The last time Wilson junior Charley Benhase played goalkeeper was in eighth grade with his travel soccer team in North Carolina. He spent the last three years scoring goals, not stopping them.
That changed on Monday afternoon when Benhase volunteered to man the net for the injury-riddled Tigers. With their top two goalies out of action, there really wasn’t another choice.
Benhase turned in a clean slate in the first start of his high school career and his teammates finally punched in a goal in the waning minutes as Wilson earned a 1-0 victory at home over School Without Walls.
“It had been a while, but I’ve done it before,” said Benhase, normally a starting midfielder who has scored three goals. “With all the injuries we’ve had I think everyone started getting down on themselves a little bit. We needed that confidence back.”
Benhase may have to stay in goal for a while longer. Starting junior keeper Peter Truitt has missed seven games after suffering a concussion, his third in recent years, in a game against Georgetown Day on Sept. 28. Backup Felix Shapiro broke a finger last Monday in a DCIAA showdown against Bell. Because of the injuries, Benhase is the fifth goalie Wilson has used this season.
It looked like the Penguins were going to hold on for the draw against a team that thrashed them 5-1 on Sept. 18. But those hopes were dashed with just five minutes remaining when junior defender Pablo Myano smacked a rebound past School Without Walls keeper Tedric Wells.
“They have such a great program so for us to lose 1-0 on an awesome goal like that is a big thing,” said Penguins sophomore defender Tyler Shouey. “We even had a couple of chances to win it in the second half. It was a lot different than the first time we played.”
Tiger tracks
» Wilson started the season 9-2 before injuries sent them into a brief tailspin with three losses in six games. The Tigers improved to 13-5 overall. School Without Walls is now 4-3-1.
» School Without Walls senior keeper Tedric Wells was the star of the game. He continually stoned Wilson’s best attempts and kept the game scoreless for 75 minutes, including a diving save on a penalty kick late in the first half.
» The Tigers played without four starters, including junior defenders Ryan Rosenbaum (club soccer commitment) and William Morin (knee injury).
