Redwings fall to Wildcats for first loss of season

CLICK HERE FOR PHOTO GALLERY COURTESY OF LUANNE HOLLINGSHEAD

By Curt Herron

Sean Wesley was looking forward to seeing how his Benet Academy squad would fare against Neuqua Valley in one of their first big tests of the season.

But he wasn't especially pleased by what he saw after suffering his initial defeat with the Redwings during Thursday's Best of the West Tournament.

The Wildcats collected a pair of goals within the initial 6:44 of the second half and later added another score to claim a 3-0 win in Naperville.

Jacob Brindle got the first and last goals, which were set up by corner kicks from Will Butler. Brindle also assisted on a score by Nicko Makropoulos.

The three-goal half was Neuqua's most productive since it opened the season with a four-goal outburst in the opening half against St. Charles East.

After scoring a pair of goals in the first half against Lyons Township, the Wildcats didn't threaten after the break and settled for a 2-2 draw.

Then in Tuesday's Best of the West opener against Naperville North, the Wildcats were easily outshot by the Huskies but managed to claim a 1-0 win.

As a result of Thursday's victory,Neuqua (3-0-1) improved to 2-0 in pool play heading into Saturday's noon match with Lincoln-Way Central.

Coach Tony Kees' Wildcats advances to Saturday's 6 p.m. championship match at Naperville Central, where they meet either Fremd or the hosts.

Meanwhile, the Redwings (2-1-1) were blanked for the first time this year after scoring eight goals during their initial three matches.

Benet, which was coming off of 3-0 wins over Lincoln-Way Central and Waubonsie Valley, plays Naperville North at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

Click to hear coach Sean Wesley interview

Following a fairly even opening half which saw neither squad really seriously threaten, the Wildcats quickly went on the attack following the break.

Pat Kaindl fired off the initial shot of the second half 95 seconds in and then Brindle connected 91 seconds later to put Neuqua ahead for good.

With 36:54 remaining in the match, Butler sent a corner directly in front of the net and Brindle was perfectly-positioned to head the ball in.

Benet tried to respond to that score just over two minutes later but a header from Joe Menconi was hauled in by keeper Hunter Hollingshead.

A short time later, the Wildcats were at it again and this time put together a nice sequence of passes which resulted in the match's second goal.

Patrick Doody started things off after taking possession of a loose ball and he then passed off to Butler, who forwarded the ball to Brindle.

The match's scorer of the first and third goals sent a perfect pass to Makroppoulos, who connected from close range with 33:16 left to play.

Click to hear Nicko Makropoulos interview

Neuqua kept up the pressure as Doody was stopped on a threatening corner kick and a later line drive while Kaindl was denied on a free kick.

Benet had a couple of chances during the final 11 minutes, but Hollingshead stopped a shot from Sean Mogan and a free kick from Hunter Miller.

The Wildcats also had a pair of good opportunities during that span, but Sammy Diab was stopped on a header and sent a shot wide of the net.

Neuqua added a final score with 4:58 remaining when Brindle made a diving header to cap another well-placed ball on another corner from Butler.

Hollingshead posted his third shutout in four matches and benefitted from the work of defenders such as Andrew Solomon, A.K. Karkazis and Kaindl.

Click to hear Pat Kaindl interview

During the opening half, Butler provided Neuqua's best scoring chances with a line drive and a grounder in the opening 13 minutes of play.

Shortly after the midway point of the first half, Benet's Brian Morefield briefly got free but his short try was stopped by Hollingshead.

A few minutes later, Doody looked like he might be able to get off a close-range attempt but efforts were thwarted by defender Ryan Reilly.

Benet had a few more chances in the final 12 minutes of the first half but the Wildcat keeper stopped shots from Morefield, Mogan and Miller.

Click to hear coach Tony Kees interview

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