Charger soccer wins three in a row

Orion-Sherrard finished the regular season 8-8-3, reaching the .500 mark with three wins in the last games.

Chillicothe Illinois Valley Central edged Orion-Sherrard 1-0 on Monday, May 3, at Charger Field.

A road trip to Rockford the following weekend netted two wins. Orion-Sherrard defeated Rockford East 4-3 on Friday, May 7, and Rockford Keith Country Day School 2-1 on Saturday, May 8.

The Chargers wrapped up the regular season with a 2-1 victory over the Sterling Golden Warriors on Wednesday, May 12.

“We had a nice win to close out the regular season,” coach Rick Cline said. “All in all, I was very pleased with the effort and quality of play. I think we’re starting to click and hopefully are peaking as we get ready for regional play.”

Unfortunately, assigned to Class 2A regionals, Orion-Sherrard had to play top-seeded Dunlap in semifinals on Tuesday, May 18. Dunlap claimed a 3-0 win. Details will be in next week’s issue.

IVC 1, O-S 0

The Grey Ghosts scored the game’s only goal in the 23rd minute.

Orion-Sherrard fired off only six shots to 12 for the visitors. Katherine Hellberg had four; Kayla Fowler, two; and Jessica Garlach, one.

Goalkeeper Rachel Engnell made eight saves, and her IVC counterpart recorded three.

Getting steals were Katie Garrity, 15; Hannah Larson, Fowler and Talye Anderson, 10; Amy Komadino and Ali Seys, seven; Morgan Mason and Jordan Knoll, six; Garlach, five; Marlana Kulig, four; Hellberg and Malerie West, two; and Alexis Benware and Cassidy Clark, one.

IVC attempted seven corner kicks and Orion-Sherrard, one.

The Chargers drew 11 flags for fouls, while the Grey Ghosts had six.
IVC was offsides three times.

O-S 4, Rockford East 3

Charger Ali Seys scored the game’s first goal off a pass from Hellberg in the 15th minute.

Hellberg added another goal off a direct free kick in the 23rd minute.

The E-Rabs scored on a direct free kick and a penalty kick to tie the score before halftime.

Seys converted a pass from Larson to break the deadlock with a goal in the 58th minute.

Fowler gave Orion-Sherrard a 4-2 lead with a goal in the 61st minute. Garlach had the assist.

The E-Rabs put their final goal on the board a minute later.

Seys paced the offense with five shots, while Hellberg and Fowler took four; Garlach, three; Larson, two; and West, one.

Engnell had six saves, and the E-Rab netminder, 13.

With steals were Fowler and Anderson, five; Larson, three; Garlach, Komadino, Mason and Seys, two; and Hellberg, one.

Orion-Sherrard received two corner kicks and East, none.

The Chargers committed 10 fouls and the E-Rabs, two.

Orion-Sherrard was caught offsides six times and East, two.

O-S 2, Rockford Keith 1

After a scoreless first half, the Chargers caught the Cougars unawares in the first minute of the second half. Garlach fed the ball to Hellberg, who booted it past the goalkeeper.

Three minutes later, Keith knotted the score at 1-1.

The teams played on for 30 minutes before Garlach worked the ball to Knoll for the winning goal.

Seys took four shots; Garlach, two; and Hellberg and Larson, one. The Cougars attempted six.

Engnell and Keith’s goalkeeper had five saves each.

Larson, Fowler and Garrity tallied five steals; Komadino and Anderson, four; Garlach and Kulig, two; and Knoll, one.

Orion-Sherrard had six corner kicks to one for Keith.

The Chargers committed 10 fouls and the Cougars, five.

Orion-Sherrard was offsides twice and Keith, once.

O-S 2, Sterling 1

“The girls played real well, controlling the field and possessing the ball for most of the game,” Cline said.

Orion-Sherrard scored the first goal only 10 minutes into the game.

“Cassidy Clark played a gorgeous ball up to Ali Seys for our first goal,” the coach said. “Ali hit the ball perfectly.”

The Golden Warriors knotted the score in the 50th minute. Eleven minutes later, the Chargers struck again.

“The game-winner combined a terrific corner kick from Katherine Hellberg that Ali ran through to score,” Cline said. “I think it actually bounced off Ali’s knee. Not the routine touch we normally get, but it was the appropriate touch in that situation—a real bang-bang kind of play.”

Fowler attempted six shots; Seys, four; Hellberg, two; and Fowler and Knoll, one.

Engnell recorded four saves and the Sterling goalkeeper, one.

Racking up steals were Garrity, 12; Komadino and Anderson, 10; Garlach, Larson and Knoll, six; Seys, Fowler and Shannon Gambon, four; Hellberg, three; and Kulig, Kristi Zahniser, Jill Bergstrand and West, one.

Sterling tried three corner kicks and Orion-Sherrard, two.

Each team was guilty of six fouls.

Orion-Sherrard was offsides twice.