Benet, Waubonsie play to 'physical' tie

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AURORA -- Saturday's 1-1 tie between nonconference soccer opponents and area rivals Benet and Waubonsie Valley epitomized the phrase "grinding out a game."

Neither team could score on an abundance of first-half opportunities as both used physical play defensively to limit the opposing offense and both coupled their respective second-half goals with several violent collisions.

"It wasn't a pretty game but it was physical," Warriors coach Angelo DiBernardo said. "Both teams played very physically, and for us that was a positive. We kept our composure, we kept our shape."

DiBernardo saw his team score first early in the second half off a booming Pedro Perez goal from only about five yards inside midfield. The junior found the left side of the net.

"I had an open shot so I took it," Perez said. "I think we could have defended more in the second half (and pulled out a win)."

If Perez and DiBernardo were slightly disappointed with the draw, the Redwings felt fortunate for the way the team responded to a gruesome injury to starting senior defender Dan Gonda, who was pushed from behind to the ground. While witnesses were split on whether Gonda sustained the gash to his face from a shinguard or a knee, all who saw the occurrence agreed it was bloody.

"He had a 3-inch-long cut near his right eye," Benet coach Henry Wind explained. "I don't know any of the details at this point, but last year Jack Hillgaard had the same type of thing happen and he was out three weeks. It's hard to say at this point, because he may require plastic surgery."

Gonda remained on the ground near midfield for at least 10 minutes in the second period following his accident. After receiving bandages that covered virtually his whole face, he was taken to a nearby Aurora Fire Department Paramedic Unit ambulance.

Shortly after play resumed, Redwings junior midfielder Rory Burke beat three defenders on a crafty series of moves and sent a deftly-placed kick to the near corner of the goal.

"We've been trying to get (Rory) to go to the goal more and beat defenders when he has the ball on the outside," Wind said. "He made some nice moves, the goalie came out and Rory poked on past him."

Senior Justin Jawor, another midfielder, was equally impressed.

"He really has some skills. He beat a few different guys with good moves on that play."

Jawor then assessed the game's outcome.

"We held possession pretty well but we have to take a lot more shots," he said.

Jawor said as a part-time soccer referee himself, he realized the physical play put a strain on officials to decide what calls to make or not make.

Bryan Steigel anchored a tenacious Redwings defense with 12 saves in goal. His counterpart, Kit Carson, stopped 15 shots for the Warriors (1-0-1).

Afterward, Carson described the rivalry between the teams.

"We both want to beat each other and it's always really physical," Carson said. "I played with some of (Benet's) guys in club, so I know some of them already. Even though the rivalry's intense, you never want to see someone (like Gonda) get hurt. You feel bad when that happens."