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Benet prevails on a windy night in Downers Grove By Gary Larsen
Some pretty good soccer usually takes place, too. “It’s always a good game against Downers,” Benet coach Henry Wind said. This year’s battle saw Benet build a 2-0 lead by halftime on goals from Sean O’Hara and George Eliott, before DG South’s Marcus Salinas scored to make things interesting in the second frame. “There are enough kids from the community here that go to Benet, and it always creates a good rivalry when the kids know each other,” Mustangs coach Jon Stapleton said. “It’s always a heated contest.” Benet hung on for the 2-1 win, and improved to 8-4-2 in the process. “In the first half I thought we were moving the ball well, and putting pressure on them,” Wind said. “If we could have scored a third goal it would have made it much harder on them. But we didn’t, and when they got that goal in the second half, now they’re only down a goal and it’s a whole different game.” For DG South (4-9-5), while a spirited second half had the Mustangs playing well with urgency, playing from behind is a trend they’d like to buck. “It seems like we start slow, every single game, and we have to come back,” Mustangs senior Cal Roseleib said. “Playing out of a hole is really tough, and it’s something we’ve struggled with the whole year. We have yet to put an eighty-minute game together.” “Right now we’re a second half team, and if we can become an eighty-minute team we’ll be right there with everyone.” Benet got solid performances from Eliot, Sean Mogan, and Ryan Reilly in Tuesday’s game, while DG South’s Matt LaLonde punched the clock and put in more than his share of work for the night. “It was also nice to see Marcus (Salinas) get that goal. It was his second of the year and it got us back in the game,” Stapleton said. Reilly’s play at sweeper was also pivotal in holding off South in the second half. “We had a letdown, they scored, and then they picked up a lot of momentum in the second half,” Reilly said. “They’re a good team and they have a lot of good players.” Wind appreciated the play of his junior in the face of the Mustangs’ strong second-half attack. “What I like about (Reilly) is not only how well he organizes back there, and how he communicates,” Wind said. “He’s also just tough. He doesn’t back down from anything.” DG South has West Suburban Gold foes Morton, Leyden, and Hinsdale South left on the schedule, while Benet has five games remaining against Carmel, Nazareth, Wheaton Academy, St. Viator, and Lyons Township. “I’m happy with the way we’re playing right now,” Wind said. “It was good to get a win and the boys are working hard.” |
Man of the match: Ryan Reilly By Gary Larsen
Four or five games into the season, Benet coach Henry Wind was doing what coaches do -- tinkering with personnel towards fielding the best team he could. Since moving junior Ryan Reilly from marking back to sweeper, the veteran coach has one less position to tinker with. "A lot of people might not agree with me, but I think you put one of your best players, if not the best player on your team, at sweeper," Wind said. "Ryan has done a great job since he took over there." Reilly, Matt Stopka, Matt Dickey, and Joe Mahoney have been rock-solid in front of keepers Alex Senetar and Anton Auerbach. Benet has five shutouts in its last eight games, and Reilly has been in the middle of it all. "His toughness is outstanding," Wind said. "You want someone at sweeper who organizes and reads the game well, and who makes quick decisions and the right decisions." "He does all of that, and he's a tough kid on top of it." Reilly didn't blink when Wind shifted him from the outside to the middle of the defense. “I just have to organize the back, and make sure they don’t get any goals in,” Reilly said. “You just have to make sure you’re focused and on your game.” Reilly likes the path the Redwings are on with the postseason looming. “We need to move up as a team and make sure we have all our marks on defense,” Reilly said. “I think we’re improving, and I think (Wind) notices that.” |
A game of wind-aided momentum swings played out between Benet and host Downers Grove South, in an annual game that never fails to feature a hard physical edge.