Normal West 3, Pekin 1

EAST MOLINE -
Pekin High School’s splendid girls’ soccer season came to an end Tuesday night with a 3-1 loss to Normal West in the semifinals of the Class 3A East Moline Sectional.
Second-seeded Normal West (16-4-3) advances to Friday’s championship against top-seeded Normal Community (22-1), and 8-1 winner over host East Moline.
The third-seeded Lady Dragons (13-5-2) didn’t go down without a fight and actually got on the board first. About eight minutes into the game, Pekin forced a corner kick and for the eighth time this season freshman Sarah Zuercher found Michaela Quilty for a goal off a corner.
“That combination is extremely dangerous,” said Pekin coach Edgar Sandoval. “Sarah serves a great ball and Michaela times her runs so well.”
Normal West struck back two minutes later when midfielder Jen Guy crossed to Jordan Becker who finished it off with a beautiful header. The score remained 1-1 until later in the half when Guy scored on a pass from Becker.
“We played a good first half, they just executed perfectly on those two plays,” Sandoval said.
The score remained 2-1 for most of the second half with Pekin sophomore keeper Morgan Lynn stopping several strong West chances in the box. The Lady Dragons had several chances of their own, but Wildcats keeper Erin McGinnis was equal to the challenge.
In the end, it was another Becker header from point blank range with three minutes to go that ended the Lady Dragons’ season.
“We graduate a senior class of six terrific young women, five of whom have been with me on varsity for four years, “Sandoval said. “I will miss them very much. But they laid the foundation for a very bright future.”
Second in the Mid-Illini Conference (9-1-2), the Lady Dragons return nine starters and 16 players in total that account for 91 percent of this year’s goals and assists. Pekin will also get back it’s top five defenders and starting goalkeeper.
NOTES: The 2009 Lady Dragons set program records for most wins, fewest losses, most goals scored and fewest goals allowed. For the first time ever, three Pekin players: juniors Marissa McGurr, Colleen Quilty and freshman Sarah Zuercher, were voted all-sectional by the Illinois High School Coaches Association. Coach Edgar Sandoval was voted Coach of the Year by the Section 13 (includes the Peoria and Quad Cities areas) coaches.

Tough Road For Pekin Soccer Team

EAST MOLINE, Ill. -
Could there be a tougher Illinois High School Association girls soccer regional in the state than the Class 3A East Moline Regional?
It’s doubtful. Going into the regional, the five teams in the field had a combined 68-25-8 record.
No. 1 seed Normal Community (21-1) and No. 3 seed Pekin (13-4-2) have set school records for victories in a season.
Normal Community has won 20 straight games and outscored its opponents 100-9. Its only loss is a 1-0 setback to Peoria Notre Dame.
No. 2 seed Normal West (15-4-3), which finished third in last year’s Class AA state finals, has won five consecutive regional championships.
No. 4 seed East Moline (11-7-1) and No. 5 seed Moline (9-10-1) are no slouches.
After being rained out Friday, East Moline and Moline collided in a play-in game Monday and East Moline won 2-0 thanks to two second-half goals.
East Moline will face Normal Community at 4:30 p.m. today, followed by Pekin vs. Normal West at 6:30 p.m.
The winners will play in the regional championship game at 5 p.m. Friday, with the champ moving on to the Normal Sectional to face the Minooka Regional winner May 26 at Normal Community.
Pekin is 0-2 against Normal West and Normal Community this season. The Lady Dragons dominated the second half but lost 2-0 to Normal West in the championship game of the Lady Dragons Invitational, and they fell 2-1 to Normal Community in their season opener.
Despite those losses, Pekin coach Edgar Sandoval is glad he added those teams to his schedule.
“I think my forward thinking has paid off,” he said. “At least our girls are familiar with those teams.”
Normal West crushed Pekin 11-1 in 2004 and 8-0 in 2005 in previous regional games. But this is an entirely different Pekin team. It’s filled with a talented freshman class and solid veterans.
“It’s special,” said Sandoval, who nearly has run out of adjectives to describe the Lady Dragons. “This is the first Pekin team I’ve coached that has the ability to be truly competitive in every game we play.”
The Lady Dragons went 9-1-2 in the rugged Mid-Illini Conference, good for second place. They were 3-1-2 against conference champion Morton, Metamora and Dunlap, outscoring them 12-9, after going 0-13 and being outscored 52-1 by the trio in Pekin’s first two seasons in the conference.
Shock waves reverberated across the area soccer world April 28 when Pekin upset Morton 3-2, ending the Lady Potters’ 68-match conference unbeaten streak. Morton hadn’t lost a Mid-Illini game since 2003.
Pekin hasn’t lost back-to-back games all season. In addition to their 13 victories, the Lady Dragons’ four losses, 59 goals and 21 goals allowed are all school records.
“What these girls have accomplished goes beyond my wildest expectations,” Sandoval said. “I would have been incredibly pleased if we had gone 8-4 in the conference.”
If Pekin beats Normal West and advances to Friday’s regional championship game, Sandoval will have to change his weekend plans.
He’s scheduled to fly from Peoria to Las Vegas on Friday for a family get-together. If he needs to coach Friday, he’ll fly out Saturday from Chicago.
“I’ve told the girls, ’Make me miss my flight Friday,’” Sandoval said.
Pekin’s leading scorers are freshman Sarah Zuercher (18 goals, 19 assists), freshman Michaela Quilty (13 goals, seven assists) and junior Shawna Swisher (10 goals, four assists.)

Pekin 3, Dunlap 1

DUNLAP — The Pekin girls soccer team capped off their best season ever with a 3-1 Mid-Illini Conference win at Dunlap Thursday.
Shawna Swisher got the Dragons on the board with a goal just seven minutes into the game off a Sarah Zuercher assist. Zuercher then found the back of the net with less than a minute to go in the first half to put Pekin up, 2-0.
“We spent a big chunk of practice the other day scrimmaging where every pass had to stay on the ground,” said Pekin coach Edgar Sandoval. “I think it really helped us refocus and got us playing the way we were playing at our peak a few weeks ago.”
Zuercher pushed the lead to 3-0 with a goal off an assist from Lauren Cash, giving Zuercher 18 goals on the year, just two off the team single-season record.
The Eagles got on the board with about four minutes to go on a beautifully placed shot by Dunlap’s Jenna Haste, but it was too little too late.
“They dominated us for two years, so to sweep them this year is very satisfying,” Sandoval said.
“It is one of many great milestones this team has reached.”

Richwoods 4, Pekin 3

PEKIN — Coming off a record-setting Senior Night on Thursday, Pekin had its momentum halted by Richwoods, as the host Lady Dragons fell to the Lady Knights by a score of 4-3 Saturday.
Pekin set a record for wins in a season (12) on Thursday night, but the Lady Dragons (12-4-2) couldn’t quite hold off Louisville-recruit Courtney Holtz, who found the net twice in Richwoods’ Saturday win.
Nicole Strube struck first for the Lady Knights, scoring 3:55 into the game, while Holtz followed up just over 20 minutes later with her first goal.
“Holtz and Strube are fast and they work well together,” Pekin coach Edgar Sandoval said. “We had a plan. They were just able to execute better.”
Pekin freshman Sarah Zuercher answered back with the first of her two goals to bring the Lady Dragons within one at the half.
Zuercher tied the game with her second goal five minutes into the second period on an assist from junior Lauren Cash, but Holtz retaliated with a penalty kick seven minutes later to put Richwoods ahead 3-2.
Pekin junior Shawna Swisher tied the game once more, but Strube’s second goal was enough to give the Lady Knights their sixth win of the year, compared to nine losses and no ties.
“No one play loses a match,” Sandoval said. “We had plenty of chances. Obviously we wanted the win, but it was a terrific back-and-forth battle.”
The Lady Dragons will finish up the regular season Wednesday at Dunlap and will begin regional play on Friday.

Pekin 7, East Peoria 1

PEKIN, Ill. -
The Pekin girls’ soccer team celebrated Senior Night by beating East Peoria 7-1 Thursday and setting a program record for wins in a season (12).
The Lady Dragons also topped their record for goals in a season (53) and are on the way to setting a new mark for fewest losses in a season as well (6).
After the game was delayed by lightning for more than 30 minutes, Sarah Zuercher connected on a 30-yard free kick for the only score of the first half.
“Sarah is so unselfish and you could see how hard she was working to get our seniors some quality scoring opportunities on Senior Night,” coach Edgar Sandoval said.
In the second half, Zuercher assisted on goals by fellow freshmen Michaela Quilty and Megan McGurr. Allie Zuercher got the seniors on the board with a left-footed strike. The younger Zuercher then followed up with her team-leading 14th goal of the season.
Junior Shawna Swisher and freshman Nichole Fulk wrapped up the scoring for the Lady Dragons in the second half. Fulk’s goal was the first of her career.
Pekin (12-3-2, 8-1-2) clinched at least a tie for second in the Mid-Illini Conference. The Lady Dragons host Richwoods and the area’s top player, Louisville recruit Courtney Holtz, at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

Pekin 4, Washington 0

WASHINGTON — With a 4-0 Mid-Illini Conference shutout over Washington Tuesday, the Pekin High School girls’ soccer team tied the program record for wins in a season with 11.
The Lady Dragons’ superior speed was evident on the first goal. At about three minutes in, sophomore defender Danica Mason sent a ball over the top to freshman forward Michaela Quilty, and Quilty put the ball far post for the early game winner.
Junior forward Emily LaBanca added two first-half goals, the second on a beautiful through ball from freshman Sarah Zuercher.
“We had a decent first half,” Pekin coach Edgar Sandoval said. “We just needed to stop trying to force it down the middle. That’s not how we’re most effective.”
After working the flanks, Pekin got on the board two minutes into the second half. The Lady Dragons earned a corner kick and Zuercher drilled the ball towards the far post. Quilty used her chest to force it in for the final score of the match.
Lindsay Coffey, Morgan Lynn and Kaitlyn Worrall combined for the Lady Dragons’ seventh shutout of the season.
Pekin (11-3-2. 7-1-2) hosts East Peoria at 4:15 p.m. Thursday at Coal Miners Park. Senior night festivities will take place at halftime.

Pekin 1, Metamora 1

After ending Morton’s 68-game conference winning streak, the Pekin girls soccer team came back to Earth on Friday, but were still able to manage a 1-1 tie with Metamora. The Lady Dragons came out flat and gave up a goal to the Redbirds’ Kristin Rauh 16 minutes into the first half.

“Coming off such an emotional win, we really struggled to get focused," said Pekin coach Edgar Sandoval. But this is uncharted territory for us.”

The Lady Dragons came out much stronger the second half with seven shots on goal. Junior Shawna Swisher’s blast with 12 minutes to go was saved by Metamora’s Martina Fraboni, but she couldn’t catch it. Sarah Zuercher crashed the box and sent it home for the equalizer.

Pekin had several solid chances in the last several minutes, many created by Marissa McGurr, who moved up to the midfield, but it just wasn’t to be.

“We dominated the second half, but were just unable to get that second goal," Sandoval said. "But they shut us out twice last year, so the fact that they couldn’t put us away twice this year is still great progress. Unfortunately it’s probably going to cost us our share of the conference title.”

Pekin outshot Metamora 9 to 5. The Lady Dragons travel to Washington on Tuesday.