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ALTON - Alton's girls soccer team battled to the wire with Southwestern Conference foe O'Fallon on Tuesday and the game was knotted at 1-1 after two overtime periods at the Alton High Sports Complex.
Alton head coach Jeff Hayes said he believed his team put themselves in position to beat O'Fallon and that he isn't disappointed with the tie.
"O'Fallon is well coached and solid every year," he said. "So a tie allows us to take some positives from the game. Our conference is tough every year. We have played well in the past and still finished at the bottom. The girls know how important our conference games are and they want to prove themselves as a viable threat to each team we play. We wat to compete in every game. If we can do that, then we have a fair shot at finishing high in the conference."
Morgan Rauscher connected on the goal in the eighth minute of the first half that pushed the Redbirds ahead 1-0. Sam Stutsman knocked in a goal for O'Fallon in the second half to knot the match. Two sudden-death overtimes were played and netither team scored.
Alton stands 6-0-2 after the tie on Tuesday.
Hayes said if someone had told him his team would be undefeated after eight games before the season started he wouldn't have believed it.
"If we don't keep on improving, our season isn't going to end the way we want it and an undefeated stretch won't mean much," he said.
A key now for the Redbirds is being mature to recognize what works for the team and doesn't, the coach said.
"We have to develop our strengths and correct our weaknesses if we are going to continue to improve," he said. "With each game, our young girls and experienced girls are gaining more confidence and getting more comfortable with each other."
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