Benet rebounds in Aurora

By Gary Larsen

After Downers Grove North snatched a win away from Benet on Tuesday with a late tying goal, the Redwings knew what they wanted to do differently heading into Friday’s game against Waubonsie Valley.

First, they returned to their old defensive formation.

“The flat four is gone,” said Benet coach Henry Wind. “We tried it against Downers North but our guys are just more comfortable playing sweeper-stopper.”

The second thing Benet did differently was win, posting a 3-1 victory over Waubonsie in Aurora.

Brock Bieschke scored once in each half and Connor Miller converted a penalty kick, while Oliver Mayer converted a penalty kick for the Warriors in the first half.

“We just worked a lot harder and played a lot better today,” Benet senior George Elliott said. “We came out more prepared and we were ready for the physicality on a smaller field today.”

Waubonsie played for the second time this year on its smaller field as the grass on its home field continues to mend from off-season drainage work.

The Warriors battled well for the first 40 minutes against Neuqua Valley before losing 1-0 to their cross-town rival on Tuesday.

“Benet played harder against us than Neuqua did and we didn’t match it from the get-go,” said Waubonsie Valley coach Angelo DiBernardo. “They dominated the game from beginning to end.”

Benet (1-0-1) struck first when Sean Mogan earned his way to the left corner on the dribble and let fly with a cross. Bieschke was there to finish from 8 yards out.

Elliott and Miller were prominent throughout the game at midfield. Miller converted his penalty kick after a hand-ball in the box to give Benet a two-goal lead.

Mayer and Benet keeper Anton Auerbach got tangled up near the goalmouth, with Mayer earning the foul and the penalty kick to cut Benet’s lead in half.

Waubonsie’s Reuel Erastus hit a pair of shots just wide of the post in the first half, but good scoring chances were hard to come by for the Warriors throughout.

Bieschke struck again on a serve from Elliott mid-way through the second half, Miller hit the crossbar on a bomb thereafter, and the 3-1 lead held to the final buzzer.

“We were a little more patient with the ball tonight, and Sean (Mogan) made a beautiful cross and Brock made a beautiful run on that first goal,” Wind said. “He got the ball in the middle, didn’t panic, and just put the ball in. He stayed composed.”

Wind also applauded Mogan’s defensive work on the day, along with the play of the Redwings’ John Bagnuolo.

“I don’t think we played up to our full potential, but we definitely played a lot better,” Bieschke said. “We had more possession and we ran through tackles today.”

Waubonsie Valley fell to 0-2 and has been outscored 4-1 to this point in the season. Warriors’ senior Nik Patel agreed that his side didn’t match Benet’s intensity on Friday.

“Neuqua is a great team and they know it, but Benet is more like us – they’ve got their higher-class players and lower-class players,” Patel said. “The difference today was that every one of their players put in their entire effort.”

Player of the match: Brock Bieschke

By Gary Larsen

Benet's Brock Bieschke earned a page in his coach's book on Friday.

“If you score two goals in a game, you’re always good in my book,” said Benet coach Henry Wind. “He was very patient, he controlled the ball and he put it away.”

Bieschke netted a ball in each half on crosses from Sean Mogan and George Elliott in Benet's 3-1 win over Waubonsie Valley.

“Sean Mogan passed it really well from the left side on that first one,” Bieschke said. “He beat two guys, took it down the line, and crossed it about a foot off the ground.”

On his second goal, Sean O’Hara sent a ball to Elliott, whose right-side cross found Bieschke again. “I just made a back arc run around the defense and it came right over a defender.”

Bieshcke was most happy to see his squad rebound from Tuesday's tie against Downers Grove North. The Trojans scored a goal with 16 seconds left in regulation to force the 1-1 tie.

“We had a long talk after Tuesday’s game and decided that we needed to bring our game here that we should always play with,” Bieschke said. “We played a lot harder today.”