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.