The 2019 2A state champions from Benet Academy visit the 3A state champions from 2016, 17 and 18 for a high powered boys soccer matchup at Naperville North. A beautiful morning for soccer in early March.
First Half
13 minutes into the game, Benet forward Hans Haenicke is on the counterattack but his shot sails over the crossbar.
About 5 minutes later we have BA on the attack again as John Kolb puts in a cross and Hans Haenicke’s shot pinballs out of bounds. Still no score midway through the half.
13 minutes left in the first half and standing over a free kick is Redwing Nicolas Picha, but his effort is tipped over by North’s Pablo Jara to keep it 0-0.
Picking up the ball outside of the 18 is Benet midfielder Sam Hepburn but his long range shot is saved by a diving Pablo Jara.
With just under two minutes left, the Redwings think they have the lead but the goal is called off due to a foul in the box. Still 0-0 going into halftime despite a fairly dominant half from Benet.
2nd Half
Despite not having may chances in the first half, North has a corner kick that finds the head of Spencer Gaccione, giving the Huskies the 1-0 lead just three minutes into the second half
Making things worse for Benet is 3 minutes later, BA’s Sam Hepburn is called for a foul resulting in his 2nd yellow card, which equals a red card and an ejection. Leaving the Redwings with only 10 men for the remaining 33 minutes.
From bad to worse for Benet boys soccer as they concede a penalty kick and North sophomore Alex Barger makes no mistake to give the Huskies the 2-0 lead. That seals the victory as North soccer moves to 3-0 on the young season.
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