O'FALLON, Ill. — O'Fallon secured a 1-0 victory over Edwardsville in the IHSA Girls Soccer Sectional Semifinals Monday night, advancing to the next round after a tightly contested match on O'Fallon’s home field.
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The two teams met for the third time this season, having split their regular-season meetings. Edwardsville fell 2-1 at home on March 27 but rebounded with a 2-1 win at O'Fallon on May 6.
Monday’s semifinal was marked by strong defensive play from both sides. The lone goal came late in the first half, when O'Fallon’s Claire Nieroda scored with 4:06 left off an assist from Lailyn Patterson, slipping the ball past Edwardsville goalkeeper Genny Burroughs.
Edwardsville mounted a late surge in the final two minutes, generating multiple shots on goal. One attempt struck the crossbar, while another was blocked by an O'Fallon defender, preserving the shutout.
O'Fallon coach Justin Judiscak reflected on the game’s pivotal moment: "I felt like the first half we were getting a lot more possessions and that goal was because our defender was able to get the ball and caught Edwardsville unaware and was able to get the ball to Nieroda for the goal."
Edwardsville coach Abby Federmann, who announced she will step down after this season, praised her team’s effort despite the loss. "What a battle. We didn't take advantage of the chances we had in the first half. O'Fallon is good at capitalizing on mistakes, and we had one mistake, and they took advantage of it. I thought we came back second half and possessed the second half," Federmann said.
Federmann, who has led Edwardsville since 2017, reached a milestone earlier this month, recording her 100th career win on May 8 in Belleville. Monday’s game marked the end of her tenure as Edwardsville’s head coach.
