"Friday Night Lights" Soccer a Success; Huge Crowd Watches Ignatius Win Over Eagles

Varsity teams pregame

The local high school soccer season got off to a rousing start at St. Edward High School, where the Eagles hosted back-to-back state champion St. Ignatius on Friday Night. The Wildcats lived up to their billing, posting a 2-0 win over a stubborn St. Edward squad in front of an overflow crowd. The “Friday Night Lights” event provided a wonderful spotlight to the sport and to the programs.

                The game was played in a festive atmosphere, as fans from both schools packed the stands at Brother James Everett Stadium. Students from St. Edward stood behind the eastern end line, while Wildcat students stood behind the western line. Eagle head coach James Duffy liked the atmosphere. “I told these boys (whether JV or Varsity) that this will be the largest crowd most of them will ever play in front of.”  

                St. Edward fed off the energy, playing even with the favored Wildcats for the first 39 minutes. St. Ignatius controlled possession early, as most of the first half was played on the Eagles side of the field. However, Ignatius was unable to score against a pesky Eagle team.  St. Edward goalkeeper Alexander Dudley was under consistent pressure, including numerous corner kicks.  The Wildcats finally broke through with 1:06 left in the half, scoring a goal off a corner kick.  

                Possession was much more even in the second half, as the Eagles were able to put together a few offensive opportunities. However, they never got the equalizer against the very strong Wildcat defense. Ignatius put the game away with a second goal with 8:05 left in the second half. St. Edward was awarded a penalty kick in the final minute, but the shot was high.

                There are no moral victories at St. Edward, but this game went much better than last year’s 8-1 drubbing at St. Ignatius. Coach Duffy feels the team can use it as a learning experience. “This is a great test. This is a great measurement” he said after the game “Our goal is to see them again in the district final.”

Mike Deneen

Mike Deneen has extensive experience covering sports and community stories for the Lakewood Observer. Mike has been a Senior Industry Analyst for the Freedonia Group in Cleveland, Ohio, since 1998. He has appeared on CNBC’s Closing Bell, NPR’s MarketPlace and has been quoted multiple times in The Wall Street Journal. He has made multiple guest appearances on ESPN Cleveland radio. Mike also writes for Inside Northwestern, a website that covers Northwestern Wildcat Athletics. You can reach him on Twitter at @MikeDeneen1 

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Volume 12, Issue 18, Posted 1:55 PM, 08.20.2016