 balls.” Sherry, on Marist’s RedHawks: “We won more 50/50 balls in the second half than we did in the first.”

Starting lineups

Marist
GK Caitlin Schofield
D Liliana Madrid
D Claire Cotter
D Sienna Conte
D Nikki Young
MF Cate Meehan
MF Addison Woodward
MF Hannah McNeela
MF Giselle Coronado
F Mia Sherry
F Vivian Corona

Benet
GK Kate Grubish
D Meghan Sarros
D Chloe Sentman
D Gabby Hedden
D Bailey Abbott
MF Lily McKenna
MF Rania Fikri
MF Megan Bergman
F Cairo Zupo
F Johnna Caliendo
F Eleanor Mahan

Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Ivana Vukas, so., F, Benet 

Scoring summary

First half
Marist: Sherry (unassisted), 6’
Benet: Vukas (Bergman), 17’
Benet: Vukas (Annie Fitzgerald), 19’

Second half
No scoring