Drennan, St. Charles East take advantage vs. South Elgin

During halftime of Monday night's Upstate Eight Conference match between South Elgin and St. Charles East, the Saints recognized 11 seniors for their contributions to the girls soccer program.

One constant shared during the ceremony was to make the most of the opportunity to play for the Saints.

It certainly didn't take long for the Saints to seize control of the match thanks to a pivotal opportunity in the game's opening seconds.

Senior Liz Drennan was awarded a penalty kick in the opening minute and she put the Saints ahead 1-0.

"I think it was terrible that our momentum was taken away right from the start, for a call when obviously my girl got ball," South Elgin coach Tiffany Disher said. "I think that my team and their team agree that that was a rough call at the beginning of the game."

That call and Drennan's goal were all that separated the two teams until Cat Camic scored on a breakaway in the 45th minute to extend the Saints' lead to 2-0.

St. Charles East (5-7, 3-2) continued to pressure South Elgin, adding a goal by Lexi Baltes on a header in the 65th minute.

"I thought our attacking was some of the best we've had this season," St. Charles East coach Paul Jennison said. "(South Elgin) is a quality team and we got 3 (goals) which was nice. You can argue with what happened in the first 12 seconds but we created chances in the game, too."

The victory was refreshing for a Saints team that has come up on the short end in recent matches. It was also nice for the seniors to end at home in winning fashion, although they still have a tough home match with Neuqua Valley scheduled for May 11.

"It was a very good night for the seniors," Jennison said. "We had all 11 play the majority of the game and it was nice to see them play good soccer out there. It was a good night all around."

South Elgin (10-7, 4-5) was able to possess the ball at times, but weren't able to produce many scoring opportunities.

"I am very proud at the way my girls played," Disher said. "They were able to string together passes. We just weren't getting the numbers up on the attack to get the shots off."

Disher also praised the play of goalkeeper Emily Young who was constantly tested by a Saints team known more for its defensive play than its attacking style.

"I'm very impressed," Disher said. "She learns quickly and pick things up well."