Carmel bounces Benet in ESCC showdown

Carmel Catholic's girls soccer team produced a performance of full power and defensive intelligence to defeat visiting Benet 1-0 and capture the East Suburban Catholic Conference championship at Baker Stadium in Mundelein on Saturday.

Coach John Halloran's club defended and managed its 1-goal advantage throughout the second half to ensure Angela Salvi's goal just moments before intermission gave the Corsairs their second league crown in three years. They marched through the competition undefeated in 10 matches, improving to a 14-1-1 overall.

"What a great win for the girls and our program," Halloran said. "We got a big goal right before the half from Angela, did a great job all day in the middle and along the back to keep Benet's chances to just a few to get a well-earned win over a very good opponent today."

Heavy rains forced the title-deciding contest to be moved from the Corsairs' soccer-only field onto the turf, which immediately turned up the speed of play to another level.

"The game was so fast and quick on this turf, so it was hard sometimes to possess like we do," said Carmel's Mary Murphy, who along with Emma Kobitter and sophomore Haley Miller helped keep Benet (14-3-2, 7-1-0), including talented sophomore Kerry Abello, under wraps. "But I think after a while, we did a good job of adjusting our play and then having a lot of the play, especially in the first half,"

"We knew No. 10 (Abello) was a dangerous player," Halloran said. "That's where our outside players were key figures, as they did a great job of tracking back and defending all throughout this game."

McKenzie Runyan, who ran hard at the Benet back line all day long and was dangerous with nearly every touch in and around the area, nearly put herself in on Benet keeper Emma Hlavin. Erin Johnston set Runyan free, but the Corsairs' foul on her mark ended the hope of a one-on-one opportunity.

After Runyan went over the bar with her 24-yard free kick in the 34th minute, it appeared both sides were prepared to go into the break even. But then Salvi and Kayla Handel made something from nothing to thrill the Corsairs faithful.

Handel connected with an unmarked Salvi to the right of Hlavin, and the cool and composed sophomore did the rest. Salvi touched away from her defender to get enough time and space to fire a low, well-paced shot past the outstretched Benet keeper.

"Kayla gave Angela a great ball, and she was so calm, and showed a lot of patience with that touch before her shot," Halloran said of Salvi's 10th goal of the season.

"What a huge goal for us," Runyan said. "It's always big for your team to score that late, and never good if it happens to you instead."

"We had a breakdown defensively in our end, and it cost us," Benet coach Bob Gros said. "It was that simple."

The Redwings, who outscored their ESCC opponents 30-2 prior to Saturday, fired back after the break. They were on their front foot from the opening whistle with a frenetic tempo, led, in part, by Betsy Keefe, Kate Hennessy, Bumpus and Abello.

Keefe stretched the Carmel back line with her enterprising run up the right side before driving her angled shot over the bar at 44 minutes. Keefe then played a lovely ball to Bumpus, who forced keeper Christina O'Block to save, one of just a few en route to her eighth shutout of the season.

"We were missing our best attacking player today, senior Jacquie Kaufman, who had surgery to remove her appendix," Gros said. "But that's not an excuse, because we still had a few moments and spurts here and there. We didn't finish, and that's how you win."

With Benet chasing the equalizer, a pattern of increased pressure from the visitors emerged. But the Corsairs' defensive discipline was impressive, particularly during the final quarter hour, when the vise grip of the Corsairs back line tightened as every minute went by.

Runyan put a nice ball onto the foot of Salvi, who was denied a chance by two defenders retreating quickly inside the box to tackle and end the 70th-minute chance.

It led to a frantic final ten minutes, with Benet throwing numbers forward in its search for the equalizer.

"This win," a smiling Runyan said, "feels amazing."