EDWARDSVILLE POST-GAME VIDEO INTERVIEW:
COLLINSVILLE – When it comes to early-season showdowns, Thursday night's Southwestern Conference girls soccer match between Edwardsville and Collinsville was one of the tightest matches you'll possibly see all season.
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Both sides had great opportunities; both sides came up with big plays, espec
ially on the defensive end; and in the end, it ended in a 1-1 draw, thanks to two early goals by Edwardsville's Abby Crabtree and Collinsville's Emma Knoebel.
“Our defense did a spectacular job tonight,” said Tiger coach Abby Comerford. “All five of them who played back there – they played phenomenal. In general, I think we played a really, really great game.”
Conditions for the match weren't the best – temperatures were dropping from the low 60s into the low to mid-40s as the match began and temperatures continued to fall during the night. Still, the match between the two SWC rivals was a hard-fought one.
“The girls played great,” Comerford said. “I mean, it's Collinsville – we always know that. They're the top team (in the league) that we've got to beat. The girls played great, can't complain.”
“I was happy with how we played,” said Kahok coach Clay Smith. “We did very well the second half; we created some chances. I mean, Alynnah (O'Leary), she had a great scoring opportunity (in the second half of extra time) and I feel bad for her that it didn't go in (the shot was cleared off the line by Edwardsville's defense right before it went into the goal).
“They're a tough defensive team and they stuck together; they did well tonight defensively.”
Edwardsville had grabbed the lead in the 13th minute when Abby Crabtree – who nearly scored in the second minute after breaking in on goal and bouncing a shot off the goalpost – accepted a feed from Jocelyn Wagner and broke for goal, getting a shot into the back of the net to put the Tigers ahead.
The Kahoks countered not long afterwards, Knoebel firing from near the top of the penalty area just out of the reach of Tiger goalkeeper Regan Windau in the 21st minute to draw Collinsville even.
Both sides continued to have excellent opportunities, but the defenses and goalkeepers had the answers and forced the match into two 10-minute sessions of extra time. The Kahoks had the best chance in the 92nd minute when O'Leary broke towards goal and beat Windau. The ball was seemingly heading into the net when the Tigers' Sarah Krause made a beeline for the ball and cleared it off the line to preserve the tie.
O'Leary and Krause crashed into each other on the play, with O'Leary then crashing into the goalpost. Play was stopped and O'Leary was taken from the field in an ambulance, which delayed the match for some time; both sides were sent to their locker rooms during the delay.
When play resumed, the pace quickly picked up again; both teams having good opportunities that just failed to click.
The draw left the Tigers at 3-1-1 on the year, with the Kahoks going to 2-0-1 on the season; both sides are 0-0-1 in the SWC.
The Tigers are off for the weekend and travel to Cor Jesu in St. Louis County for a Monday afternoon match.
COLLINSVILLE POST-GAME VIDEO INTERVIEW:
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