COLLINSVILLE – Roger Weber scored a brace (two goals) in the first half, and it helped make the difference as Triad eliminated Civic Memorial 4-0 in the second semifinal of the IHSA Class 2A boys soccer sectional tournament at Kahok Stadium in Collinsville.
Both the semifinal matches were originally slated for the Bethalto Sports Complex, but the heavy rains from both Saturday and Tuesday night through Wednesday morning made the grass fields unplayable, causing the two matches to be moved to Kahok Stadium’s turf pitch.
Weber scored his first goal in the 17th minute, converting an Eli Kraabel corner to make it 1-0 for the Knights, then Weber doubled the Triad lead after 20 minutes when he took a pass from Joe McCullough and hit a shot that sneaked inside the far post to make it 2-0, where the scored stood at halftime.
Triad made it 3-0 in the 43rd minute when a throw-in by Michael Tentis found Tucker Kendrick in the box. Kendrick wasted no time in finding the back of net to triple the Knight lead, then Triad finished the scoring just before the hour, when Kraabel put home a Joe Wade corner to make the 4-0 final.
David DuPont had three saves in goal in recording the clean sheet for the Knights.
The Eagles end their historic season with a 19-8-0 record, breaking the school mark for most wins in a season. Triad is now 20-2-3 and goes through to the final, where they will play Chatham Glenwood, a 3-0 winner over Carbondale in the first semifinal, Friday evening. The match is set for the Bethalto Sports Complex, with a 5 p.m. kickoff. The winner advances to the Chatham Glenwood super-sectional match Tuesday agains the Bloomington sectional winner, either Morton or Springfield, in a 5:30 p.m. kickoff. The state finals are set for next weekend, Nov. 8-9, at Hoffman Estates High School in northwest suburban Chicago.
