Sports
Howell North Girls End Season on Bitter Note
Incarnate Word defeats Francis Howell North in a Class 3 state quarterfinal game, 4-0.
The Incarnate Word Academy offense was a little too much for Francis Howell North in their Class 3 state quarterfinal game on Saturday at Incarnate Word.
Incarnate Word (16-5) emerged with a 4-0 win. Incarnate Word coach Annie Beekman said she was surprised at the lopsided nature of the game.
“Our girls are playing at the right time,” she said. “They’re playing great soccer, and I really liked our chances. They way we’re training, and our energy, things are going really great for us right now.
"But I’ve been around soccer long enough to know that anything can happen. They’re (Howell North) a fast team and they’re a physical team. They get a shot early and the momentum changes and anything is possible. It was nice to be able to put this away.”
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Incarnate Word scored relatively early in the contest, as junior midfielder Allison Zeilman netted a goal 14 minutes and 28 seconds into the game. Zeilman put the ball into play on a corner kick and the ball landed in a crowd of players in front of the goal. It bounced off of a Lady Knights' player and into the goal.
Howell North showed some life after Zeilman’s goal. Midfielders Jade Shinn and Sarah Peth both had quality shots on goal, but Red Knights goalkeeper Jamie Helfer caught the ball both times.
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Junior forward Katye Skirvan was Incarnate Word’s spark plug, as she scored two goals within a three-minute time frame in the first half. Skirvan first struck with 8:43 left to play in the first half. From approximately 20 yards away from the goal, Skirvan kicked the ball with her right foot into the far side of the goal.
“I was just thinking I need to hit this one as hard as I can,” Skirvan said about the first goal. “I knew if I hit it soft it’s not going to go anywhere.”
With 5:44 left to play in the first half, Skirvan fired off another shot from approximately 30 yards out that found the back of the net.
Sophomore midfielder Maddie Orf scored Incarnate Word's final goal with 31:29 left to play Orf was just a few feet from the goal when she scored on a header.
Incarnate Word defeated Howell North, 3-2 in overtime, during the regular season on March 28. The Knights finish the season with a 17-7 record. Howell North coach Mark Olwig was unavailable for comment following the game.