EDWARDSVILLE – A goal off a shot from distance by Thea Dimitroff put Edwardsville ahead to cap an explosive start by the Tigers, but substitute goalkeeper Madelyn Pamatot stopped a penalty kick in the 15th minute, and it proved to be a big stop later on, as Sofia Rossetto scored from in front of goal in the 79th minute to give Father McGivney Catholic a dramatic 1-1 draw with Edwardsville in a girls soccer match played at Tiger Stadium in Edwardsville.
The match was billed as one of the best of its kind in the St. Louis area, and it didn’t disappoint. The Tigers had the far better of the play for the opening 20 minutes, but the Griffins started to assert themselves after that, and the second half produced very entertaining and exciting soccer that lived up to the billing.
“I don’t know if I would have called it the game of the season, but definitely a big one at this point,” said Edwardsville coach Justin Bernaix. “We’ll still meet O’Fallon again; I’m sure that will be our game of the season. But two kinds of local rivals, and two good teams, contrasting styles. We’re a little bit more controlled and try to create; they’re a little more disruptive and high-pressure. And so, it was kind of cool to see those two styles converge. And at the end, a 1-1 result.”
Dimitroff’s goal was a great one that floated in towards the far post, and was set up after Gabby Thompson had a very explosive start for the Tigers, missing on three big chances in the opening three minutes.
“I’m glad that went in,” Bernaix said, “but we might have been a little fortunate. But I think, still, deserved, given the pressure we had, and we could have scored on many of the chances we had in the first half. The first 15, 20 minutes, I felt like we were well in control of things, and didn’t convert when we needed to make it more than just 1-0.
“So, that part was disappointing, and then, they got a little life after the missed penalty, and they kind of fought back. In the second half, I thought we dominated again; we didn’t give away many shots, but a few. But when you don’t put teams away, and it stays 1-0, you always give yourself up to possibly giving one away at the end, and we did.”
The saved penalty was also a big turning point in the match, as it gave McGivney a big boost in a timely manner.
“It could have been a turning point,” Bernaix said. “That would have gotten heads down for them, but instead, a girl comes off the bench and saves a penalty. So, give full credit to her; it kept them in the game, and it kept their energy up. Disappointing for us, but a good play by her.”
Although the Tigers didn’t get the result they wanted, it was a result, nonetheless, against a good team, and both sides continue to look ahead to their respective IHSA playoff series coming soon.
“It was a result, and again, a good team,” Bernaix said. “At the end of the day, they’re in (Class) 1A, we’re in 3A, we’re looking toward our playoffs, they’re looking toward their own playoffs. I feel like they’ve got a good chance to win state, to be honest. So, again, it’s a cool game to have on our schedule, kind of with the rivalry and both teams having a good season.
“But it’s not defining our season, so it would have been nice to get a win, especially since I felt we deserved it on the run of play. Credit to them, that’s how soccer goes. So, credit to them, and good luck to them in their pursuit of state.”
McGivney head coach Jason Turkington agreed that the draw turned out to be a fair result for both sides.
“I agree,” Turkington said. “I thought the first 15-20 minutes, they really took it to us, a lot of emotion, pride, everything. We settled in, Madelyn comes off the bench out of nowhere, and makes the save on a penalty kick. If we’re down 2-0, it’s going to be pretty impossible to come back. We just settled in, then I thought the last 20 minutes of the first half, we were on the front foot, and in the second half, it was pretty even, back and forth. We got the equalizer in the last two minutes.”
Edwardsville, especially Thompson, started out with a huge blast, as she broke in alone after getting a good through ball, and was stopped by starting goalie Peyton Ellis, and had two more shots go over the top and just past the post. The Tigers got the goal in the eighth minute, as Dimitroff got off a shot to the far post that floated over Ellis and into the back of the net to give Edwardsville a 1-0 lead.
In the 15th minute, Thompson broke in alone again and was brought down by Ellis in the box. The referee didn’t hesitate to point to the spot and also booked Ellis for the denial of the goal-scoring opportunity. By rule, Ellis had to leave the pitch, and Pamatot came on for the penalty. She dived to her right and stopped Thompson’s kick and made the save, keeping the score 1-0, but giving the momentum to the Griffins.
The Griffins began to assert themselves in the final 20 minutes, gaining the momentum, but Edwardsville still had good opportunities, especially by both Thompson and Anna Maxim, while Natalie Beck had a pair of chances for McGivney, but was stopped by both the Tiger defense and goalie Genny Burroughs as Edwardsville went into the interval leading 1-0.
In the second half, Thompson had a pair of chances, especially one that just slid past the far post. The Griffins kept playing well and also had good chances, and in the 79th minute, McGivney had a free kick just past the halfway line. The kick was aimed toward the box and was perfectly placed, where Rossetto was in the right spot to slot the ball in the upper left-hand corner to tie the game 1-1. Both teams had a good chance at either end, but nothing came of them, and it ended in a draw, with both teams sharing the points.
The Tigers are now 8-2-2, and play their final home match of the season Tuesday against Alton at 6 p.m., then play at Collinsville next Thursday at 6:30 p.m., then play at Cor Jesu Academy Catholic on May 8 at 4 p.m.
