TROY – Edwardsville's girls soccer team was looking for a way to bounce back from a heartbreaking Saturday loss at Normal Community.
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The Iron scored in the final seconds to hand the Tigers a 1-0 loss.
Bounce back they did, getting first-half goals from Danielle Greathouse, Taylor Hansen and Hannah Bielicke to defeat Triad 3-1 in a non-conference match at Triad High Monday night, putting the Tigers a 6-3-2 overall on the year; the Knights fell to 8-2-0.
“The girls played really, really well the entire time,” said Tiger coach Abby Comerford. “We came out a little slow after (a second-half) rain delay (caused by heavy rains and lightning in the area about midway through the second half), but they were still able to keep going.”
Hansen's goal in the 26th minute came on a direct free kick about 40 yards from goal; she delivered a bomb from the start that went directly in the back of the net, beating Knight goalkeeper Madisyn Stauffer. “She's been working on it all season,” Comerford said. “She's been taking those free kicks and her finally being able to get one was great.
“Bielicke's goal was a beautiful goal too; she hit that one with her left foot.”
Comerford is hopeful the Tigers are back on the right track following Saturday's loss. “We scored three goals,” Comerford said. “It was a case of being able to come off that and few goals, it was really good.
“The girls really worked well together; they worked the entire game together, were able to move and really talk and work together.”
“That was a shot our keeper should have had,” said Knight coach Matt Bettlach said of Hansen's goal. “Those can't go in; all three of their goals, credit them for their effort, but the first goal, we didn't stay with our mark – (Greathouse) goes in a taps home a rebound and the second one, we can't allow shots like that off a dead ball; all three of their goals were from restarts tonight. We can't have that.
“They're a good team, so we'll find a way; of the four goals we've given up this year, including the three tonight, have all been off restarts. It's something we've got to work on. They wanted it when the whistle blew and we didn't; we paid the price for it, but I thought our kids played well in the second half and those final 18 minutes (after the weather delay); we just couldn't find it in the back of the net.”
Greathouse's goal came in the 10th minute when, off a restart, she found the ball at her feet in a scramble and all she had to do was put it home to give EHS a 1-0 lead; Bielicke's goal came in the 39th minute and gave EHS a three-goal lead. Regan Windau got the win in goal for the Tigers, giving up only a 44th-minute goal to Katie Gibbs off a scramble in front.
Next up for Edwardsville is a 6:30 p.m. match today at Tiger Stadium against Belleville Althoff before hosting Chatham Glenwood at 6 p.m. April 20; the Knights meet up with Jersey in a Mississippi Valley Conference match at home at 5:30 p.m. this evening before visiting Civic Memorial at 6 p.m. Friday at Bethalto Sports Complex.
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