Boys soccer: Improving Neuqua Valley defeats Benet
This is the way Neuqua Valley expected to play soccer.
The Wildcats finished their shots and possessed the ball well, taking a 3-1 nonconference victory from Benet on Thursday afternoon in Lisle.
"It's actually very refreshing because after the tough loss against (Naperville Central on Tuesday), it feels good to win again," Wildcats senior Daniel Costea said.
"I told the boys at halftime, that's four games of good soccer," added Neuqua Valley coach Arnoldo Gonzalez. "Unfortunately we didn't win Tuesday, but I think it was a very fun game to watch. Unfortunately you blink an eye and there goes a goal. And two and then you're done."
On Thursday it was Neuqua Valley (5-4-1) putting Benet on the wrong end of that blinking feeling.
Costea opened the scoring in the 29th minute, running onto a through ball from Billy Heniades for his third goal of the season.
That seemed to deflate the Redwings (1-5-1).
"It's kind of the way our season is going," Benet coach Sean Wesley said. "We created a few good chances early in the game. A couple of balls dropping in the 6-yard box. We don't get on the end of it. They do a good job clearing it. And then when we give up one it's hard to dig out of that hole and then we start chasing the game a little bit."
"I don't think they're a 3-0 or 3-1 team," Gonzalez added.
Neuqua Valley kept going, proving to itself it is capable of strong finishing in front of goal.
"We've been slowly but surely improving our finishing in practice, but it hasn't shown in games until now, so I'm happy that it is," Costea said.
Heniades added a second goal just before halftime, heading in a corner kick from sophomore Ryan Matthews at the far post in the 39th minute.
Senior T.J. Fenton made it 3-0 Neuqua with a 25-yard blast in the 69th minute that hit the bottom of the crossbar and bounced just inside the goal line.
"Their third goal was a moment of genius," Wesley said. "I mean, one of the best strikes of the year, right? You just kinda say nice shot and say, all right and we'll deal with giving up something from that range. You don't blame your defense, you don't blame your goalie."
Benet made the score look a little more like the run of play with a Nick Renfro goal off a Nicholas Trakszelis assist in the 78th minute.
"I think we're really good top of the box to top of the box," Wesley said. "But we just haven't found the right pieces yet to make the difference in the box on the offensive side and the defensive side."