ALTON — The Alton Redbirds soccer team played with a very strong effort in their final game of the season on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in the Collinsville Regional.
The Redbirds were only behind 1-0 to Collinsville at halftime of their contest, and it was a 2-0 final score.
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Alton head coach Greg Nasello praised his team’s performance against a strong Collinsville squad. “I thought the boys gave it everything they had. We didn’t let the first goal get to us; we kept playing and had three or four really good chances to equalize, but we didn’t capitalize on them. But I love the effort, I love how hard we played,” Nasello said.
The Redbirds maintained their game plan for the full 80 minutes and relied on key contributions from goalkeeper Patrick Henesey, who made several critical saves.
“Our goalie, Patrick, came up three times huge; he kept us in the game. I would have loved to have a couple of those chances get a little bit more on frame and see what we could do with them. But there’s nothing against my kids. They played hard, and I loved the way they played,” Nasello added.
Looking back at the season, Nasello acknowledged the progress made compared to preseason expectations.
“You ask people at the beginning of the year how many games we’d win, and I said if we’re lucky, we’d win one. And we didn’t do that. We were competitive in all our games, the last three especially against some really good teams, and we battled to the end. It’s all I can ask them to do, and I’m really proud of their effort.”
The Redbirds concluded their 2025 season with a 6-14 overall record. Despite the loss, the Redbirds demonstrated resilience and effort throughout the game, signaling promise for the program’s future.
Nasello expressed optimism about the team’s outlook in the coming seasons, highlighting the experience gained and leadership from senior players and his captains.
“I think that’s going to be a good thing for them. They had a good experience, and there will be some kids coming back that will make some things happen in the future. A little change in the air is coming for sure,” he said.
The coach also commended his senior captains for their leadership throughout the year. “I’m just proud of my seniors, my captains. I think they were great, and I just hope that the other kids learned from them and can emulate what they taught,” Nasello said.
