GRANITE CITY – When it comes to soccer, it doesn’t take much to make a difference. Sometimes just one goal is enough.
Marquette’s Jacob File can tell you. His 62nd-minute goal on a head ball from a feed from Kwame Ngma was the difference as the Explorers bounced back from a loss to Belleville West Saturday with a 1-0 win over Granite City at Gene Baker Field Monday evening.
“We’ve been playing well,” said Explorer coach Jeremy Sanfillippo. “We stuck to our game plan and things worked out for us. Jacob did an excellent job taking the cross and got it in.”
Warrior coach Kenny Jackson, on the other hand, lamented what could have been. A few minutes before File’s goal, Granite City had a direct free kick near the Explorer goal that Zack Druhe struck perfectly – but saw the ball bounce off the crossbar, with Marquette clearing the area to keep the game scoreless.
“If we get that goal, it may have been a different game,” Jackson said. “The kids fought hard and battled and that’s all you can ask.”
On File’s goal, Jackson said “that was just unfortunate. Ryan (Houston, the Warrior goalkeeper) had some big saves for us tonight and our backs did very well tonight.”
Play was fairly even through the first half, though both sides had some good chances that Houston and Explorer goalkeeper Brandon Sanfillippo stopped. File’s goal came just past the hour when the Explorers made an offensive thrust and Ngma fired a crossing pass that File went up for.
“I was trying to get it on goal,” File said. “It got up and I managed to get a head on it and into the goal. We were expecting a tough game from Granite City tonight and they were.”
The Warriors kept coming at Brandon Sanfillippo but he and the Marquette defense were up to the challenge, turning back Warrior efforts on goal to preserve the clean sheet.
The Explorers host Litchfield at Gordon Moore Park at 6 p.m. Tuesday, while the Warriors travel to CBC for a match against one of the St. Louis-area’s traditional powers Wednesday.
