Eclipse Select Alumni: DePaul's Ben rakes in Big East honor

DePaul's Alexa Ben

By CHARLIE CORR
slidetackles@mail.com

CHICAGO - Eclipse Select Soccer Club alumna and DePaul senior midfielder Alexa Ben (Schaumburg, Ill.) has been named the Big East Conference Offensive Player of the Week.

Ben's second-career hat trick - and first of the 2017 season - catapulted the Blue Demons to a 6-3 victory against Villanova on Sunday. All three tallies came in the second half, within a 31-minute span.

For more, visit EclipseSelect.org.

UPDATE: The club's former website/URL no longer exist. Below is the full text of the online release:

ECLIPSE SELECT ALUMNI:

ALEXA BEN RAKES IN BIG EAST HONOR

 

Schaumburg native named conference Offensive Player of the Week for hat trick

 

CHICAGO (Oct. 25, 2017) - Eclipse Select Soccer Club alumna and DePaul senior midfielder Alexa Ben (Schaumburg, Ill.) has been named the Big East Conference Offensive Player of the Week.

 

Ben's second-career hat trick - and first of the 2017 season - catapulted the Blue Demons to a 6-3 victory against Villanova on Sunday. All three tallies came in the second half, within a 31-minute span.

 

Ben, who earlier this month was named a Top 10 finalist for the 2017 Senior CLASS Award, ranks fourth in DePaul history with 27 career goals.

 

Madden nets brace for Golden Eagles: Also on the Big East Weekly Honor Roll on Monday was Marquette redshirt junior forward Carrie Madden (Deer Park, Ill.), who was honored for her brace this past Sunday against Creighton.

 

Madden notched the first two goals during a 3-0 victory against Creighton to up her season total to six, which leads the Golden Eagles.

 

Howard's Gray caps off regular season in style: Howard senior striker Kela Gray (Chicago, Ill.) wrapped up the regular season with three goals over two matches this past weekend. She recorded a brace on Friday for a 2-0 victory against Texas Southern, followed by her team's lone goal in a 1-1 draw against Prairie View A&M on Sunday.

 

She has scored eight goals this season, all coming over the past 11 matches.

 

Elsewhere, Northwestern junior defender Kayla Sharples (Naperville, Ill.) set up a Kayleigh Stahlschmidt goal to lead the Wildcats to a 1-0 victory against Nebraska on Saturday for their third straight win in Big Ten play. Sharples now has three assists this season, a personal high.

Eclipse Select alumna Ben named to MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List

DePaul senior Alexa Ben

By CHARLIE CORR
slidetackles@mail.com

CHICAGO - Eclipse Select Soccer Club alumna Alexa Ben (Schaumburg, Ill.), a senior midfielder with DePaul, has been named to the 2017 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List, it was announced Monday by the United Soccer Coaches and the Missouri Athletic Club.

Ben has had a tremendous career with the Blue Demons from the very start. She was the 2014 Big East Conference Rookie of the Year, the 2016 Big East Midfielder of the Year and is a two-time All-Big East First Team selection. Last year, she tallied seven goals and three assists.

For more, visit EclipseSelect.org.

U.S. U-20 WNT call-up 'a dream' for Eclipse Select alumna Alexa Ben

DePaul's Alexa Ben

Eclipse Select alumna and DePaul freshman Alexa Ben (Schaumburg, Ill.) enjoyed a wonderful stretch during her opening collegiate campaign: Big East Conference title, Big East Freshman of the Year and an unbeaten streak through the entire regular season, to name a few. But one thing had been missing in Ben’s soccer career – a call-up to the national team level. That omission finally was put to rest.

Ben is coming off a weeklong camp with the U.S. U-20 Women’s National Team at U.S. Soccer’s National Training Center in Carson, Calif., and the experience and recognition were something that she valued immensely.

“It meant a lot to me to be recognized,” Ben said. “I don’t think going into my college season that I would have expected this. It’s an amazing accomplishment, and it’s been a dream just to be called up. The experience there was a great process and learning experience, to play alongside 23 of the best players in the country there.”

For more, visit EclipseSelect.org.

UPDATE: The club's former website/URL no longer exist. Below is the full text of the online article:

U.S. U-20 WNT CALL-UP 'A DREAM' FOR

ECLIPSE SELECT ALUMNA ALEXA BEN

 

Eclipse Select alumna and DePaul freshman Alexa Ben (Schaumburg, Ill.) enjoyed a wonderful stretch during her opening collegiate campaign: Big East Conference title, Big East Freshman of the Year and an unbeaten streak through the entire regular season, to name a few.

 

But one thing had been missing in Ben’s soccer career – a call-up to the national team level. That omission finally was put to rest.

 

Ben had the opportunity to play for the U.S. U-20 Women’s National Team in mid-April at U.S. Soccer’s National Training Center in Carson, Calif., and the experience and recognition were something that she valued immensely.

 

“It meant a lot to me to be recognized,” Ben said. “I don’t think going into my college season that I would have expected this. It’s an amazing accomplishment, and it’s been a dream just to be called up. The experience there was a great process and learning experience, to play alongside 23 of the best players in the country there.”

 

The week consisted of double sessions early in the week, an intrasquad scrimmage, film sessions and then eventually games against UCLA and USC.

 

“We went over positional stuff, what needs to be better and what’s to be expected from us,” Ben said. “We had some individual film sessions to pinpoint what we did wrong or what we could have done differently. I was playing up top that week, so when we watched the film together, they basically said to stay high on the line and make sure we stretched the defense.”

 

Ben took advantage of the spotlight during the USA’s 4-0 victory against USC, scoring on a header to cap off the scoring.

 

“It was awesome to get on the score sheet,” Ben said. “It was a short corner kick play, the defense stepped up and I saw that nobody recognized where I was. The ball found me and I did what I had to do.”

 

This national team accomplishment can be stacked on the pile of accolades and achievements that Ben has earned over the past year. Ben’s first season at DePaul was one that progressively got some national attention, though she feels the Blue Demons were a bit under the radar.

 

“I don’t think our team got in the spotlight, so we focused on every game and didn’t let that unbeaten record affect us,” Ben said. “We wanted to win every game, and that’s what we tried to do. I think the best thing about the team was the chemistry on and off the field. We all clicked together and we knew each other.”

 

Heading into the season, it was impossible for Ben to have a grasp of how much of an impact she would have from the get-go. As she produced top-quality appearances throughout the season, it was evident that Ben would be relied on as a key cog in the Blue Demons midfield.

 

“You expect freshmen to make a difference and prove why you should be on the field,” Ben said. “This team trusts each other, anyone who gets on the field, no matter what the age. It didn’t matter if you’re a freshman or a senior, as long as you’re able to perform. I honestly didn’t think I would be a huge part of the team, but I’m happy the way things worked out. The team also made me feel comfortable from the start.”

 

With Ben’s intelligence and understanding of her role as a set-up player (she led DePaul with 11 assists), she was able to gel easily during that 2014 season.

 

“The more games we got in, the more comfortable I felt,” Ben said. “I had a better feel for how everyone played and their knacks on the field.”

 

Between her collegiate accomplishments and now the national team program, she feels everything will fuel her game moving forward.

 

“The level of play is exceptional,” Ben said of her U-20s experience. “That should be the goal for everyone. It definitely motivates me to become a better player. Every day you learn something new.”

Four players with Eclipse Select ties bound for national team camps

CHICAGO – Mid-April will have a heavy representation of players with Eclipse Select ties at USA national team camps.

Former Eclipse Select forward Alexa Ben (Schaumburg, Ill.) and goalkeeper Caroline Brockmeier (Tallahassee, Fla.) have been called into a U.S. U-20 Women’s National Team camp. Meanwhile, current Eclipse Select forwards Zoe Redei (Highland Park, Ill.) and Alissa Gorzak (Naperville, Ill.) will represent the U.S. U-19 Women’s National Team.

The U-19 and U-20 camps both consist of 24 players and run April 11-18 at U.S. Soccer’s National Training Center in Carson, Calif. For the U-20s, the camp will also include split-squad matches against USC and UCLA on Friday, April 17.

For more, visit EclipseSelect.org.

Eclipse Select Alumni: Schissler brace lifts Ohio State

CHICAGO (Sept. 11, 2014) – Eclipse Select Soccer Club alumna and Ohio State sophomore defender Taylor Schissler (New Lenox, Ill.) had an offensive performance to remember.

Schissler scored her first two collegiate goals to lead Ohio State to a 3-0 victory against George Mason on Sunday to cap off the Ohio State Tournament in Columbus. Schissler is coming off a 2013 freshman campaign where she recorded three assists in 18 games.

Among other alumni news, Ohio University sophomore Carly Manso (Vernon Hills, Ill.) was recognized by the Mid-American Conference as its co-offensive player of the week, and for a second time this season, DePaul midfielder Alexa Ben (Schaumburg, Ill.) was named the Big East Conference Rookie of the Week.

For more, visit EclipseSelect.org.

Eclipse Select Alumni: Ben tallies first goal, helps DePaul rally past ISU

CHICAGO (Sept. 4, 2014) – Eclipse Select Soccer Club alumna and DePaul freshman Alexa Ben (Schaumburg, Ill.) is quickly making her presence felt in the collegiate ranks. She scored her first goal to help rally the No. 25 Blue Demons to a 3-1 victory against Illinois State on Wednesday at Wish Field in Chicago.

Illinois Wesleyan seniors Kate Dunaway (Forest Park, Ill.) and Julie Govedarcia (Chicago, Ill.) scored their first goals of the season to lead the Titans to a 3-1 victory against Birmingham-Southern on Saturday in the DePauw Soccer Classic in Greencastle, Ind. Their goals came just two minutes apart in the 68th and 70th minutes, respectively, and gave Wesleyan a 2-0 lead. Govedarcia’s tally proved to be the game-winner.

For more, visit EclipseSelect.org.