Nov 14, 2024
No. 2 DePaul girls soccer crowned NJNPB champs in shutout against Gill St. Bernard'sWhen the girls soccer team of DePaul takes the field, it puts on a talent show that has led to dominant victories throughout the season.Top-seeded DePaul, No. 2 in the NJ.com Top 20, once again asserted itself by winning its fifth consecutive sectional championship with a 6-0 shutout over third-seeded Gill St. Bernard’s on Thursday in Wayne.Its fourth North B title since 2019, DePaul punches its ticket to play Rutgers Prep in the Non-Public State Final next Wednesday or Thursday at Franklin High School. In 2020, DePaul won the North West E Tournament final during the pandemic.If DePaul wins Wednesday or Thursday, the girls soccer team would complete its first perfect season in program history.DePaul head coach Steve Beneventine said the team is “generational.”“I’m very blessed. There are seven Division 1 players here,” Beneventine said. “Coaching is overrated, in my opinion. Our job is to keep them organized, make sure they share the ball, instill some discipline, assist them, which we do, and they work extremely hard.”Practicing as a team, he said, is very competitive. With how committed the team is, even outside warming up on a 40-degree afternoon, Beneventine said that is what he credits to the team’s success this year.“It started in 2019. Patrick [O‘Connor] did a really good job coaching the team. He left during COVID and that senior class was very good,” Beneventine said. “Fast forward four years and there are these girls who are all seniors and they are all exceptional. It’s a special group of kids.”Gill St. Bernard’s had the task of facing off against one of the best teams in the state, if not the country, in its hometown of Wayne. It was an uphill challenge that head coach Donna Bednarsky said her team was ready for.“We set little goals,” Bednarsky explained. “Don’t let them score in the first 15 minutes, make it 0-0 at halftime, do better than we did last time, or try to get five shots in the first half.”Little goals was Gill St. Bernard’s mentality when playing higher ranking teams like Rutgers Prep, whom Gill st. Bernard’s lost twice to this season. While the first game was not what Bednarsky would have liked to see, a 9-1 loss back on Oct. 10, Gill St. Bernard’s fought back and hit a lot of its little goals in the 3-1 loss on Nov. 2.One of the biggest achievements for Gill St. Bernard’s is its comeback season. Last year, the Lady Knights managed to win just four games and have nearly quintupled that this year.“We remained healthy. We have a small squad of 18,” Bednarsky said. “Last time we were here, we had six starters out. We did a really good job this offseason with remaining healthy.”“Second, we have some great freshmen coming in and a transfer sophomore that have really lifted our program. We have a terrific senior class that really got the ball rolling for us.”The first half showed both teams were there to win the Non-Public B Tournament title, as DePaul stepped on the gas offensively while Gill St. Bernard’s halted any oncoming attacks around goalkeeper Chloe Lemanowicz.DePaul nearly scored right out of the game when Tommi Valente hit the post. Leah Bolson later provided the assist for a Alexis Kochan goal with 29:07 left in the first half to give DePaul a 1-0 lead.The rest of the first half came down to DePaul having plenty of offensive possession time, Gill St. Bernard’s making timely stops from incoming passes or shots, while Lemanowicz made saves on any balls that passed through.DePaul had combined to score 18 goals in its quarterfinal and semifinal wins, but Gill St. Bernard’s had limited the Spartans to one goal in the first half. Beneventine said he wasn’t worried, but needed to spark the team ahead of the second half.“We were hitting the crossbar and the post. We had plenty of chances and it could have been 5-0,” Beneventine said. “It’s patience. Just relax. Every time we play a team like this, they put nine in the box so it’s hard.”While Gill St. Bernard’s achieved some little goals by controlling the DePaul offense, it was its own offense who could not get past the DePaul midfielders. Gill St. Bernard’s had three shots on goal in the game, with all three shots coming in the second half.The second half was also where DePaul really found success in finding the back of the net. Just over three minutes into the half, Gabrielle Sanchez scored off a pass from Nicole Crane to make it a 2-0 DePaul lead.DePaul then scored three goals in just over three minutes. Crane netted a goal to make it 3-0 DePaul at the 27:39 mark, then Angelina Farinhas scored to extend the lead to 4-0 and Kochan scored her second of the game at the 24:25 mark to make it a 5-0 game.Jaelynn Perez knocked in the final goal of the game with just a second left from a Crane pass to cap the game at 6-0 DePaul. DePaul celebrated on the field as the teams lined up, waving off the final second of the game to congratulate the Spartans on another sectional title.Gill St. Bernard’s did have a quality scoring opportunity in the second half, as Meredith Klosek moved the ball around a defender to have a one-on-one chance with DePaul goalkeeper Ella Guarini, but shot just wide to the right of the net.Lemanowicz made 16 saves to keep Gill St. Bernard’s, shining particularly through the first half, but the offense was held in check by an oppressive DePaul defense.Crane, who scored a goal and recorded two assists, said DePaul keeping the ball on the ground and moving it around helped the team play more cohesively.“I think the first half we were a little frantic and shaking the nerves out,” Crane said. “Once our coaches talked to us and settled our nerves down, we were able to come out in the second half better.”Crane also said that Gill St. Bernard’s defense around the goalkeeper was very good and being more aware of where her teammates were helped get the ball past them.“Over the season, we built a better chemistry so it’s easier to know where our teammates are,” she explained. “I think we are always a step ahead and on the same page with each other.”Junior Alexis Kochan, who tallied two goals and an assist, said winning for the fifth consecutive year is as exciting as the first time she won with DePaul.“Every time we win, it’s still a feeling like whenever I score or whenever I assist. It’s just a team feeling because we all want to win,” Kochan said.Seven different players recorded at least a point in the win over Gill St. Bernard’s. Beneventine said the unselfishness of the team is what makes the team special.“They’re a very unselfish group. They share the ball,” he said. “I told them from day one, ‘you guys don’t need to be best friends, but when you step over that yellow line, you need to be best friends. You need to love each other.”After the game, Beneventine reflected on Crane’s goal, saying he doesn’t often cheer after a goal, but when hers went in, he cheered more than ever.Players like Crane, Kochan, Sanchez and Jasmine Ouatu are all hard to cover for just one player. DePaul’s roster is deep, with juniors and other underclassmen who can put a swift kick to the ball and change the game.
