Friday, April 29, 2005

Pekin 2, Limestone 2

Soccer tie
PEKIN -- The Pekin Girls soccer team was about three minutes away from equaling last year’s program high for wins. But Limestone senior Ashley Pumphrey brought the Rockets even with her second goal of the game forcing the Dragons to settle for a 2-2 tie.

The Dragons got on the board first. Sam Grimes placed a corner kick just past the near post. Aimee St. Andre timed her jump perfectly and headed it past Limestone keeper Britnee Clough 17 minutes into the game. About ten minutes later, miscommunication on the Pekin end led to Pumphrey’s first goal.

Heavy rains couldn’t keep Pekin from dominating the ball in the second half. It was St. Andre again, dribbling past three Rocket defenders and finding the net to give Pekin a 2-1 lead.

It remained 2-1 is how it stayed until the 77th minute. A Limestone free kick found its way through to Pumphrey in the box who lofted a shot into the Dragons’ goal.

“That was a tough one to swallow,” Pekin coach Edgar Sandoval admitted. “We dominated the game. We out shot them 16 to 4, but only have a tie to show for it. And the ball wasn’t on our defensive third very much at all.”

“In soccer that’s just how it ends up sometimes,” he added. We should have won, but I’m still pleased with the effort our girls gave.”
Pekin (5-5-1) next hosts Peoria Central at 4:30, Tuesday in a Mid-State 6 Conference match at Coal Miners Park.

Last year when we lost to Limestone, that was the only game where I was disappointed in the girls' effort. This year, the effort was there with the exception of two lapses in concentration. We controlled the ball much more, had many more shots, but things like this happen and I give credit to Limestone for hanging in there. It's tough to lose someone who scores as much as Kim Knaub, but from what I understand they've got a great freshman class coming in.

Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Notre Dame 8, Pekin 0

Soccer setback
PEKIN -- Peoria Notre Dame, the cream of the crop when it comes to Central Illinois soccer teams, scored seven first-half goals Tuesday and beat Pekin 8-0 at Coal Miners Park.
"We didn't seem to have a lot of energy tonight," Pekin coach Edgar Sandoval said. "We started off OK, but I think when you're playing a team like Notre Dame it's easy to get down and lose sight of what's going on."
Pekin came out of the gate with some intensity and kept the ball at its end of the field for the first 2 1/2 minutes or so, but Notre Dame worked the ball loose and scored at 2:42. Within eight minutes after that, the Irish led 3-0. And, after a goal in the 22nd minute, Notre Dame added three more goals in a 4 1/2-minute stretch shortly before half-time.
"This is the best program in the area," Sandoval said. "For us to hang around, that's about as much as we can hope for right now. The girls know that. It's nothing to be ashamed of. (Notre Dame) has placed in the top four in the state for the past, well I don't know how many years."
Pekin managed only one shot on goal, but even that was a plus. It was one more legitimate shot attempt more than what they had earlier this season.
"We try to keep them out of the goal as long as we can," Sandoval said. "The first time we kept them out for about 15 minutes. But, I don't think our energy was as good today as it was the first game."

No incidents like when we went to their place, but I didn't expect it. Their team is so skilled and would be a lot of fun to watch if they weren't playing us. Coach Blackford complimented me on our field after the game. That may not seem like a big deal, but I made a real effort before the season to measure out just how big of a field we could get at Coal Miner's... what we had been playing on was short and really narrow. I had park district expand the field to 110 by 70. The max is 120 by 75, but I wasn't sure we had enough room. I'll have to look at it again for next year.

Thursday, April 21, 2005


Stephanie carries the ball as Jaleighsa and Susan push up. Posted by Hello

Pekin 4, Woodruff 0

Pekin puts 4-0 shutout in the book
By Times staff
PEKIN -- Aimee St. Andre scored two goals and Pekin's defense posted another shutout as Pekin defeated visiting Peoria Woodruff 4-0 Thursday in a Mid-State 6 Conference girls' soccer match at Coal Miners Park.
The game was scoreless for most of the first half, however, Sam Berry found St. Andre cutting into the box and the senior blasted a shot that grazed the bottom of the crossbar and dropped into the goal at the 27:02 mark.
"Aimee had one just like that against Richwoods," Pekin coach Edgar Sandoval said. "This time it was a couple of inches lower and it gave us some confidence. Woodruff's defense hung tough for the entire first half."
Nine minutes into the second half, Brittany Martin set up Tory Udry on the left side and she booted the ball into the right corner for a 2-0 lead. About nine minutes later, St. Andre scored her second goal on a feed from Amber Poston; and Pekin scored again in the 61st minute. Sophomore Amanda Miller, playing in her first varsity game, assisted and Jaleighsa Hamilton scored.
Pekin's defense allowed just one shot on goal. The Dragons (5-4, 3-2) took 23 shots and 15 of them were stopped by Woodruff's Krista Fleming.

We couldn't get it going early. Their goalkeeper is pretty good and she was doing really well back there early. Even the goals she gave up early were terrific shots from Aimee and Tory. This was probably one of our better games all around. This is a link to pictures from this game.

Tuesday, April 19, 2005

Pekin 7, Manual 0

Dragons kick Rams, return to .500 mark
By Times staff
PEORIA -- Pekin climbed back to the .500 mark with a 7-0 Mid-State 6 Conference girls' soccer victory Tuesday over Peoria Manual.
The Dragons improved to 4-4 overall and 2-2 in the Mid-State 6 Conference with their third road win of the year.
Aimee St. Andre scored the first goal just two minutes into the contest off a feed from Sam Grimes. St. Andre found the goal again, finishing a pass from Susan Howard at the 4:00 mark.
Amber Poston had two first-half goals, while Grimes, Jen Adkison and Bryn Golden each had one. It was Golden's first goal of her career.
The Dragons' defense helped Adkison and Bethany Smith get the shutout. Manual did not take a shot at the goal.
"It was good to get another win," Pekin coach Edgar Sandoval said. "I expect our next game to be much tougher, so the girls should expect to work hard in practice (today.)"
Peoria Woodruff visits Pekin at 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

Sunday, April 17, 2005


Jaleighsa evades a Silver Streaks defender. Posted by Hello


Stephanie sends the ball back towards the Galesburg goal. Posted by Hello


Nicole Richards clears the ball. Posted by Hello

Thursday, April 14, 2005

Galesburg 4, Pekin 1

Soccer setback
PEKIN -- Pekin dropped its second girls' soccer match in a row with a 4-1 non-conference loss Thursday to Galesburg at Coal Miners Park.
Sade Akpore scored the first of two goals 13 minutes into the contest off a pass from her sister, Kiara Akpore. Sade made the score 2-0 about 10 minutes later.
Pekin coach Edgar Sandoval said he intentionally had his defense play Kiara very closely and her sister took advantage of it.
"They're both very strong and very quick," he said. "But, I didn't think we could afford to focus equal attention on both of them."
The game was very physical. Pekin (3-4) committed 10 fouls and Galesburg (3-3) seven.
Pekin's backup goalkeeper Bethany Smith went face first in to the right goal post when Galesburg's Cathy Cecil scored to make it 3-0. Sandoval said Smith had to be helped from the field. He added that in the second half, Dragon forwards Sam Berry and Aimee St. Andre knocked heads, sending Berry to the hospital.
"In looks like both girls will be all right, but your heart just drops when you see these things happen," Sandoval said.
Pekin's lone goal was scored by St. Andre on breakaway with about 11 minutes to play.


Tough loss tonight. Not because the girls played poorly. Galesburg just finished better. We had two breakaways where each time, the girl with the ball got within a few yards of the goal, but just held it a split second too long and we were unable to convert a PK.

They out shot us by 4, but we had more corner kicks, so this loss wasn't like losing to Notre Dame or Richwoods.

I was hopeful of a closer game though, but it just shows we're not able to separate from the second tier of local girls soccer teams. Galesburg beat us, we beat Washington, Washington beat Galesburg, Geneseo beat Washington, Galesburg beat Geneseo.

Still I was more pleased with the effort tonight than I was in one of our three wins.


As for the injuries, I felt horrible when I saw our two girls go down. Bethany, especially as the exact same thing happened her sophomore year and she was hurt pretty bad.

Wednesday, April 13, 2005

Richwoods 7, Pekin 0

Soccer setback
PEKIN -- Stephanie Cole scored two goals in the first half as Peoria Richwoods cruised to a 7-0 Mid-State 6 Conference soccer victory over Pekin at Coal Miners Park.
The Lady Dragons (3-3, 1-2) had come from behind to win on Monday against Macomb, but Richwoods (4-3, 2-0) took the lead at 11:10 of the first half on Cole's first goal and led the rest of the way.
Kim Knaub and Becca Smith split four goals in the second half as Richwoods had 18 total shots on goal, compared to Pekin's three.
Pekin's best chance at a goal came early in the second half when Aimee St. Andre got past the defense and launched a shot past Richwoods' goal keeper, Kayla Trammell, but it hit the cross bar.
"For the Pekins, Centrals and Woodruffs of the world, to score on a team like Richwoods is a pretty big deal," Pekin coach Edgar Sandoval said. "Aimee scored on them her sophomore year, and she was inches away from doing it again. I think that speaks volumes of the kind of player she has become."

Aimee was so close. She works so hard. All I could do was smile.

Monday, April 11, 2005

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.

Thursday, April 07, 2005

Bloomington 5, Pekin 0

BLOOMINGTON -- Pekin managed only one shot on goal in a 5-0 girls' soccer loss Thursday night at Bloomington.
Missing five starters due to either injuries or illness, Pekin's defense held strong for the first 14 minutes before Bloomington scored the first goal of the match.
"We came out with a lot of fire and played pretty well in the first half," Pekin soccer coach Edgar Sandoval said. "Then the wheels kind of fell off the bus. But it wasn't for the lack of effort. They had the wind in the second half, and they were playing with much more confidence."
Bloomington scored three minutes into the second half and again three minutes later.
"Missing Tory (Udry) and Bree (Zimmerman) really hurt us," Sandoval said. "Bloomington was clearly the better team, but when two of your three leading scorers are gone, the offense tends to stall and that puts way too much pressure on your defense."

Tuesday, April 05, 2005

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.

Saturday, April 02, 2005


Jen makes a save as Susan and Amanda look on. Posted by Hello


Jaleighsa goes one on one with a Washington defender. Posted by Hello

Pekin 2, Washington 1

Kickers triumph
PEKIN -- Pekin scored twice in a 7 1/2-minute span of the first half to win its first girls' soccer game of the season over Washington 2-1 on Saturday.
Tory Udry scored at 21:39 on a feed from Aimee St. Andre and Jaleighsa Hamilton's unassisted tally put Pekin up 2-0 with a goal at 38:01.
It was Pekin's first-ever varsity soccer victory over Washington (0-2-1), which scored in the second half on a goal from Nicolle Schupp.
Goalie Jen Adkison had 15 saves for Pekin, supplemented by the stellar defensive player of freshman Marissa Fandel and Sam Grimes.
"We're definitely making progress and this win is solid proof,'' Pekin head coach Edgar Sandoval said. "Until last year, we had been losing to them by scores of 6-0, 6-0, 9-1, so to come away with a win -- and a road win, no less -- was very satisfying for the team.''