Sophomore forward Dillan Cowan (right) celebrates after scoring just 54 seconds into the game against Highland Monday night at Piasa Motor Fuels Stadium.

ALTON – The Alton High School boys soccer team hosted the Highland Bulldogs Monday night out at Piasa Motor Fuels Stadium. The Redbirds came up with a 4-0 win as they snap a two-game losing streak to O’Fallon and Collinsville.

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“It was a hard week last week, so seeing the guys respond the way they did, it was huge,” Alton head coach Tyler Hamilton said postgame. “Seeing them step up and play the way we want them to play is good to see.”

The Redbirds got on the board just 54 seconds into the game when sophomore forward Dillan Cowan ran onto a through ball and slotted it past the keeper to make it 1-0.

Alton was red hot out the gate and maintained that pressure until halftime with their lead still intact.

In the second half, they would add to that lead and begin to pull away from the Bulldogs.

In the 58th minute, a Bulldog defender passed the ball back to their keeper. The keeper mistakenly picked the ball up leading to an indirect free kick inside the 18-yard box.

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Cowan stepped up to it quickly during all the confusion and passed it off to junior midfielder Cameron Belchik who smashed it into the bottom corner to double Alton’s lead.

In the 65th minute, senior Frank Prediger headed home a cross from Cowan to make it 3-0. A minute later Cowan grabbed his second goal when he took an uncontested shot from about 30 yards out. It rifled into the side netting to get the eventual score line of 4-0 Alton.

The win brings the Redbirds to 8-11 on the season and it was their fourth shutout of the year. Senior goalie Aiden Belchik as well as Alton’s back line kept Highland scoreless.

Hamilton got the win over his former coach Jay Robertson. Robertson began coaching at Alton during Hamilton’s sophomore season in 2012 and coached until 2016. He then began coaching at Highland the following year. The two reminisced shortly after the game and wished each other luck for the rest of the season.

There isn’t too much to that season left. As a matter of fact, the regular season ends today, October 11th when the Redbirds host the Granite City Warriors at Public School Stadium. The game will be Alton’s Senior Night and kick-off is set for 6:30 p.m.

They will then take on one of their Southwestern Conference rivals in the form of the Edwardsville Tigers in the Class 4A Regional Semifinals. That game is scheduled for 7 p.m. on October 19th and will be played at Collinsville.

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