EDWARDSVILLE – Claire Nieroda had a second-half brace (two goals) – one from the penalty spot to tie the game, and the second in the 64th minute – as O’Fallon won a rough-and-tumble 2-1 victory over Edwardsville in a key Southwestern Conference match Thursday night at Tiger Stadium,
It was expected to be one of the better matches of the early season, and it didn’t disappoint, as both sides played physical and well between the two rivals for the entire 80 minutes. It also turned out to be a typical Southwestern Conference match, full of ups and downs, and very highly competitive,
“Drained of energy, that’s for sure,” O’Fallon head coach Justin Judiscak said after the match. “We put a lot out in the field, the girls did. I feel really happy for the girls. It was two very good teams that are going to have to see each other a couple of more times this year. Our girls, we fell behind, and we had to find a way to fight back and win, and I’m really proud of the way they carried themselves.”
Judiscak described the two goals by Nieroda as a good player using her ability to make plays when she was called upon.
“The first goal, we certainly had an opportunity around the box,” Judiscak said, “and that’s a play where Claire got taken down, and got a penalty. So, she did a really good job of finishing the first one. The second one, it was just her individual ability. One thing that she does really well is she takes players on, and when she has an opportunity in open space, she’s not afraid to go at somebody. And then the finish was really nice, just finding a way to get it past the goalie, and find the back of the net.”
The later the game went on, the more physical it became, as the Tigers searched for an equalizer, and the Panthers not giving an inch at all.
Judiscak added: “It’s two competitive teams, O’Fallon-Edwardsville, very skilled teams. I thought both teams did pretty well.”
The teams will play again at OTHS Panther Stadium on May 6, 2025, and will possibly meet again in the IHSA Class 3A playoffs later in May. Those two meetings should produce outstanding soccer on both ends.
“It should be,” Judiscak said. “I think both teams are probably going to walk away from this game with some things to learn, and some ways to grow. I know we’re going to do that, and next time we see each other, we’ll probably be both even better teams than we are now. Like I said, I’m really proud of the girls, the way that they fought back, and the way they continued to push, found an opportunity, and found a way to win the game.”
Both teams started out with good chances that were stopped by the goalies or the respective defenses, and it lasted for the first 10 minutes. In the 13th minute, an O’Fallon player brought down an Edwardsville attacker inside the box, resulting in a penalty kick being called. Blakely Hockett was called upon to take the spot kick, and hit it right to the Panther goalkeeper, Brynn Ori, but all she could do was knock the ball down, with the rebound going right to Hockett, who tapped the ball into the net to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.
Later in the half, Gabby Thompson went on another spectacular run to get inside the area, but couldn’t get her shot away, as the Panther defense clamped down on her. On the other end, Genny Burroughs made a pair of big saves on O’Fallon chances as Edwardsville went into the interval leading 1-0.
Play was starting to get a bit rough during the first half, and two minutes into the second half, Thompson was booked after retaliating against an O’Fallon foul. Both teams had chances as well, with the shots usually going high and wide. In the 49th minute, an O’Fallon player was brought down in the box, resulting in a penalty for the Panthers. Nieroda stepped up and coolly but the ball into the back of the net to tie the match at 1-1, then was booked for unsporting behavior after kicking the ball into the net for a second time.
The chances on both sides continued to add up, and in the 64th minute, Nieroda got a ball, moved in on Burroughs, and slotted the ball into the lower right-hand corner just underneath Burroughs’ arm to give O’Fallon the lead at 2-1. Things got hectic after the goal, with the Tigers pushing for an equalizer to force extra time, and they had good shots in the 70th, 75th, and 76th minutes, but all went high and wide, with the score remaining 2-1 for the Panthers.
In the dying seconds, the Tigers had a chance near the box, when Nieroda was sent off after seeing the yellow card for a second time, but the Tigers couldn’t convert, and the Panthers holding on to the 2-1 win. After the game, a member of the Tigers’ coaching staff was shown a straight red card.
O’Fallon is now 4-1-0, and starts a three-game home stand Tuesday against Alton, then plays Granite City next Thursday, both games starting at 6;30 p.m., then meets Father McGivney Catholic Apr. 5 at 12:30 p.m.
Edwardsville is now 2-2-0, and travels to Naperville in far west suburban Chicago this weekend, playing Naperville North Friday at 5 p.m., then meeting Naperville Central Saturday at 10 a.m., before returning home to play Belleville East Tuesday at 6:45 p.m.
Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.
