Grant Bender has developed an itch that needs to be scratched.

While the Hillcrest Academy senior captain has built a strong reputation on the soccer field as a staunch defender, he has become increasingly fond of a facet of the game that all players enjoy.

Scoring goals.

“He is one of those guys that came in as a freshman who had never really played soccer before,” Hillcrest Coach Marcus Miller said after the Class 1A 15th-ranked Ravens routed Wapello, 10-0, in a Southeast Iowa Super Conference match Thursday at Wapello High School. “So he has been primarily a defensive player for us and he has turned into a real fine center back, but he has been itching to get up front.”

In an effort to generate more offense last season, Miller began bringing Bender up the field into one of the midfielder positions. The strategy paid off as Bender posted four goals, including one from a penalty kick.

“I like the energy of playing up,” Bender said. “There are more chances to create. Defense is always good, but I just really enjoy playing up a lot.”

While this year’s priority position will continue to be on defense, Miller is finding more and more opportunities for Bender on the offensive end. Through two matches, Bender has already matched his number of goals scored from last season (four), including a first-half hat trick at Wapello.

“We’re stringing passes together, putting the ball in the back of the net,” Bender said. “Pretty simple. It is just going well.”

The crisp, 48-minute mercy-rule victory was the first for Hillcrest (2-0, 1-0 SEISC) since 2018, a season that ended with the first of back-to-back state tournament appearances. And the Ravens’ early scoring prowess – 13 goals through two matches – is a good sign that the loss of their top-two goal scorers from last season can be overcome.

Hillcrest graduated Jorge Canchola, who scored seven goals last year, while Diego Ramos – who paced the 2022 squad with 10 goals as a freshman – moved back to Mexico after the first two weeks of school at the request of his family there. During the Wapello match, the Ravens inscribed the phrase, “#FreeDiego7” in marker on their forearms.

“He would have been our best player and main goal-scorer this year,” Hillcrest sophomore Seth Ours said. “I was really sad to hear that he wasn’t coming back, especially for soccer season. I think we are responding well. Except Grant and we have a couple of sophomores, but the rest of the guys are pretty inexperienced and haven’t played before. Just trying to practice, really focusing and working on the fundamentals. Getting to learn the game better.”

Ours has replaced Ramos as Hillcrest’s attacking midfielder and has found his offensive touch. Ours scored twice against Wapello and now has three goals through two matches. He scored just one goal all last season.

“Last year I ... wasn’t really a threat to score at all,” Ours said. “This year, I think I have more responsibility ... Just trying my best to work as hard as I can and score goals.”

Hillcrest had just 11 players available against Wapello (0-4, 0-1) with sophomore Micah Gerber and freshman Lincoln Miller in Virginia for the Mennonite Schools Choral Festival.

The Ravens expect to have their full 14-man roster available for a schedule that ramps up with three matches in four days this week, beginning with Central Lee at home on Tuesday and closing with a 25th-anniversary reunion of the 1997 state championship team after the Ravens host Danville on Friday.

“Mentally and physically, it is going to be tough,” Ours said. “I just think as much rest as possible, getting sleep, keeping hydrated. Last game, our first game, everyone was cramping terribly. Especially with our limited bench. ... So it will be really important to stay healthy and try to keep everybody ready to go.”