LISLE – Like many of her Benet teammates, junior forward Natalie Grover had a tough time converting her chances in the first half against visiting Dunlap on Saturday.

There were no such worries in the second half.

Grover scored twice in a 56-second span, which was part of a five-goal barrage after intermission as the Redwings rolled to 6-0 nonconference victory over visiting Dunlap.

“I thought the first half for me was definitely a little bit slow,” Grover said. “But going into the second half, I just tried to have a lot of energy and try to be there for anything I can get to.”

Benet, which is ranked seventh in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 poll, dominated the action in the first half, outshooting the Eagles 15-2. But the Redwings (13-3-1) had only a 1-0 lead to show for it, courtesy of a goal from Ivana Vukas at the 21:20 mark.

Junior forward Johnna Caliendo gave the Redwings some breathing room when she made it 2-0 with 32:36 left in the second half. Her 25-yard shot from the left wing struck the crossbar and caromed off the back of Dunlap goalkeeper Alex Jensen and into the net.

Thanks in large part to Jensen, who finished with 13 saves, the floodgates didn’t open until Grover completed her brace eight minutes later.

Freshman Audrey Eiseman instigated the first play when her shot from the top of the box got past Jensen. A defender cleared the ball off the line but Grover intercepted it outside of the left post and buried a shot with 24:25 remaining.

Grover struck again at the 23:29 mark, running onto a cross from the left wing off the foot of freshman Megan Bergman before she sent a shot inside the right post.

“On the first goal, it got cleared out. I was just right in my spot to be able to put it back away,” Grover said. “The second one, Megan Bergman made a great run. She was going down the line, and she crossed it in.

“I was just right up along the top of the box to be able to put it back. It felt really great to be able to help get our team going. Once I scored the two, then we really kind of just picked it up, and we kept on going to the goal.”

It wasn’t the first time Grover, who comes off the bench for the Redwings, has made an impact. She notched a hat-trick in the season opening 12-0 win over Marian.

But this was a much more impressive feat against a far more talented foe. Dunlap (12-5-3) is ranked ninth in the Chicagoland Soccer Illinois 10 poll. The Eagles lost to Benet in a Class AA supersectional match in 2022.

“She brings some calm and composure in front of goal as a target player, especially when she plays with a little bit more confidence,” Benet coach Gerard Oconer said. “I think she doesn’t realize sometimes that she is good.

“She’s really building herself up, because she’s an extremely important part of the rotation at that center-forward position. We need that depth, for sure, and she can strike the ball well with both feet. She’s just another one of those kids who have been a fun surprise this season.”

Indeed, Grover now has eight goals on the season, tying her for second on the team with Vukas, Caliendo and Eleanor Mahan, who bagged her eighth goal with 8.7 seconds left to finish the scoring.

They all are one behind sophomore midfielder Annie Fitzgerald, who notched her ninth goal with 18:00 remaining on a great individual effort. Fitzgerald had a corner kick from the left side rejected by the defense, but she ran onto the rebound and dribbled in close before smashing a banger into the upper right corner of the net to bump the lead to 5-0.

It was all too much for the Eagles, who made the trip from the Peoria area to play a pair of Chicago-area Class 3A schools this weekend. Dunlap lost to no. 21 Wheaton Warrenville South 3-0 on Friday night.

“I think we kind of knew with our depth versus their depth that we would eventually wear them down,” Oconer said. “Some of the execution in front of the goal was a little lacking in the first half, just some of the composure and being able to actually shoot on the ground.

“But once we were able to do that in the second half, it just made it easier to open up things. They started getting tired, because it’s tough to come off a back-to-back, going against Wheaton Warrenville South and then have to come out here on a hot day on a big field.”

The Redwings outshot the Eagles 32-5 and the offensive outburst overshadowed another stellar effort by Benet’s defense, which pitched its eighth shutout. Goalkeeper Kate Grubish made one save in 60 minutes to get the win, while Giada McGlynn made one save in 20 minutes in relief.

“Our centerbacks, Meghan (Sarros) and Bailey (Abbott), are really good,” Benet defender Abby Gits said. “They’re really solid in the back, and they’re always looking to find our forwards.

“And our outside backs – me and Chloe (Sentman) and Gabby (Hedden) – we all work really hard to cross it to our wingers and find them at the right time.”

Grover was in the right place at the right time twice. That didn’t surprise Gits, who has to face Grover in practice.

“I think she’s great when she was pressure on her back,” Gits said. “She’s able to turn off of it and find her wingers on the outside who are trying to run through, and she’s really good at keeping calm and composed and being in the right place.”

Starting lineups

Dunlap
GK: Alex Jensen
D: Gabby Schupbach
D: Sydney Hunt
D: Avery Fleming
M: Abby Gleason
M: Kate Robertson
M: Katie Sell
M: Mia Williams
M: Aya Yamak
F: Josie Kroll
F: Devyn Davis
 
Benet
GK: Kate Grubish
D: Chloe Sentman
D: Abby Gits
D: Bailey Abbott
D: Meghan Sarros
M: Lily McKenna
M: Megan Bergman
M: Annie Fitzgerald
F: Johnna Caliendo
F: Eleanor Mahan
F: Ivana Vukas
 
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Natalie Grover, jr., F, Benet

 
Scoring summary

First half
Benet: Ivana Vukas (unassisted), 19’
 
Second half
Benet: Johnna Caliendo (unassisted), 48’
Benet: Natalie Grover (unassisted), 57’
Benet: Grover (Megan Bergman), 58’
Benet: Annie Fitzgerald (unassisted), 62’
Benet: Eleanor Mahan (unassisted), 80’