Scholastic Notes

Midwest region

Illinois

EDWARDSVILLE GETS OFF TO A SLOW START

Edwardsville (Ill.) is the southernmost field hockey playing school in the state, and, as such, plays a Midwest Athletic Association (MWAA) schedule.

The team, burgeoning with an overflow turnout and the return of some outstanding players, had thoughts of competing against the likes of St. Louis Villa Duchesne (Mo.) and St. Louis Mary Institute-Country Day School of the Sacred Heart (Mo.).

But head coach Sharon Petty was scratching for answers after the Tigers were beaten by St. Louis Ladue (Mo.) 3-0 in the season opener, even after dominating the game until the quarter hour.

"We had some chances inside the circle, but then all of the sudden the ball would squirt out," head coach Sharon Petty said told The Edwardsville Intelligentser. "We either had everybody rushing in on it or nobody rushing in on it. We've got to have a feel for where everybody else is on the field, and we didn't have that today."

It also didn't help that EHS couldn't stop Elizabeth Dwyer, who had a natural hat trick -- all off penalty corners -- in the win.

"They killed us off the corners," Petty said. "I really think we had the right players out there on the corners, but we just couldn't clear it away from the goal."

For last year's notes from this region, click here.