Alton Marquette blanks St. Edward
St. Edward allowed a goal in the closing seconds of the first half and never recovered in a 3-0 loss to downstate Alton Marquette in Class 1A state semifinal girls soccer action Friday night at Naperville Central High School.
Late in the first half, Marquette midfielder Cassie McFadden’s corner kicked sailed into the heart of a swarm of players gathered in front of the net.
Marquette’s Nicki Wisnasky came out of the scrum and knocked the ball past St. Edward goalie Paige Gannon, who took a major hit while in midair on the play. A lot of contact in front of the goal ended with Gannon down and the Explorers taking a 1-0 lead with 13 seconds left in the half.
“I can’t just leave my team hanging,” Gannon said. “It was my job to stay strong and sacrifice for my team because they’d do that for me.”
Gannon remained down for over five minutes and eventually hobbled off the field under the aid of a trainer. Gannon sat out the remaining seconds of the half, but then began warming up between the posts during halftime.
“(Gannon) has to be the toughest 17-year old on the planet,” said St. Edward coach Tim Brieger. “She doesn’t show pain. When she came back in, my jaw hit the floor.”
Gannon’s resilience and service to her squad paid off in a major way as Marquette forced back-to-back corner kicks in the 60th minute.
First Wisnasky’s kick from the far side deflected off a St. Edward defender to force another Marquette kick from the near corner. Gannon held her ground in net on the second corner and helped deny Marquette freshmen Caroline Hoefert’s header from going in.
“(St. Edward) had great ball pressure, they’re a really good team,” Wisnasky said.
As the rain began to reach torrential downpour status late the Explorers gained an unassisted goal by Hoefert. The score came in a display of superior ballhandling skills in the midst of the slipperiest of conditions.
“They have amazing players,” Gannon said. “We came out and gave it our all. We got a couple unlucky breaks and that’s how the game goes.”
The final Marquette goal came with 19 seconds left in regulation as Kateri Vaughn scored off a deflected ball to ice the victory for the Explorers.
St. Edward will play for third place honors against Willows Academy at 5:30 p.m. today at Naperville Central; Marquette plays for the state championship in a game to follow against Herscher.