Pekin 8, Woodruff 0

PEKIN - Edgar Sandoval organized the Pekin girls' soccer invitational tournament to give the sport some exposure in the community.On a sunny, warm, cloudless Friday afternoon at Coal Miners Park, Sandoval's Lady Dragons exposed every Peoria Woodruff weakness en route to an 8-0 victory in the inaugural tournament's first game.
“Girls soccer is still in its infancy in many ways in Pekin, so I started the tournament to put on a nice event, especially for the younger girls to see,” said Sandoval, Pekin's fourth-year coach.Pekin star Jeleighsa Hamilton likes the tournament. At least for the most part.“It's different and new, so it's cool,” the senior midfielder said. “We have to play a lot of soccer in two days, though.”
Pekin (2-4-2) and Woodruff (1-8) are joined by Lincoln and Sterling in the four-team field. Each team will play three games with 30-minute halves instead of the usual 40-minute halves.Lincoln, missing five starters because of a band competition, played to a scoreless tie Friday with Sterling after the Pekin-Woodruff game. The Lincoln starters are expected to be back in action today.After Pekin faces Sterling at 9 a.m. today, it'll wait while Woodruff meets Lincoln and Sterling in back-to-back games. The Lady Dragons and Lincoln will collide in the tournament's final game at about 3:30 p.m. All the games will be played at Coal Miners Park.
“I'm really looking forward to the Lincoln game,” Sandoval said. “Limestone has a good defense, and Lincoln scored four times against them (in a 5-4 loss).”Pekin has tested Limestone's defense twice this season. The Lady Dragons tied Limestone 1-1 in their opener, then beat the Rockets 3-0 Thursday for their first victory of the season.“The teams in our tournament won't remind you of (Peoria) Notre Dame, (Peoria) Richwoods or Morton, but they're young teams that are improving,” Sandoval said. “This is a good beginning for the tournament. I hope to expand it down the road and bring in teams that are more familiar to soccer people.”
The tournament champion and runner-up will each receive a team trophy, and the players on both of those teams will each get a medal. Each win is worth three points in the tournament standings, and teams get one point for a tie. Standings tiebreakers are head-to-head competition, goals allowed and goals scored.Playing three games - albeit shorter games - in about 24 hours is going to test Pekin's endurance and depth, but Sandoval feels the Lady Dragons are ready for the challenge.“We're been doing extra conditioning, and I think it's paying off,” Sandoval said. “Our starters are playing more minutes than they did in the past, and they're not running out of gas. The starters and reserves are all realizing that it's critical for them to be in their best shape.”
Seven Pekin players scored against Woodruff. Amanda Miller tallied a pair of goals, and Michelle Feicke, Emily LaBanca, Marissa McGurr, Shawna Swisher, Allie Zuercher and Hamilton also put the ball in the back of the net. Jakki Johnson contributed two assists, and Beth Steger and LaBanca each had one helper.Pekin goalie Lindsay Coffey made two saves, both in the first half. The Lady Dragons were so dominant in the second half that Coffey could have bought a hot dog and Coke at the refreshment stand and watched the entire half from the bleachers.LaBanca, a freshman, showed off her speed several times during the game. She scored her first career goal Thursday against Limestone.
“Emily is really coming along,” Sandoval said. “When she gets some ball skills, she'll be a special player.”Pekin is 2-0-1 in its last three games after getting off to a 0-4-1 start.