Box Score

Benedictine University's men's soccer team got the 2009 season off on the right foot - literally - with a 1-0 victory of regional rival North Central College on Tuesday evening at the Village of Lisle-Benedictine University Sports Complex. The match was the season opener for both teams.

The Eagles tallied the lone score of the night in the eighth minute of play off a corner kick. Benedictine freshman Cesar Martinez, making his Eagles' debut, launched the ball from the far corner standard and placed it perfectly in front of the right face of the net. There, sophomore midfielder Ryan Kozin settled the ball and - with a quasi-bicycle kick - drove the ball into the back of the net to make it 1-0.

While the Benedictine defense was solid, it was junior goalkeeper Jim Hanley who salted the match away thanks to his deft play in goal. Hanley registered a total of six saves, several of the spectacular variety, against an aggressive Cardinals' attack.

In all, North Central out-shot Benedictine by a margin of 18-5 for the match. NCC had nine shots in each half, but put four attempts directly on goal in the second stanza only to be denied by the 6'5" Hanley.

North Central also had 12 corner kicks (to just four for Benedictine), but it just wasn't in the cards for the visitors as they came away empty each time.