Pekin 3, Macomb 2

Soccer triumph
PEKIN -- Pekin stormed from behind to edge Macomb 3-2 in its girls' soccer home opener Monday at Coal Miners Park.
Pekin's Jaleighsa Hamilton found Aimee St. Andre in the middle with a beautiful pass, and St. Andre found the back of the net for a 1-0 lead just minutes into the game. Macomb struck back when Jeanette Friedrich got past the Pekin defense and scored the equalizer with about 13 minutes left in the half.
"At halftime, the girls were pretty upset about the way the game was being officiated, but I told them not to let it bother them,'' Pekin coach Edgar Sandoval said. "They had to focus more on playing their game and get their energy up. Macomb wanted it more in the first half and we couldn't ignore that."
After Macomb took a 2-1 lead on a penalty kick, the hosts tied it on Amber Poston's first goal of the season and St. Andre delivered the game-winner with eight minutes left.
"We had three tight games like this last year and they ended in ties,'' Sandoval said. "My girls showed a lot of heart tonight coming back the way they did and I couldn't be more proud."
Pekin (3-2) hosts Mid-State 6 Conference power Richwoods at 4:30 p.m. today at Coal Miners Park.

Just a side note. I gave Aimee and Susan Howard permission to leave the game early. They were being honored by the school board for their academic excellence. In the heat of the game, Susan's mom had to remind me that they had to leave. The score was tied when I brought them to the sidelines and told them they could go. They both looked at me and told me they wanted to stay. Aimee scored the winning goal and Susan used her great speed at a position she wasn't familiar with to help in the midfield. That was just a bonus. The fact that they chose to stay meant so much to me.