Delaney Benich insisted Thursday night’s game against Andrean was no time for a letdown.
Even in a nonconference showdown, it was something Crown Point could not afford. The senior forward delivered with two goals and an assist as the Bulldogs edged the 59ers 3-2.
Crown Point (6-3-2) was coming off Tuesday’s victory over Valparaiso in penalty kicks to grab a share of first place in the Duneland Athletic Conference.
Benich enjoyed this win against another quality opponent.
“Every game matters,” she said. “It was a matter of staying strong. We played well Tuesday, so we were supposed to continue that. We don’t want to slow our momentum.”
Benich’s second goal snapped a 2-2 tie as she drove a left-footed shot from the top of the penalty box with 19 minutes left.
“I was coming across the goal, I turned and I saw a space,” she said. “The defenders had split apart.”
Similar to the Bulldogs, the 59ers (8-2) were coming off a Tuesday conference game that went to penalty kicks. But Andrean dropped that decision in PKs to Lowell for its first loss of the season.
“It hurts because it’s two in a row,” 59ers coach Jeff Clapman said. “It’s not a conference game, but it’s two in a row and we really didn’t want that. But we’ll deal with it.
“It’s been a long time since an Andrean-Crown Point game was exciting. It was a very competitive match. We took a couple punches from them, we gave them a couple and unfortunately they got the last one.”
Crown Point took a 2-0 lead as Benich and Haneen Abdulla each had a goal and an assist in the first half. Andrean tied the score with two goals from Danielle Tazic in the second half.
But the Bulldogs pulled out another win, which encouraged Crown Point coach Chris Mikrut.
“When we play with possession and play through the middle, we’re really good,” he said. “We have a nice little squad and we’re still figuring things out with our formation.”
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To open the scoring, Benich flicked in a feed from Abdulla four minutes into the game. They reversed roles less than 10 minutes later when Benich dribbled around three defenders and passed to Abdulla, who completed the play.
Tazic answered with two goals after halftime.
With 4 1/2 minutes elapsed, the senior standout’s left-footed shot from just inside the penalty box drew the 59ers to 2-1. With 32 minutes left, she drilled a free kick from 25 yards that hit the under side of the crossbar before going into the net.
With less than five minutes left, Tazic’s free kick from a similar spot just missed, skimming the top of the crossbar.
“She’s been there, done that, knows how to get her team motivated,” Clapman said of Tazic.
Crown Point has been especially tested during a stretch of games the last two weeks, including two against state-ranked teams at a weekend tournament in Indianapolis. It could be a turning point for the Bulldogs.
“We went there and played really well, so we had confidence when we came back,” Mikrut said. “Getting ready for the (Class 2A) playoffs, I feel good where we are.
“Andrean is feisty and fast. They’re big and strong, and they can make a really nice run in that Class A. They’re hanging with or beating everybody around here.”
Twitter @MichaelOsipoff