Coon, defense earn credit for Central win

Unsung players deserve a song now and then, and Naperville Central coach Ed Watson happily obliged Redhawks junior defender Alex Coon on Saturday.

"She does so much for us," Watson said after his squad's 1-0 win over Benet in overtime in Naperville. "She takes all of our restarts, all of our throws, and she ran around for 97 minutes.

"I don't give her enough credit for all of the things that she does."

The second-round game of the Naperville Invitational featured two teams that defend well but have struggled to finish on goals. And with three minutes left in the second overtime of a scoreless tie, a shootout seemed like a done deal.

"I hate shootouts. They're so nerve-wracking, and they don't tell who the true winner is," said Naperville Central junior Taylor Heatherly.

It was Becca Ebling who first helped the Redhawks avoid a shootout, swooping up the left side and crossing a ball toward the goalmouth.

"That was a great job by Becca Ebling, getting the ball in a position where the keeper couldn't and had to come off her line to get it, and it was a great job by Taylor making the run," Watson said.

Heatherly got on the end of Ebling's serve, chipping a high ball up and under the crossbar to give Naperville Central the win.

"Becca made a great run, and I just had to give one last effort, and it just worked out," Heatherly said.

Benet coach Henry Wind was left to mull over another day in which his squad seems snakebitten in close games.

"You're only going to get so many chances, and all year long we haven't taken advantage of them," Wind said. "And it seems like every time the other team gets an opportunity, somehow they score."

The Redwings sent a prime scoring chance just wide in overtime, and Naperville Central goalkeeper Jill D'Amico dove at the post to stop another Benet shot thereafter.

"She's absolutely incredible," Heatherly said. "I've seen a lot of good goalies, but she's incredible."

Heatherly and Kelly Blumberg played a strong game in the middle of the field for Naperville Central, which notched its 10th shutout of the season in improving to 11-2-2 overall. Benet fell to 6-4-1 on the season.

"Nobody wants a shootout at this point in time. I'm just happy for the girls, that they scored out of the field of play," Watson said.