2009 PCHS girls soccer preview

PCHS soccer ready to take next step

PEKIN, Ill. -
Pekin High School girls soccer coach Edgar Sandoval enters the season with healthy doses of optimism and realism.
He’s optimistic because the Lady Dragons are coming off the second winning season in the program’s 12-year history (11-7-3) and have all 11 starters back in terms of scoring and minutes played.
Then there are six freshmen from the heralded Pekin Pride ‘94 travel team that has placed first or second in 20 tournaments across the state and finished first in the Central Illinois Youth Soccer League several times.
The group includes Megan Campbell, Nichole Fulk, Megan McGurr, Michaela Quilty, Holly Spangler and Sarah Zuercher. McGurr, Quilty and Zuercher have older sisters on the Pekin team.
This is the first large group of travel players to join the Pekin program. Previously, most of the experienced players came from recreational leagues.
“The successful high school programs in the area — Dunlap, Metamora, Morton, Peoria Notre Dame and Peoria Richwoods — are all fed by strong travel programs,” Sandoval said. “They get a group of kids with this kind of experience every year, which is why there has been such a gap between us and them even in our best years. These girls from the Pekin Pride will help close that gap.”
The gap is the source of Sandoval’s realism.
Nobody has to tell him that Pekin is 0-13 against Dunlap, Metamora and Morton in its two seasons in the Mid-Illini Conference, and has been outscored 41-1 in those games.
“When we start beating those three teams, that we‘ll know we‘ve arrived,” Sandoval said.
Sandoval has toughened the Lady Dragons’ schedule to make it more challenging for his talented squad.
“It’s not just about winning. It’s also about seeing how our girls develop against the best competition,” he said.
Richwoods (led by midfielder Courtney Holtz, a University of Louisville recruit), Moline, Normal Community and Normal West have been added to Pekin’s dance card.
Sandoval says Normal Community, Pekin’s opening day opponent today, could be the best team the Lady Dragons face all season.
Normal Community goalie Jessica Rolfs (36-8 record, 29 shutouts the past two years) is a University of Tennessee recruit.
Normal West, which finished third in last year’s Illinois High School Association Class AA state finals, and Peoria Christian have joined the field of the third annual Lady Dragons Invitational April 24-25.
Gone are Peoria Woodruff and Sterling. Pekin outscored those teams 21-0 in four invitational games the past two years. Lincoln remains in the four-team field.
Another reason for the revamped schedule is Sandoval wants to prepare his team for the first season of IHSA three-class girls soccer.
The Lady Dragons could find themselves facing teams like Moline, Normal Community and Normal West in Class 3A come state tournament time.
All-conference junior defender Marissa McGurr is back to anchor Pekin’s back line.
“Marissa is the glue back there. She organizes our defense and cleans up when we make mistakes,” Sandoval said.
Junior Colleen Quilty and senior Allie Zuercher, both second-team all-conference selections, give the Lady Dragons a strong one-two punch in the midfield.
“Colleen is physical. She fights for every ball in her area. She also has a devastating throw-in,” Sandoval said. “Allie makes great decisions and passes.”
Zuercher is one of four seniors who have been on the team since they were freshmen. The others are Jessica Allen, Lindsay Coffey and Jakki Johnson.
Coffey, another second-team all-conference player, and sophomore Morgan Lynn are Pekin’s top goalies. Junior Kaitlyn Worrall provides depth.
Senior Mallory Dodson, juniors Lauren Cash, Emily LaBanca, Haley Lower and Shawna Swisher, and sophomore Danica Mason are the other returnees.
LaBanca was Pekin’s top scorer the past two seasons, while Mason started every game last season as a freshman.