Boys Soccer Falls to Quincy in Sectional Semi Final

Tiger starters huddle before a regular season game against Granite City. The team ended their season 12-7-4.

Devin Kane

Tiger starters huddle before a regular season game against Granite City. The team ended their season 12-7-4.

Sam Doak, Staff Writer

The boys’ soccer team faced an upsetting defeat last week to Quincy 1-0 ending their postseason run.

Coming into the match, the boys knew Quincy was going to be a tough team to beat, according to head coach and business teacher, Mark Heiderscheid.

The game started off quietly with possession close to an even 50 percent between the two teams. Both teams were not able to get many shots on goal during the whole match according to senior midfielder Kyle Tucker.The Tigers defense was able to stand strong and kept the score even at 0-0 going into halftime.

About 15 minutes into the second half, Quincy scored off a rebound.

“The goal happened on a corner that we headed out but bounded back to one of their men,” senior center midfielder Austin Toby said. “He hit a shot and it hit off the crossbar then bounced back to one of their players for an easy tap in goal.”

After the goal the Tigers tried to step up their offensive play by getting more scoring opportunities, but were not able able to capitalize on any of them.
Conditions such as the size difference of the fields were a factor the Tigers had to deal with during last week’s match.

“It was hard to do wide play because at Collinsville the field is only 60 yards wide unlike EHS where the field is 75 yards wide,” Mr. Heiderscheid said.

The rain also made it difficult for either team to play their best. The slickness of the turf made the ball slide and carry everywhere, Tucker said. Tucker also commented on the smaller size of the field saying it was harder to work the ball to the outsides.

After the loss to Quincy, the Tigers ended their postseason run but with high hopes for next season and years to come.

“I think they are set up for success. Since we were a younger team this year, a lot of the younger guys gained experience playing at the varsity level,” Toby said. “They will do big things next year.”