Sergio Polanco never knows what position he’s going to play in a given game.
But one thing is for certain. The Benet junior is everywhere his team needs him to be.
“It doesn’t really matter where I play,” Polanco said. “I’m always trying to find the ball and work with my teammates.
“I’m always looking for the ball.”
Benet coach Matt Klosterman is always looking to use Polanco in places where he can have the biggest impact. That changes from game to game.
Polanco has played five positions so far — all three forward spots and two in the midfield. He has eight goals and eight assists, leading the Redwings in both categories.
Polanco scored twice, including the game-winner, in Benet’s 5-1 win against visiting Plainfield East in Lisle on Monday. Senior forward Brendan Bergnach assisted on both tallies.
“We just started building our chemistry this year,” Bergnach said. “It’s just something that started in the first game of the season. It’s something I’ve never really experienced before. He seems like he knows exactly how my balls are played. I like to play him a little bit in the air, but with the perfect weight, so he’s just one touch and go.”
The game was tied 1-1 when Bergnach broke into the right side of the box and crossed in front to Polanco, whose sliding volley beat Plainfield East goalkeeper Michael Parent with 29:06 left in the second half.
The pair connected again seven minutes later. This time, Bergnach crossed from the left wing, and Polanco headed home a short shot to give the Redwings (6-4-1) a 3-1 cushion.
Polanco’s go-ahead goal touched off a nice run by Benet, which bounced back from its 3-1 loss to Notre Dame on Saturday. Junior midfielder William Khazen and senior midfielder Uareme Edeki added insurance goals. Senior forward Sean Boyle scored in the first half.
“I was really proud of my guys,” Bergnach said. “They worked hard until the end. We did a really good job connecting, and I think the main thing was our mentality coming into the game. We weren’t going to let up, and that’s something that we didn’t do well last game.”
This was Polanco’s second two-goal game of the season. Many of his goals have been set up by Bergnach, who is second on the team with seven goals and five assists.
Polanco, who transferred from Morton after his freshman year, was promoted to Benet’s varsity team midway through last season. It took him awhile to adjust, but he has hit his stride.
“Now I’m more comfortable with my teammates,” Polanco said. “The chemistry is just better this year. When you have good teammates like Brendan, when we can connect and make good plays, it makes it so fun to play.”
Polanco started at center forward against the Bengals (4-5-1). He prefers that or attacking midfielder but will go wherever Klosterman tells him.
How does Klosterman decide where to use Polanco?
“It’s probably a combination of things,” Klosterman said. “It just kind of depends on the form that he’s in and where he’s finding the ball.
“Sometimes it’s chemistry with other guys. Sometimes it’s if somebody is out.”
Sometimes Polanco has played multiple positions in the same game.
“There’s been lots of times when we’ve started him in one spot, and then when we sub, we moved him somewhere else because maybe we didn’t have as much depth in that other spot,” Klosterman said. “So we could let somebody else play a spot that was their best spot. (Polanco) can go into a spot that’s not his best spot but that he is still good at.”
Soccer players are taught that versatility is important, but few can excel at a high level at multiple positions and adjust on the fly to game situations.
“It’s really impressive,” Klosterman said. “(Polanco) is a very, very smart player. He works super hard all the time. He’s good with both feet, and he’s willing to accept the responsibility of scoring. But he’s also really unselfish. He makes whatever the right soccer play is all the time.”
Bergnach has been a frequent witness to that.
“One thing is he’s really good on both feet, something that not a lot of guys can do,” Bergnach said. “He’s been finishing with both feet the whole season, and he’s really good at positioning his body, so if he’s on the left or right, (he knows) where he wants to make his runs.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
