ALTON – Things were looking good for Alton's soccer team in their Southwestern Conference match against O'Fallon at Gordon Moore Park Thursday evening.
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The Redbirds had taken a 1-0 lead in the sixth minute on a goal from Nick Hatfield off a feed from Matt Bower.
Not long afterwards, however officials saw lightning strikes near the area and ordered a halt to the match under IHSA rules, which require a minimum 30-minute delay. The lightning was still in the area after about an hour after play was halted, forcing officials to abandon the match in the 20th minute.
The match will be replayed from the start at Gordon Moore on a date to be determined by Alton and O'Fallon athletic officials.
“It's unfortunate, but there's not much you can do about the weather,” said Redbird coach Jay Robertson. “It was becoming a real up-and-down game; we had some good opportunities and Nick finished his chance well. We had some momentum (from Tuesday's 6-1 win over Belleville East) that was carrying over before the lightning got here.
“It's just one of those things. We'll move on from here and look forward to when the game is rescheduled.”
The Redbirds are schedule to host Civic Memorial in a 2:30 p.m. Saturday match at Gordon Moore, then take part in the McCluer Tournament in north St. Louis County next week.
