BETHALTO – A little over a month ago, the Civic Memorial High School girls soccer team had a record of 2-11.
But a 2-0 loss to the defending IHSA Class 1A state champions, Althoff Catholic, was the turning point back on April 18.
“We had a really good showing at the Althoff game, even though it was a 2-0 loss, we thought we had our chances. And then we just got on a roll that following Monday and rattled off six out of seven wins,” CM head coach Eric Zyung said.
“I told them, ‘You’re there, you’re just not getting the results.’ And once they got the first win, the second win, they just kept rolling after that.”
After that Althoff loss, CM closed the regular season on a 7-2 run, heading into the postseason with a 9-13 record. Along the way, they beat Mascoutah twice, Highland, and Jerseyville to help earn them a number two seed in their Waterloo Sub-Sectional.
They continued to roll Friday afternoon as the Eagles beat the fifth-seeded Highland Bulldogs 5-0 to win the program’s first-ever regional title at CM’s Hauser Field.
“I’m so proud of this team,” Zyung said. “I know in the early season, it’s about trust. We didn’t get the results, but these kids are resilient.”
The Eagles have successfully turned their season around and won nine out of their last 11 games.
The game started off strong when Landree Wallace scored within the first five minutes to take an early lead. From there, Avery Huddleston was knocking on the door for her team’s second goal.
Her deflected shot from about 20 yards out was saved in the 14th minute by Highland’s keeper, Sophia Fleming. Huddleston nearly scored a curling left-footed shot from 25 yards out, but the ball was just on the wrong side of the post in the 23rd minute.
The pressure paid dividends, as Huddleston would find the back of the net in the 38th minute off a well-played through ball. She took a couple of extra touches and put it right side netting from inside the six-yard box to double CM’s lead right before halftime.
The second half was still all Eagles.
Brooke Harris made it 3-0 in the 47th minute when she ripped a low-driven shot right outside the 18-yard box that beat Fleming at the near post.
Fleming came up with a big-time save in the 63rd minute from Sara Aiello’s close-range effort, pushing the ball out for a corner. Aiello then whipped that corner into the six-yard box, and Highland struggled to clear it out. After a mad scramble for the ball, Huddleston was in the right place at the right time to poke it home.
Abby Brueckner put the icing on the cake in the 72nd minute to get to the 5-0 final.
“They’ve come a long way from game one to now, and I can tell you, they’re not satisfied to get to the sectional, they know they can compete with anybody,” Zyung said.
Highland ends the season at 13-10-1 while CM advances to the Waterloo Sectional semifinals. They’ll take on the top-seeded hosts in the second semifinal on Tuesday, May 27 at 7 p.m.
Waterloo (14-6-2) beat fourth-seeded Carterville by a score of 8-1 to win their fourth straight regional title on Friday.
Triad (17-5) plays Marion (15-2) in the other sectional semifinal at 5 p.m. The sectional final will be on Friday, May 30, at 6 p.m.
