Tigers see season come to an end after falling to Redwings in PKs

 

 

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By Curt Herron

Benet Academy and Wheaton Warrenville South kicked off postseason play on Wednesday in a clash more resembling a sectional matchup than a mere regional semifinal.

The Redwings and Tigers battled through two hours of competition before penalty kicks decided who would advance to Friday's Class 3A Neuqua Valley Regional finals.

When all was said and done, Benet avenged a 1-0 loss in a shootout to WW South in the Naperville Invite by capturing a 2-1 win, thanks to a 3-2 edge in a shootout.

As a result, coach Henry Wind's Redwings (18-5-2) move on to meet top-ranked Neuqua Valley (22-0) in Friday's championship in Naperville, which begins at 4:30 p.m.

Benet's win was assured after it made three of its four penalty kicks while keeper Claire Munaretto stopped three of the five tries which the Tigers sent her way.

WW South (11-8-2) was less than two minutes away from a 1-0 victory in regulation when Brittany Pullen scored off an assist from Madie Burke to force extra play.

It was a tough ending for Guy Callipari's Tigers, who bounced back from a slow start this year by winning their last five matches prior to postseason competition.

"I thought that we played really well and with a lot of passion," Wind said. "I liked the way that we passed and moved the ball around and I thought that we defended pretty well. They're a very good team and they also played well, but I thought we deserved to win.

"Claire's been working on PKs and we talked about a few things and how to do it and she did them. The last time they beat us in a shootout, so today it was our turn. It's always fun to play against Guy's team because they're very disciplined and well-organized."

Following four 10-minute overtime sessions in which there was a great deal of drama, especially for Benet, the squads went to a shootout to determine the outcome.

Munaretto set the tone right away when she stopped a try by Laine Jackson and the Redwings gained the early advantage when Kelly Diedrich followed with a goal.

After Dana Miller and Amanda Kaiser exchanged scores, things got evened up when Tiger keeper Arianna Lee stopped the next attempt from Michelle Morefield.

But Benet regained the momentum when its keeper came out of the net to halt a shot by Kelly Langlas and then Burke fired in a try to give her team a 3-2 lead.

On WW South's final PK, Munaretto again came out of the goal to thwart an attempt by Katrina Geannopoulos, which made the final Redwing shot unnecessary.

"My goalie coach just told me to stay calm and to react, look for how they were going to go and to come out strong and have confidence in myself," Munaretto said. "Penalty kicks are definitely nerve-wracking.

"Luckily our offense came through and we put that one away late. We had a lot of the momentum in the overtimes and sadly didn't put any away, but we did it in PKS. Winning this match is sort of redemption for us."

The overtimes were capped by perhaps their most dramatic moment, which came with just a couple of seconds remaining in the final extra session.

Just as play was winding down, WW South's Miller suddenly got free and looked like she might be able to make a late run toward the Redwing net.

The Benet keeper stopped her just beyond the top of the box, resulting in a yellow card for her, with Christina Stopka briefly taking over in net.

Natalie Jensen fired the subsequent free kick high, concluding 40 extra minutes in which both teams had chances, with the Redwings holding the edge.

Benet had the other two good opportunities in the final overtime, with Diedrich getting halted on a liner and then Maria Schwabe was wide on a try.

"We work really well together and never give up and I think that's what kept us going," Schwabe said. "We kept our composure and fought really hard and that's why we stayed in it until the end and got the late goal.

"We had the momentum going into the overtimes and kept it going through the PKs and things ended well. Wheaton Warrenville South is a great team and we lost to them before so it was great to go out and beat them."

In the third OT, Jamei Borges sent a liner to Lee and Hayley Charlton responded with a chip shot which followed a corner kick from Mary Heaton.

Burke was stopped on a free kick, Borges sent a short attempt to the Tiger keeper and Erica Filarski's shot off her own corner kick sailed high.

The second overtime featured Munaretto stopping shots from Filarski and Katherine Fowee and also Miller, which followed a free kick from Jensen.

Highlights of the first OT were a liner from Kaiser followed by a long free kick from Jensen and an attempt from Miller that Munaretto stopped.

"Given that we played each other before and went to PKs, there was no reason to believe that it couldn't happen again," WW South coach Guy Callipari said. "I thought both teams were comfortable in what they were capable of doing and we were both evenly-matched.

"There were chances on both sides of the ball where the game could have been won earlier. But both keepers came up big and the players played with so much heart on both sides and give them credit since they hung in there when they were playing against the clock.

"As I mentioned to our seniors, their legacy will be written in regards to what next year's team is capable of doing. They overcame so many obstacles this year and still found their way and that's a credit to both their leadership and to their character."

After knocking on the door often throughout the second half, the Redwings finally connected during the 79th minute, with just 1:49 remaining.

That's when Burke sent in a a short pass from the side that went toward Pullen, who was able to connect from close range to draw her team even.

Although there was still plenty of soccer left to play, the Redwings came alive after being on the verge of seeing their successful season end.

"I thought Madie was going to shoot it, but instead it was an awesome cross and I kind of just tapped it in, so she deserves the credit for that," Pullen said. "We all kind of knew that it was kind of now or never.

"We played them earlier in the season and lost to them in penalty kicks, so we really wanted to win this. We controlled most of the game and had the momentum in overtime. And in the PKs, Claire did an awesome job."

Benet started the final half with shot tries by Borges and Katie Liber that Lee stopped before Fowee and Schwabe exchanged attempts on goal.

But it was the Tigers who connected first, in the 53rd minute, when Fowee sent a cross to Heaton, who fired in a short attempt for the score.

A short while later, WW South's Emily Johnson had an attempt that was deflected off of the crossbar and then Schwabe was denied on a floater.

By comparison, the opening half featured much less drama, beginning with Borges being halted first by Lee and then later by a Tiger defender.

After an exchange of shots by Charlton and Lexie Liber, Meaghan O'Hara had a try deflected by Langlas and Katie Liber was stopped by Jensen.

"I have to give props to my defense because without Natalie Jensen, Noelle Ekonomou, Hayley Charlton and Kelly Langlas, the game honestly could have been over earlier," Lee said. "But we all pulled together today.

"Our team played great and Benet gave us a great game and that's what you want in the playoffs, where you play for these kinds of games. It's hard when it comes down to PKs, but it was a great effort by both teams."