Bayer, Benet get another shutout

Eventually, Benet probably will give up a goal this season. For now, though, the Redwings are going to enjoy this shutout streak.

Benet earned its third consecutive shutout victory to start the boys soccer season, this time defeating Neuqua Valley 3-0 Thursday night at Naperville North in the Best of the West Tournament.

"We've been working on that all summer and we're coming together now as a team," Benet junior goalkeeper Konrad Bayer said of his well-organized defense. "We're developing in pairs in the back so that we slide. We're really working on our defense so that we help (senior striker Kyle Kenagy) up top so that if he doesn't score we still get the win."

Kenagy did wind up scoring, twice in the second half. First, though, the Redwings (3-0) broke the ice in the 36th minute on a goal by Artur Pach. Pach found a Connor Mote corner kick bouncing around in a crowd in front of the Neuqua Valley net and knocked it in.

"I finally just broke in and got used to it," said Pach, a freshman. "And scoring my first goal, my confidence went up and I knew that I could be successful on this team."

Pach was done scoring, but he wasn't done being involved in the scoring. He assisted on both Kenagy goals, the first on a picture-perfect one-touch cross from the right side that Kenagy coolly headed into the net in the 53rd minute. The final goal came in the 68th minute off a 28-yard strike from Kenagy.

Meanwhile, the back line of Dustin Uher, Jared Kovach, Harrison Burke and Richard Michalik was doing a good job keeping Neuqua Valley's attackers from getting too close to Bayer.

"The farther away the better," the goalkeeper said.

As for the secret to the shutouts, that's simple, he added.

"You've just got to play confident and keep the back organized," Bayer said. "If they don't give up shots you don't have to save many and they don't go in."

"Konrad's played amazing," Benet coach Sean Wesley said, adding his team hasn't played its best soccer yet.

Neither have the Wildcats (1-4), who are looking to regroup after an uncharacteristically poor start.

"Just a disappointing effort with regards to being able to put balls in the back of the net. The first 35-40 minutes I thought we played really well," Wildcats coach Skip Begley said. "Until we start scoring goals we're going to struggle."

The Wildcats are looking for someone to take the initiative to score, he said.

"We need somebody to step up there. We're not getting balls deep into the box and being dangerous," he added.