Pekin 3, Morton 2

MORTON, Ill. -
If there was a way to gauge how far Pekin High School’s girls’ soccer team has come this season, it would be against Mid-Illini power Morton.
On Tuesday night, the Dragons passed that test with flying colors, beating Morton 3-2 to hand the Potters their first loss in conference play since 2003.
Junior Danica Mason’s first career goal with less than four minutes to play was the game-winner, sending Pekin into a tie for first-place in the league with the Potters.
“It is an incredible feeling,” Pekin coach Edgar Sandoval said. “This is the result of all the hard work in the off season, playing with passion and believing in each other.”
The Potters got on the board first when SIU-Edwardsville signee Kristin Dierker beat the Dragons defense and scored about 20 minutes into the match.
But the Lady Dragons answered back. Junior Shawna Swisher found freshman Sarah Zuercher at the top of the box, Zuercher put a beautiful move on her defender and launched a rocket past Morton keeper Brooke Bisping to knot it up going into the half.
It was the first goal Pekin had ever scored on Morton.
“That goal gave us a lot of confidence,” said Sandoval, who notched his 50th career victory. “It let our girls know that Morton is beatable. But I challenged them to focus. … one play, one touch, one possession at a time and not think about the result.”
The Lady Dragons (10-3-1, 6-1-1) fell behind again when sophomore Holly Bennett scored on a header just after halftime.
But unlike previous matches with Morton, Pekin would not be denied. Midway through the half, Swisher found Zuercher again and this time she blasted it home to tie the match again.
The game remained tied with Pekin and Morton threatening to score several times before the Lady Dragons forced their sixth corner kick.
“I started screaming ‘aim for the six’ (top of the goal box) because the wind had taken Sarah’s last three corner tries,” Sandoval said.
Zuercher’s strong drive found it’s way through the Morton defense where Mason was waiting at the top of the box for the game winner.
Pekin’s Morgan Lynn was outstanding in goal, stopping 17 Morton shots including several diving saves.

Pekin 3, Lincoln 0; Normal West 2, Pekin 0

PEKIN, Ill. -
For the first time in the three-year history of the Lady Dragons Invitational, the Pekin girls soccer team lost a game.
But coach Edgar Sandoval wasn’t singing the blues after the Lady Dragons fell 2-0 Saturday to Normal West at Coal Miners Park.
“I’m happier about how we played in this game than in our previous three games, which we won,” Sandoval said.
After giving up two goals to Normal West within 1:01 just past the midway point of the first half, Pekin (9-3-1) had last season’s third-place finisher in the Class AA state finals reeling most of the remainder of the game.
The Lady Dragons didn’t allow a shot in the second half. They won the majority of the 50/50 balls, and had the Lady Wildcats (9-2-2) resorting to hard fouls and even grabbing a jersey to keep Pekin off stride.
Normal West goalie Erin McGinnis played a strong game. She made five saves.
“We lost our marks on their goals and we couldn’t finish on a couple of occasions, but other than that, we played very well,” Sandoval said. “We had six freshmen in the game at one point in the second half. That ought to scare some people.”
Normal West’s Katherine Riggins got behind the Pekin defense and scored with 19:07 to go in the first half, and Jordan Becker headed in a cross from Veronica Klein to make it 2-0.
Pekin goalie Morgan Lynn didn’t have much of a chance on either shot.
Sandoval added Normal West to the invitational field this year to give his young but talented team a test. That’s what it got Saturday.
“If all I cared about was winning, I would have kept the invitational the same,” Sandoval said. “Our girls need to be challenged.”
Pekin hadn’t been challenged in its first eight invitational games, dating to 2007. The Lady Dragons won all eight, outscoring their opponents 30-0.
Both Pekin and Normal West were undefeated in the two-day, four-team round-robin competition heading into their showdown.
The Lady Dragons beat Peoria Christian 2-0 and Lincoln 3-0. Normal West blanked Lincoln 3-0 and Peoria Christian 5-0.
Sarah Zuercher scored one goal and assisted on goals by Lauren Cash and Shawna Swisher in Pekin’s victory over Lincoln (2-10) earlier Saturday. Marissa McGurr assisted on Zuercher’s goal.
Pekin outshot Lincoln 14-2. Lynn and Lindsay Coffey shared the shutout.
The victory moved the Lady Dragons seven games above the .500 mark for the first time in the program’s 12-year history.
Peoria Christian (7-4), another first-year invitational team, defeated Lincoln 3-0 in the other game Saturday. The final invitational standings were Normal West 3-0, Pekin 2-1, Peoria Christian 1-2 and Lincoln 0-3.

Pekin 2, Peoria Christian 0

PEKIN, Ill. -
The Pekin girls soccer team got what it wanted Friday.
Coach Edgar Sandoval’s team defeated Peoria Christian 2-0 in the opening game of the third annual Lady Dragons Invitational at Coal Miners Park.
Keeping the Chargers scoreless was as important as the victory for Pekin because goals-allowed is a standings tie-breaker.
But Sandoval is seeing storm clouds on the horizon.
“We had a lot of success during a recent week-long stretch. Everything came very easily for us,” Sandoval said, referring to a three-game blitz from April 11-18 when Pekin outscored Dunlap, Washington and East Peoria by a combined 17-0.
Sandoval is concerned about what he saw after the first 17 minutes of his team’s 4-1 victory Thursday over Limestone, and what he watched for much of the game Friday.
“We’re getting away from what’s made us successful,” he said. “We’re trying to out-athletic people instead of outplay them. We can’t make long passes and use our speed all the time. That’s easy to defend.”
To put it in baseball terms, Sandoval said, the Lady Dragons (8-2-1) are trying to hit a home run too much of the time instead of mixing in some small ball.
But Sandoval is confident the Lady Dragons will get back on track.
“We have girls who have soccer experience, and know how to win,” he said. “You can tell on their faces that they know what’s happening. They’re policing each other, and they’re encouraging each other.”
Normal West defeated Lincoln 3-0 in the other invitational game Friday. The four teams will each play two games today.
Pekin scored two early goals against Peoria Christian (6-2), which already has equaled last year’s victory total.
Shawna Swisher converted a perfect cross from Michaela Quilty with 20:32 left in the first half, and Quilty banged home a corner kick from Sarah Zuercher with 14:02 to go.
Peoria Christian kept the Lady Dragons off the scoreboard after the early flurry, and had the better chances to score in the second half.
Pekin goalie Morgan Lynn wasn’t tested much in the first half, but Lindsay Coffey needed to be sharp in the second half. The two combined for five saves. Peoria Christian goalie Kristen Smith also had five saves.
Players on both teams were dragging a bit late in the game, played on a unseasonably warm, sunny afternoon.
“We’re not used to playing when the temperature is in the 80’s,” Sandoval said.
Pekin is now 7-0 in invitational history and has outscored its opponents 27-0 in those seven games.
The Lady Dragons will face Lincoln (2-8) at 9 a.m. and Normal West (7-2-2) at 3:30 p.m. today.

2009 Tournament Preview

PEKIN — This weekend’s third annual Lady Dragons Invitational girls soccer tournament bears no resemblance to the previous two tourneys.
Sure, Pekin and Lincoln remain in the four-team field, but Normal West and Peoria Christian have joined the fray at Coal Miners Park, replacing Peoria Woodruff and Sterling.
“We have a talented team. We need to be tested,” said Pekin coach Edgar Sandoval.
The Lady Dragons haven’t been tested much in their tournament. They have outscored their opponents 25-0 in six games over two years.
The two new teams give the tournament an entirely different feel.
Normal West (6-2-2) went 28-1 last season, losing only to eventual Illinois High School Association Class AA state champion Waubonsie Valley 1-0 in the state semifinals.
The Wildcats won the next day to earn the third-place trophy.
Peoria Christian (6-1) has lost only to Peoria Richwoods. No shame in that.
Lincoln (2-7) is better than its record. A tough schedule has given a Railsplitters a splitting headache. They’ve lost to defending Class A state champion Rochester and powerhouse Chatham Glenwood.
Tournament games will be played today and Saturday, with a point system for wins, losses and ties determining the champion. Each half will be 30 minutes instead of the usual 40 minutes.
Pekin (7-2-1) will face Peoria Christian at 4 p.m. today. It’ll be Lincoln vs. Normal West at 5:30 p.m.
On Saturday, Pekin and Lincoln will clash at 9 a.m., then Normal West and Peoria Christian will play at 10:30 a.m. It’ll be Lincoln vs. Peoria Christian at 2 p.m., and Pekin vs. Normal West at 3:30 p.m.
No admission will be charged either day.
Pekin’s expectations were high going into the season.
With all 11 starters in terms of scoring and minutes played returning from last year’s 11-7-3 team and six talented freshmen from the highly successful Pekin Pride ‘94 club team joining the roster, there was excitement in the air.
The expectations have transformed into results. Pekin is 4-1-1 halfway through the Mid-Illini Conference schedule.
The Lady Dragons have done well against Mid-Illini powers Dunlap, Metamora and Morton after going 0-13 against them and being outscored 41-1 in their first two years in the conference.
Pekin beat Dunlap 4-0, tied Metamora 1-1 and lost 4-0 to Morton after playing the Lady Potters to a scoreless tie at halftime.
“The second half against Morton is our only bad half this season,” Sandoval said.
Pekin’s only other loss was a 2-1 setback to Normal Community in its opener. Sandoval thinks Normal Community might be the most talented team on the Lady Dragons’ schedule.
Michaela Quilty heads into the tournament as Pekin’s leading scorer with nine goals. She’s already shattered Emily LaBanca’s freshman season record of six goals, set in 2007.
Quilty also has four assists. Freshman Sarah Zuecher leads Pekin in assists with nine and she also has seven goals.

Pekin 4, Limestone 1

PEKIN, Ill. -
PEKIN — The Pekin girls’ soccer team continued its winning ways Thursday with a 4-1 Mid-Illini Conference victory over Limestone at Coal Miners Park.
The Lady Dragons (7-2-1, 5-1-1) put it away early as junior Shawna Swisher scored three goals in the first 17 minutes.
“Shawna has been sacrificing her own offense and doing everything I’ve asked to help the team this year and it has paid off, so it’s nice to see her break out like this,” said Pekin coach Edgar Sandoval.
Swisher’s first goal came just five minutes into the contest after freshman Sarah Zuercher played a perfect ball right in front of the goal. The assist was Zuercher’s 10th, which ties the Pekin record for most assists in a season.
Down 3-0, the Rockets struck back when senior Rachel Kyle dribbled past several Pekin defenders and blasted the ball into the net, ending Pekin’s consecutive shutout streak at three.
In the second half it was Swisher returning the favor, assisting on Zuercher’s eighth goal of the season. Despite the Lady Dragons’ six-match undefeated streak (5-0-1), Sandoval was dissatisfied with his team’s effort.
“The truth is after a great first 17 minutes, we played really uninspired soccer,” Sandoval said. “I don’t know if we felt like they weren’t going to try after that or what. It was good enough to win today, but our girls feel like we can play better than that… and we’re going to have to if we want to do well in our tournament.”

Pekin 8, East Peoria 0

EAST PEORIA, Ill. -
EAST PEORIA — Pekin dominated both ends of the field Saturday, holding East Peoria without a shot on the way to an 8-0 Mid-Illini Conference girls’ soccer victory at EastSide Centre.
After forcing a corner kick a minute into the game, freshmen Michaela Quilty scored off a serve from classmate Sarah Zuercher. The two have combined for four goals off corners this season.
Their older sisters accounted for the next goal, when senior Allie Zuercher found junior Colleen Quilty at the top of the box for a goal 10 minutes later. Allie Zuercher and Michaela Quilty later scored on assists from freshman Nichole Fulk to close out first half scoring.
Michaela Quilty, Lauren Cash, Sarah Zuercher and Shawna Swisher each scored in the second half, allowing Quilty to finish with a hat trick. Zuercher tallied three assists and senior Mallory Dodson recorded her first career assist.
“East Peoria is young, but the fact is they only start one more underclassman than we do,” Pekin coach Edgar Sandoval said. “I think our girls had this one circled on the calendar and came out with great focus and determination.”
Pekin (6-2-1, 4-1-1) will be home for its next four matches, hosting Limestone on Thursday, followed by their invitational tournament next weekend.

Pekin 5, Washington 0

PEKIN — The Pekin girls’ soccer team stretched its unbeaten streak to four matches with a 5-0 Mid-Illini Conference make-up win over Washington Thursday at Coal Miners Park.
For the second straight match, the Lady Dragons got on the board within minutes of the first whistle. Freshman Michaela Quilty finished off a corner kick from fellow freshman Sarah Zuercher for Pekin’s only goal of the first half.
“We were a little out of sync in the first half,” said Pekin coach Edgar Sandoval. “It wasn’t that we were playing poorly. We just misjudged balls and mistimed a bunch of runs. At halftime, I challenged the girls to work harder without the ball and show that they’re better than what the scoreboard read.”
The Lady Dragons responded. After a Washington foul just outside its box, Zuercher found Quilty again far post for a goal from point blank. Twenty minutes later Zuercher tallied her third assist of the game — another corner kick, this one to junior Emily LaBanca. From there, Quilty got into the giving spirit as she assisted on goals to Zuercher and senior Jakki Johnson.
Zuercher and Quilty each have six goals on the season, tying LaBanca’s Pekin record for goals scored by a freshman. The Lady Dragons (5-2-1, 3-1-1) defense was stout, limiting the Panthers to just one shot on goal.

Pekin 4, Dunlap 0

PEKIN, Ill. -
For 13 years, the Pekin girls’ soccer program has been working towards a signature victory over one of the area’s soccer heavyweights. They finally got it Saturday morning in a dominating 4-0 win over Dunlap.
“Our girls exceeded my highest expectations today,” Pekin coach Edgar Sandoval said. “I couldn’t be more proud.”
Freshman striker Sarah Zuercher gave the Lady Dragons the only goal they would need less than one minute into the game on a pass from freshman Michaela Quilty. She was also able to connect again midway through the half for another goal, this time from freshman midfielder Holly Spangler.
Midway through the half, freshman midfielder Holly Spangler took a drop from junior Lauren Cash just outside of the 18, then switched the ball to the right side where Zuercher buried it again for a 2-0 lead.
“Michaela and Holly made two great passes and to have a finisher like Sarah makes it rewarding and lot of fun for all of us,” Sandoval added.
Pekin was able to rack up two more goals after the break, when junior Shawna Swisher was able to connect on her first goal of the season and Quilty hit a shot from about 20 yards out with about seven minutes to play.
“Look, it’s just one win, but this is a significant milestone for our program,” Sandoval said. “To beat one of the top teams in the area after struggling to just get shots on their goal the past two years says a lot about how hard our girls have been working.”
Pekin (4-2-1, 2-1-1) hosts Washington on Tuesday. The Lady Panthers’ squad is 4-1-1 against the Lady Dragons the past three years.

Pekin 1, Metamora 1

PEKIN, Ill. -
The Pekin High school girls’ soccer team continues to make progress, going on the road to battle Metamora to a 1-1 Mid-Illini Conference tie Tuesday.
The Lady Dragons got on the board just before halftime. Freshman Holly Spangler played a great ball down the right side, where freshman Sarah Zuercher got to it in stride and sent it home from outside the 18 for Pekin’s first goal against the Redbirds since joining the league.
“They’ve shut us out for two straight years, outscoring us 12-0 and rarely allowing us a shot on goal,’’ Pekin coach Edgar Sandoval said. “So to take a lead into half and not lose ... that’s another step in the right direction for us.”
Metamora salvaged a tie when freshman Kristin Rauh hit a shot from just outside the 18 for the final score.
The Lady Dragons (3-2-1, 1-1-1) outshot the Redbirds 8-5 and host Dunlap on Saturday morning.

Pekin 3, Moline 1

After Moline had held 2008 state semifinalist Normal West to one goal and shut out perennial power Richwoods to open the season, it wasn’t likely that the Pekin girls' soccer team would hand them their first loss of the season. But after falling behind 1-0, the Lady Dragons (3-2) stormed back with three goals in a nine-minute span for the 3-1 road win on Saturday.

“I thought going into the season we could surprise some teams," Pekin coch Edgar Sandoval said. "They definitely weren’t expecting this from us after going 1-0-1 against those heavyweights.”

Moline (2-1-1) got on the board first when midfielder Cory Buenting lofted a shot that got caught in the wind and dropped into the Pekin net fifteen minutes into the first half.


Pekin got the equalizer about 20 minutes later on a goal by Colleen Quilty, who scored on a pass from her younger sister, Michaela. Quilty found the net again about 10 minutes later, beating the Moline goalkeeper for the go-ahead score.

“Colleen had a heck of a match today. She wanted it more than their midfielders and finished strong twice. And lots of credit to Holly (Spangler). Often the pass that sets up the assist is overlooked, but I recognize she created those chances as much as Michaela and Emily (LaBanca).”

The Lady Dragons added one insurance goal two minutes into the second half, as Jakki Johnson was able to score from just inside the right sideline.

Morton 4, Pekin 0

PEKIN -
For one half, the Pekin girls soccer team played defending conference champ Morton even 0-0. But the second half was a different story as the Potters scored four goals in route to a 4-0 win at Coal Miner's Park.

Holly Bennett scored five minutes into the second half to get the Potters on the board. Pekin's best chance came on a corner kick just a few minutes later. Lady Dragons' freshman forward Sarah Zuercher's corner kick bent in and hit the crossbar.

"We had some defensive breakdowns and I think some of our girls were intimidated by their physical play," said Pekin coach Edgar Sandoval. Bennett had two goals for the Potters (1-1, 1-0)

The Lady Dragons (2-2, 1-1) will try to climb back over .500 when they travel to Moline on Saturday.