Benet’s Mariana Pinto made the blind pass but had no fear.
She knew freshman forward Keira Petrucelli would see the light.
Pinto had just received a cross from Katie Lewellyan at the top of the box. Two Dunlap defenders collapsed on the Lewis recruit as she was preparing to shoot.
But Pinto suddenly made a sharp cutback pass into empty space on the right side where she thought Petrucelli would be in Tuesday’s Class 2A St. Francis Supersectional.
“To be honest, I did not see her,” said Pinto, a senior forward. “But it was our game plan that we knew the weak side would be open.
“In the back of my head, I was praying she had followed through. I took my touch and it was a hard angle to shoot at, so I knew Keira would continue her outside run and be there.”
Pinto was right. Petrucelli met Pinto’s pass in full stride and buried a 12-yard shot with 15:06 left for her 12th goal. That was all the offense Benet needed in a 1-0 victory.
The Redwings (21-4) will play Deerfield (22-3-2) at 1 p.m. Friday in the state semifinals at North Central College in Naperville.
Petrucelli has scored the winning goal in each of the last three playoff games for Benet. She has six goals and three assists in five postseason games.
Admittedly petrified at times early in the regular season, Petrucelli cracked the starting lineup and is steadily gaining confidence.
So, when the Redwings executed a lightning-fast counterattack, she was ready.
“It was really amazing,” Petrucelli said. “We talked before the game to always follow through the ball because you never know when the ball is going to get to you or when the goalie might fumble it.
“I just always want to be there, and it worked out really well. When ‘Mar’ cut it back, I was there to stay composed and finish.”
The Redwings have been doing a lot of finishing during their 12-game winning streak.
With a team-high 25 goals, Pinto has been Benet’s top threat this season. She also leads the team in assists with 13, most of which have come in the last month as opponents regularly double-team her.
“The second half of the season, I’ve been getting tons of assists because it’s getting super hard for me to shoot it,” Pinto said. “Which is all right because I know anyone else on my team can score just as equally as me.”
It’s also just fine with Benet coach Gerard Oconer.
“What’s happening over the last two weeks or so is everybody knows about Mariana,” Oconer said. “They all collapse on her, and now she’s learned to find open people that are running off her. That’s how we’re scoring our goals.”
Meanwhile, senior Annastacia Thiel helped Benet’s defense prevent Dunlap (19-3-3) from scoring any goals.
“Our back four has been solid all year long,” Oconer said. “Annastacia is pretty much the key to that. She’s just so smart with her positioning.
“We know our other defenders can be more aggressive and take chances because they know they have her behind them.”
Junior goalkeeper Shannon Clark made five saves to record her 13th shutout and fourth of the playoffs for Benet.
“It’s all about communication and that’s something that is special about our back line,” Thiel said. “When Shannon says something, we just do it.”
Thiel struggled to say something afterward about qualifying for state.
“I seriously can’t even describe it,” she said. “I’m out of words.”
And Pinto?
“It still feels unreal,” she said. “I’m so excited because it’s huge for everyone at all levels to experience this. It is a once-in-a-lifetime sort of thing.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.