EDWARDSVILLE – Zane Maxwell scored off a nifty crossing pass from Antonio De Avila in the fifth minute, but a goal by Normal Community West in the 48th minute canceled it out, as Edwardsville and the Wildcats played to a 1-1 draw in the boys soccer home season finale Monday afternoon at Tiger Stadium.
The game was also the final home game for retiring Tigers’ head coach Mark Heiderscheid, who gained his 400th career win last week at Belleville East. Heiderscheid was honored in a pregame ceremony for both the feat and his career, where he was presented a plaque by Edwardsville athletic director Amy Boscolo.
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With one game left in the regular season, coming tomorrow at O’Fallon, Heiderscheid was able to rest some of his players, and played younger ones as the Tigers prepare for the IHSA Class 3A playoffs, starting next week.
Heiderscheid said in his post-game interview that he was feeling 'great' after the big final home game.
“I think this was a game that, OK, but the most important thing is always the kids. And for them, they play a game again tomorrow, and that’s it for the regular season, and playoffs are right after. So, really, the approach has to be, you have to preserve players, make sure they stay healthy, make sure they stay fresh.
"And that was the number one priority, whether it was a win. Loss, or draw, you compete to win, but I started my freshman keeper (Max Wernex) today, for the first start he ever has, and he'd played the whole game. Then I had one back I didn’t play at all, except for my senior captain, Nolan Fornash, I just rested him; he’ll play tomorrow, I just rested him the entire game, to make sure he is fine. And then, Nick Dawson, my center back who starts every game, I rested him the entire second half, and he was subbed out in the first half as well.
Besides that, everybody was off the field at points,” Heiderscheid continued, “and most people are going to play half a game or less, to get time on the field, because you never know when they will be needed for playoff games, and because they gain great experience, and the other players cannot be dealing with too much time on the pitch at this juncture of the season, knowing you’ve got a back-to-back game.”
The younger players played very well, and did well throughout, but it was in the fifth minute when the Tigers hit first, and it came in the form of a very good crossing ball from De Avila to Maxwell, who clinically slotted the ball between the Wildcat goalie and the post and into the goal to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.
The two defenses then clamped down and played very good soccer the remainder of the half, with the Tigers defense not allowing any good chances by West. When the Wildcats pushed forward, Wernex was there to stop the shots, particularly in the 28th and 29th minutes, when he was called upon to make a couple of good stops to thwart the Wildcats.
The Tigers also had a couple of good opportunities late in the half, but they were turned back by the West defense, with the half ending in favor of Edwardsville 1-0.
Both sides had good chances at the outset of the second half, particularly Jack Kirgan, whose shot went awry, keeping the game 1-0. In the 48th minute, the Wildcats drew level on a shot from distance that eluded the Tiger keeper into the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1.
After the equalizer, play picked up, especially in the final 20 minutes, as both teams searched for a winner. Wernex came up with a double save later on, stopping a first shot, then deflecting the rebound wide on a brilliant save. The tempers started getting frayed, and in the 72nd minute, Parker Heppe of the Wildcats was booked for dissent after disagreeing with a referee’s decision. The match ended with neither team able to get the win; the 1-1 draw was preserved, and both teams shared the points.
West is now 15-3-2, while the Tigers go to 10-6-2, and play at O'Fallon in the regular season finale Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. Edwardsville then opens its playoff campaign in the Collinsville regional against Belleville East Oct. 21 at 5 p.m. The winner meets the winner of the host Kahoks and Alton Oct. 25 at 1 p.m.
Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.
