Edwardsville's field hockey team has bounced back from a slow start to its season.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
The Tigers upped their record to 5-6 on the year by getting three first-half goals in a five-minute span and going on to top Rockwood Summit 4-0 Monday afternoon at Tiger Stadium.
The Tigers dominated play from the start, playing the majority of the match in the Falcons' end and limiting their chances. EHS themselves had some good opportunities to score early on but couldn't finish.
“We had some opportunities, we just couldn't finish them,” said Tiger coach Julia Tyler. “We were still playing some very strong defense and when we finally got some goals, it did give us a cushion.”
That the defense kept the Falcons at bay was a point of pride with the Tiger defenders. “We've been stepping up and doing the job,” said sophomore defender Sophia Swalley. “We've really been clicking together and Sarah (Blume, the Tigers' sophomore goaltender) has been playing great.”
The Tigers have faced a difficult schedule thus far, but the defense has been strong, Swalley felt. “We've been gaining more strength and confidence as it's going along,” Swalley said.
Edwardsville didn't lack for scoring chances, but couldn't put one away until there was 6:02 left in the first half, when Annie Mulford broke in and put one past Falcon goaltender Marie Kellerman.
Mulford's goal broke the ice and it was a play that Falcon coach Andrew Neil had been worried about. “Edwardsville's got a good, talented team,” Neil said, “and we had some breakdowns on defense. With a team like that, they can burn you pretty quick and they did that.
“They create opportunities for themselves.”
Mulford herself saw the opportunities earlier and admitted getting a bit frustrated the Tigers hadn't converted before her goal. “We had some chances,” Mulford said, “and we were getting a big frustrated. We knew we had to get a goal, so we started shooting every chance we had.”
Nearly three minutes after Muford's goal, Ryley Miller got into the Summit goal area and fired one past Kellerman to up the lead to 2-0, then Natalie Nava joined in with a goal of her own with just over a minute left in the half to put Edwardsville firmly in the driver's seat.
It stayed that way for almost the entire second half until Olivia Fink took a pass from Veronica Carrow and scored with 56.4 second left in the game for the final margin of victory.
The Tigers take on Cor Jesu at 4:15 p.m. Wednesday at home, and it's a match the Tigers are looking forward to. “Cor Jesu is a really good team,” Tyler said. “We can't let up against them.”
