Warren does it all in Benet win

Benet senior C.J. Warren had to take on a more defensive-minded role Saturday.

So, of course, he went out and scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory over visiting Naperville Central in Lisle.

Warren, who usually starts in the midfield, played left back in place of Thomas Miskin, who missed the game following the death of his grandfather. Warren didn't seem out of place.

"I've played left back with (center back) Kyle (Kohlsaat) in club, so I'm kind of used to it," Warren said. "But I wasn't expecting a goal out of it."

Warren's goal, his third of the season, came in the 28th minute on one of the few shots on goal mustered by either team. He intercepted a clearance at the top of the box and ripped an 18-yard shot that deflected off a defender and in.

"Jonny (Mitra) threw the ball in," Warren said. "One of their big center backs headed it back out. I just crashed and put it on frame. It took a deflection and went in."

With Benet's back line of Warren, Kohlsaat, Mitra and Zack Serafin in outstanding form and midfielders Nick Renfro and Anthony Klos intercepting a slew of passes, the Redhawks (5-7-4) couldn't create any decent scoring chances.

"C.J. did it all for us today," Benet coach Sean Wesley said. "He played great at left back and then to get the game-winner against Naperville Central is a great senior moment.

"We've toyed with (playing) him in the back before and we kind of put him in midfield to maybe try to create a little bit more.

"So we were super-confident. Yesterday at practice he said, 'Can we run some defensive stuff?' And I was like, 'I don't think you need to, we're good.'"

Benet (12-3-1) has been good defensively all season, allowing only 7 goals. The Redwings have won five straight games, all by shutout.

"I think it's just we've all gotten comfortable with each other," Kohlsaat said. "We're communicating well and we're just having fun out there."

The Redhawks, in contrast, continued a frustrating pattern of inconsistency. They have lost four of their last five matches, three of them by shutout, and have yet to win back-to-back games.

"There wasn't a lot of sustained quality play," Naperville Central coach Troy Adams said. "It was chippy, the ball was in the air and unfortunately that's not something that benefits us.

"We've talked about it enough, but we have not played a consistent 80 minutes during the whole year. What that tells me is we're not really mentally disciplined enough to do what we need to do to win."