After starting at forward for Glenbard South as a freshman in 2021, Gabby Hedden transferred to Benet.
Due to the Illinois High School Association’s transfer rules, Hedden was prohibited from playing on the Redwings’ varsity team, so she spent her sophomore year with the junior varsity team, where she apparently was out of sight and out of mind.
“I didn’t even know that she was on JV last year,” Benet senior co-captain Reese MacDonald said. “She’s been so crucial this year, and I’m so happy that she’s finally part of the team.
“She came into the team really well. She’s also a great person off the field, so we have good rapport with her.”
Indeed, Hedden is playing like a veteran, although not at her typical position. Benet coach Gerard Oconer switched Hedden to defense, where she primarily plays left outside back.
“We were thinking of the potential composition of our roster this year, and we were just completely logjammed up front,” Oconer said. “So we had to figure out how we could maybe put some of those players in the back.
“Probably the best decision I made all season was to convert her to outside back, and she’s been rock-solid for us.”
Hedden wasn’t a total stranger to the position, but she hadn’t played it at such a high level.
“It was definitely an adjustment,” she said. “I used to play defense a lot when I was younger, but obviously playing in middle school and playing in high school is such a different experience.
“I was really nervous at the beginning. I was really conditioned to gravitate toward the goal, and everyone was like, ‘Gabby, you need to get back.'”
Hedden’s aggressiveness turned out to be an asset for the Redwings (15-4), who completed the regular season on Thursday with a 6-1 rout of Kaneland (12-5), a potential Class 2A sectional semifinal opponent.
“What I saw in indoor season was every time she would play forward, she would always put pressure on,” Oconer said. “Any time the ball was lost, she was immediately trying to win it back, just a super aggressive mindset, kind of fearless attitude, which we kind of needed a little bit of in the back.”
The Redwings already had two Division I starters in the back: senior Sadie Sterbenz, a Middle Tennessee recruit, and junior Nora Hanson, a Stetson commit, as well as Denver-bound goalkeeper Shannon Clark. But they lacked depth on defense, especially on the outside.
“I was worried that who was going to fill that void?” Sterbenz said. “We put Gabby at outside back, and immediately she clicked with us.
“One of our strong suits is winning the ball in the air in the back, and I think Gabby fits perfectly with that. She uses her head very well. She’s super aggressive.”
Hedden was eager to get back on the field at the varsity level.
“Coming in and having to sit out was really hard for me,” she said. “I kind of was at a stalemate. I didn’t really grow. It was a great experience on JV, but I wasn’t challenged to the point where I felt I could expand my horizons. I feel like playing a new position really helped me diversify my skills as a soccer player.”
Now the Redwings are primed for a run at a state championship. Their defense has recorded 13 shutouts and allowed just 11 goals, four of which came in an early loss to Class 3A contender Plainfield North in which two defensive starters were out.
Everyone can see Hedden this time.
“I was really excited to take any opportunity to get back on the field and get playing time anywhere,” she said. “My teammates all made me feel super welcome, and they really helped me get to the point where I am.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
