Pekin 2, Central 0

Pekin kickers 2-1 on season
By Times staff
PEORIA -- For at least several days, the 2005 Pekin girls' soccer team can claim something no other previous team can: a winning record.
The Dragons (2-1) picked up their second straight road game victory, a 2-0 shutout against Central in Mid-State 6 Conference action Tuesday.
"In the past, the team has generally started the season 0-4, 0-5, 0-6," coach Edgar Sandoval said. "So after three games, for us to be 2-1 is really a big step in the right direction."
About 15 minutes into the contest, Jeleighsa Hamilton and Sam Grimes worked a perfectly-executed give-and-go just outside the penalty box, Grimes putting the ball in the net for a 1-0 Pekin lead.
The Dragons, who out-shot the Lions 10-3, then closed out the scoring with 13 minutes left. After Amanda Wolf started play with a throw-in from the right corner, Aimee St. Andre won the ball in the air and flicked it past the Central goalie and two defenders.
Midfielder Chelsea Leaver was waiting just in front of the far post, powering home her first career goal.
"Chelsea has never played soccer before," Sandoval added. "But at tryouts she showed aggressiveness, great speed and a natural ability to distribute the ball. Today, she showed me she could score, and I was thrilled for her."
Pekin played the contest without last year's leading scorer, Breanna Zimmerman, who could be out for the season after injuring her knee in a weekend pickup game.
The Dragons next play at Bloomington at 6 p.m. Thursday.

I don't know if it was too much confidence from the win over Washington or what, but we came out really flat. I started 11 players who usually come off the bench and they played hard... maybe this threw everyone out of sync... I don't know. But a win is a win and to start off 2-1 is the best I could have hoped for and we've done it.