Bohan's late blast draws
Naperville Central even with Benet
Sophomore creates 2-2 result in battle of ranked foes
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE -- Patrick Bohan's first career varsity goal was not a game-winner; it was a game-saver.
The sophomore defender's brilliant 22-yard blast under the crossbar with 5:37 left in the second half allowed host Naperville Central, ranked 25th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, to draw 2-2 with no. 11 Benet on Tuesday night at Memorial Stadium.
While both sides left the field unsatisfied with the result, everyone agreed that Bohan's strike was the highlight of a hard-fought game between two teams that have realistic chances of making long playoff runs.
Bohan, ironically, both started and finished the play. Benet (11-4-1) was clinging to a 2-1 lead when the Redhawks (11-6-1) got a corner kick from the left side.
Bohan sent a high ball in front, where a defender knocked the ball out of the box. But the clearance didn't have enough pace on it to go very far and Bohan tracked the ball down just outside the 18 and drilled a shot over the head of Benet goalkeeper Evan Lucas.
"I threw it in really deep, and it was getting knocked around a bunch," Bohan said. "I saw it rolling out nice and slowly for me.
"I knew it was my moment, and I had a really nice strike on the ball. When I saw it go over (the goalie) I was just so shocked that it went in. I was super excited."
Naperville Central coach Troy Adams, whose team had the better of the overall run of play, was excited to see one of his players uncork a shot like that. The Redhawks have had a tendency to wait for the perfect opening before pulling the trigger.
"We keep generating chances," Adams said. "We get the ball in front of the goal a lot.
"What we have to be better at is that final push to put it in the goal. Sometimes I think that they expect a giant signal in the sky that says, 'Shoot the ball.'
"I said, 'Guys, this is how wide a soccer ball is. If you have that much room, shoot.'
"Our attacking group generally is pretty young, but I think they're getting better every game with where they're going and how they're interacting with each other."
However, it was backliner Bohan who came up with the fantastic finish.
"He really hit it well," Adams said.
Benet coach Sean Wesley couldn't argue.
"What a shot it was," Wesley said. "We failed to clear it, and we left it at the top of the box.
"These are things you can't do at this level against good teams like this. We played right into their hands and gave one up. But that's a great shot, a great finish."
Though it wasn't the finish to the game Wesley and his players would have preferred, he was happy with how the Redwings played, especially coming at the end of a busy stretch. This was Benet's second game in as many days and third in four days.
"I think this is good for us," Wesley said. "We needed a game like this before we play Notre Dame and before we go into the playoffs.
"I think this is a playoff game. Hopefully, we'll be a little bit better going forward.
"That being said, it's a tie. We scored two goals on them, and we get something out of it. I'll take that."
Indeed, the Redwings were fortunate to come away with the draw, while the Redhawks can argue they were unlucky after both Benet goals came on deflections.
Benet star T.J. McVey, who has been creating havoc for defenses all season, had a hand in both goals.
McVey helped open the scoring at the 27:19 mark of the first half when he took an open shot from the left wing. Fellow senior forward Andy Nash deflected the ball by a defender and Redhawks goalie Austin Waite.
Naperville Central tied it with 13:11 to go before intermission on a play that featured another deflection. Adams praised the play of sophomore forward Robert Lloyd-Jones, who came off the bench and sent a sharp cross from the right wing that went through the middle of the box. It hit off a defender and caromed to Josh Weigel, whose short shot went inside the right post.
Benet retook the lead with 14:32 left in the second half on McVey's 14th goal of the season. After taking a pass from Peter Hepburn, McVey drove to the left end line and centered the ball in front, where it glanced off a defender and into the net.
"I got a good pass, took a touch and let it fly and good things happened," McVey said. "I was crossing it, and it kind of deflected in a dangerous area."
But McVey was disappointed with the outcome. Though the Redhawks probably had more possession, the Redwings actually enjoyed a 13-8 shot advantage.
Naperville Central's Waite made five saves in the first half and his halftime replacement, Dean Scott, added two more after intermission. Lucas, meanwhile, finished with one save for Benet.
"We knew it was going to be a tough game," McVey said. "We knew it was going to be physical in the air a lot.
"We tried, we played our hardest, but we let in two goals. We didn't play that great today, but we had a game plan; we stuck to it. We got two goals, but we also allowed two, so tough game."
The game had the feel of a postseason match and there is a slight chance the Redhawks and Redwings could meet in the Lewis University Supersectional. Naperville Central is the third seed in the Plainfield North Sectional field, while Benet is seeded second in the Morton Sectional.
This game was a good litmus test for both.
"We were coming in wanting to win and nothing less. So it's pretty disappointing coming away with a tie," McVey said. "I don't think we played particularly well, either, but we're getting ready for playoffs."
Like McVey, Bohan expected a physical game and would have liked to get three points instead of one.
"I'm really proud of the way we played," Bohan said. "It was a really good game, and they're a really great team; but we're definitely disappointed that it was a tied.
"They just had two very unlucky goals on us."
Benet
GK Evan Lucas
D Owen McGarry
D Brendan Forsythe
D Evan Frazier
D Nick Roe
M Nico Picha
M Peter Hepburn
M Daniel Pepping
F T.J. McVey
F John Kolb
F Andy Nash
GK Austin Waite
D Mateo Lopez
D Patrick Berryman
D Patrick Bohan
M Carter Adams
M Matt Driessens
M Johnny Kim
M Josh Weigel
M Sean O'Reilly
F Benjamin Tietjen
F Joey Loduca
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Patrick Bohan, so., D, Naperville Central
Benet – Andy Nash (T.J. McVey) 27:19 remaining
Naperville Central – Josh Weigel (unassisted) 13:11 remaining
Benet – McVey (Peter Hepburn) 14:32 remaining
Naperville Central – Patrick Bohan (unassisted) 5:37 remaining​