EDWARDSVILLE - Emily Baker came up with a second-half brace (two goals), while Peyton Baker made four saves in goal as Alton's girls' soccer team took their second win in as many starts in a 3-0 win over Springfield in the Metro Cup showcase in a game played early Wednesday evening at Edwardsville's Tiger Stadium.
Baker's brace came seven minutes apart in the second half as the Redbirds made the necessary adjustments after a first half that saw them not very compact and at times, outworked by the Senators.
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"A very slow start to the game," said Alton head coach Gwen Sabo. Edwardsville's field is one of the widest fields in the area. We were very spread out and not staying compact. Springfield outworked us at times and after a stern halftime talk, I felt we looked more organized in the second half and had more dangerous opportunities."
Maddie Cooke opened her 2023 account with a fourth-minute goal that put the Redbirds ahead 1-0, which stayed that way through the rest of the half as Alton had difficulty against Springfield.
In the second half, the Redbirds kept pressing the issue and it paid off in the 62nd minute as Baker hit a free kick from 25 yards out that deflected off the Senators' wall with a good amount of pace and deflected in to make it 2-0. Baker then scored on a great individual effort in the 69th minute to make the final 3-0 for the Redbirds.
The Senators fall to 0-2-0, while Alton goes to 2-0-0 and next play Waterloo Gibault Catholic on Friday at Marquette Catholic's pitch in a 7:45 p.m. kickoff, then host Piasa Southwestern Mar. 21 at 6 p.m. and open the Southwestern Conference season on Mar. 23 at Belleville West in a 6:30 p.m. kickoff.
Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.
