Wildcats put up good fight in close loss to Edwardsville

By Curt Herron

One half of very good soccer may not be what some teams are looking for now but it certainly was a welcome sight for Plainfield Central on Saturday.

The Wildcats hadn't competed in nearly two weeks and had been hard work practicing on some of the things that arose during their first three matches.

Among those concerns was improving the offensive attack by having better ball movement and communication throughout the field.

Those areas were clearly an issue in the team's opening 6-0 loss to Prospect and a 5-0 setback to Geneva a few days later.

On Saturday, coach Ken Schoen's squad got the chance to show what improvements they've made when they hosted a good squad from downstate Edwardsville.

A goal by freshman Sami Jensen shortly before the break highlighted a first 40 minutes where the Wildcats grabbed a 1-0 advantage over the Tigers.

But while the team's work in practice was clearly seen during the first 40 minutes, signs that they still have more work to do were evident after that.

Edwardsville began to dominate after the break, controlling the possession and gaining advantage in scoring opportunities.

As a result, the Tigers made the most of a pair of Wildcat breakdowns as they went on to claim a 2-1 victory in Plainfield.

Compounding matters for Central (1-3) was the fact that freshman keeper sarah Armstrong went down with an injury seven minutes into the match.

Junior Krista Pezzopane moved back from the front line to assume duties in the net, causing a different combination on the field.

But the new look worked well for one half and gave the Wildcats plenty of hope as to what they might be able to perform in future matches.

Click to hear coach Ken Schoen interview

One of the key moments in the match happened shortly after things got started when Edwardsville's Sarah Raab got free in front of the Wildcat net.

Armstrong came out of the goal to stop her attempt and got injured in the subsequent collision, forcing her to leave the match for good.

Pezzopane stepped in and did well in her new role, but her absence up front caused concerns for a squad that had scored two goals in three matches.

But those worries were minimized by improved communication and passing, which resulted in an attack that showed promise in this match.

Central got good play from midfielders such as senior Amanda Jensen, junior Kelsey Graefen and sophomores Jessica Kaminski and Kendall Gerding.

Click to hear Jessica Kaminski interview

The Wildcats got their first good chance on the windy afternoon just two minutes after the switch when Jensen lined up for a corner kick.

Her effort resulted in a loose ball in front of the net which eventually went to sophomore Britney Lenza, who rolled a shot just wide of the goal.

Central had its first attempt on goal about 16 minutes in when Jensen sent in a floater that was stopped by keeper Lauren Parkin.

After scoring in just one match this season, a 2-1 win over Morris, it was obviously a welcome relief when the Wildcats connected late in the half.

Jensen got free on the left side and fired a shot that went off the keeper's hands and into the left side of the net just 4:46 before the break.

Click to listen to Sami Jensen interview

Edwardsville (2-1-1) didn't have many attempts against Pezzopane in the first 40 minutes as the Wildcats moved the ball around effectively.

The hosts utilized good efforts from, defenders such as freshmen Lisa Schroeder and Melissa Del Sarto and sophomores Lauren Kulaga and Lenza.

One of the Tigers' best chances came with just under three minutes left in the half when Rachel Compton bounced an attempt to Pezzopane.

Click to listen to Lauren Kulaga interview

After the break, Schoen juggled his lineup again and moved Graefen back to try to solidify the defensive effort.

While that worked, the Wildcats hurt their cause by not passing the ball or communicating as well after the break as they had before.

As a result, Edwardsville was on the attack throughout much of the second half, especially during the final 25 minutes of play.

The Wildcats had few chances after that, with Graefen's free kick about nine minutes that just missed a pair of teammates being one of the best.

Click to hear Kelsey Graefen interview

Edwardsville tied things up with 24:13 remaining when Compton got past Wildcat defenders and placed a shot into the left side of the net.

A short time later, Emily King lined an attempt from the side that was pulled in by the Wildcat keeper.

The Tigers threatened again with just over 10 minutes left when Compton lined a shot to Pezzopane.

Less than a minute after that, Kirstin Kurilla bounced a shot off the crossbar and Compton was stopped on a short rebound try.

Edwardsville finally struck again with 8:16 left when Kurilla made a pass in front to Andi Kalogerou, who found the right side of the net.

Central tried to respond to that score but the Tigers effectively controlled the ball down the stretch and ran out the remaining time.

The Wildcats return to action on Monday when they travel to Batavia for a 6:30 pm nonconference match.