Boys soccer: Straight talk benefits Bende, Stevenson

Taking advice from his Stevenson soccer teammates turned out to be an outstanding move by Ethan Bende.

The sophomore defender moved up to build numbers for the Patriots' attack in the second half at Glenbrook South on Tuesday. He ended up making a run and delivering the game-winning goal on a volley, as Stevenson edged St. Patrick 2-1 in an opening game of the Titan invitational in Glenview.

Kai Mayahara sent a cross off a Shamrocks defender, and Bende finished it for his first career goal in the 47th minute, snapping a 1-1 tie.

"My teammates were telling me that in a tie game you can go up," Bende said. "That time we got the cross in, it glanced off the defender's head, and I was there to put it in. We wanted to go up with numbers. If I'm open, then I might as well go in. I just wanted to help and do whatever I can."

Stevenson (1-1) will next play Francis Parker at 5:45 p.m. Wednesday. Francis Parker shut out Wheeling 1-0 on Tuesday.

"(St. Patrick) was a nice team and solid everywhere," Stevenson coach Mark Schartner said. "We did have three players out. I really liked the way we played in the second half, but I was not happy with the first half. Our aggressiveness and getting numbers in the box improved a lot in the second half. We're still finding ourselves and working our way through it."

The Patriots opened the scoring in the 21st minute, when Hunter Tam scored off a corner kick from Steven O'Reilly.

St. Patrick (3-1, 0-1) tied the score four minutes later. Joshua Torres beat the Patriots defense and scored after taking a pass from Luis Saucedo.

"We knew this would be a tough match," St. Patrick coach Kyle McClure said. "We proved we can play with teams like this. I think we're better than people think. (Stevenson) was physical and strong. They are solid and, as a very young team, we're not used to that."

Glenbrook South 3, Mundelein 2: At Glenbrook South, Mundelein had a rough start in their tournament opener, falling behind 3-0.

Mundelein fell to 1-2 overall.

"I guess you can categorize it as a comeback and a nice effort," coach Ernie Billittier said after his Mustangs rallied for a couple of late goals. "We shouldn't concede goals in the first 10 minutes on dead balls. That's what needs to be cleaned up along with sloppy turnovers. It's a process. We did have flashes of brilliance, but we have to find it consistently."

Glenbrook South (2-1, 1-0) got goals from Jonathan Hernandez and Jimmy McMahon in the first half. The Titans added a goal from Jeremy Weber in the second half.

"One of our goals was to finish on set pieces," Glenbrook South coach Reggie Lara said. "From that point, we put (Mundelein) under pressure and thought we could close the door. (Mundelein) was very skilled, and I knew that going into the game. I did get really nervous in the second half when they switched formations and had more success in the middle. It caused more stress for our defenders and goalkeeper."

Alexis Martinez and Bryan Alba knocked in goals for Mundelein. The Mustangs will take on Guerin Prep in the second day of action at 5:45 p.m. Wednesday.