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Alton Boys Soccer season comes to an end vs. Kahoks - AdVantage News - 10/18/2016

Updated on 06/10/2022

BOYS' SOCCER: Alton's season comes to an end vs. Kahoks

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GRANITE CITY — A strong first half helped pace the Collinsville Kahoks in Tuesday night’s victory over the Alton Redbirds in the semifinal round of the Class 3A Granite City Regional.

The Kahoks scored two goals in the first half in the 4-1 victory. Four different Collinsville players netted goals in the triumph. The Redbirds finish the season with a 14-6-2 mark. CHS improved to 10-7-2 overall with the win. The Kahoks will take on Edwardsville at 5 p.m. on Friday in Granite City for the regional championship. The Tigers dismissed the host Warriors 5-0 in the first semifinal game on Tuesday.

Alton and Collinsville squared off in a Southwestern Conference contest — both team’s last regular season outing — on Oct. 13 and Collinsville won that one 4-0 on its field. The two squads had a quick turnaround meeting again on Tuesday and Collinsville took little time taking control.

Junior forward Hunter Counton scored in the 28th minute of play to give the Kahoks a 1-0 advantage. Sophomore forward Zane Baker netted the second goal just 59 seconds before the conclusion of the first half. Baker fired off his shot just a few feet from the goal, as Collinsville led 2-0 at halftime.

“We got caught ball watching on the second goal,” first-year Alton head coach Nick Funk said. “It kills your sprit when you’re all looking around and see one just go in the back of the net. We gave up at 57 seconds or something like that, it’s just mental errors.”

The Redbirds finally got on the board against the Kahoks in the second half at the 47:52 mark when senior C.J. Nasello scored on a free kick.

“C.J. hit a great shot,” Funk said. “To beat (Brett) Niedzwiecki (Collinsville goalie) from that far away, that’s not an easy task. It’s a good thing for C.J. to hit it like that, I’m proud of him. We had to come out and run a totally different formation due to injuries, but they took it to us twice. There’s nothing to say about injuries, you just have to step up and overcome. It is what it is.”

Collinsville coach Clay Smith also complimented Nasello.

“Nasello, that’s a great dead ball,” he said. “Brett (Niedzwiecki) an all-state keeper and he couldn’t get a hand on that.”

Alton didn’t play with some of its more experienced players on the squad as, senior Logan Clark wasn’t able to finish the game due to injury and Josh Lombardi, Jacob Lombardi and Steven Nguyen didn’t play due to injury.

“It’s hard to overcome something like that, especially if you have three seniors go down before playoffs,” Funk said. “A lot of them, they played hard. A few mental errors is what gave up goals. I think the first two were on dead balls. It’s just not paying attention to the game and the third one, it was a little lapse on the goalie.”

The Nasello goal didn't end up serving as a momentum turner for the Birds.

Senior forward Sabas Avalos scored Collinsville’s third goal at the 60:29 mark on a play where he was the only player up top. That put the Kahoks ahead 3-1.

“To get the third goal when you have just one attacking player, that’s as big as the second goal,” Smith said.

Senior midfielder Josh Wobbe netted Collinsville's fourth goal with 5:18 left to play in the game.

While Funk was disheartened with the loss, he couldn't dismiss what the Redbirds accomplished on the season, which included a championship in the Bob Guelker/CYC Tournament.

“It’s the third best record Alton has ever had,” Funk said. “It’s something to hang your head on and be proud off. They gave everything they had tonight.”

Redbirds Soccer falls to Kahoks in SWC finale - AdVantage News - 10/13/2016

Updated on 06/10/2022

BOYS' SOCCER: Redbirds fall to Kahoks in SWC finale

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COLLINSVILLE -- An explosive second half pushed the Collinsville Kahoks past the Alton Redbirds in Thursday night’s Southwestern Conference contest.

The Kahoks scored all of their goals in the second half in the 4-0 win. Collinsville improved to 9-7-2 overall and 5-1 in the SWC. The win secured the SWC title for the Kahoks, their second in two years.

Alton coach Nick Funk said that some of the goals could have gone either way.

“We played flat the whole game,” Funk said. “They’re going to get goals like that when you don’t give it everything you have the whole game. You can argue that they’re not going in, a couple off the post and in, but the fact of the matter is that we just didn’t play hard.”

The Redbirds drop to 14-5-2 overall and 3-2-1 in the league. Alton finished fourth in the SWC behind Collinsville, Edwardsville (4-0-2, SWC) and O’Fallon (4-2, SWC).

The Kahoks and the Redbirds will square off again at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the semifinal round of the Granite City Class 3A Regional.  

The contest was a defensive struggle in the beginning as both teams struggled to put shots on goal in the first 15 minutes. However, a Collinsville surge started in the last 25 minutes of the first half. Clay Hartman’s header with 18:17 left to play flew just feet to the west of the goal and Luke Liljegren’s shot from approximately 25-yards away with 13:02 left to play was batted away by Redbirds’ goalie Braden Flanigan.

The Kahoks’ offense continued to shoot away for the rest of the first half. Flanigan recorded four saves in the first 40 minutes and the score was tied at 0-0 at the end of the first half. But it didn’t take long for Collinsville to turn a shooting surge into a score. Sabas Avalos’ goal at the 42:14 mark made the score 1-0 Collinsville. Avalos fired from approximately 12 yards out and the ball bounced off of Flanigan and into the goal.

Avalos said he felt “honored to get the first goal.”

“I think in three of our five losses we’ve given up a goal in the first minute and a half of the second half,” Funk said. “We were flat the whole game, but even more flat the first five minutes of that second half. They got that first goal and that deflated us, then they got the second one.”

Collinsville coach Clay Smith talked about the first goal as being a continuation of the first half momentum.

“We had a good first half,” Smith said. “It was just a matter of putting the ball in between the bar and not over the bar. We changed our formation and up top to keep the pressure on them. The boys were just resilient. A big part of that, I think, is that they were the first to every ball tonight. That’s a good soccer team over there and next Tuesday night isn’t going to be anything like tonight.”

The Kahoks continued to challenge the Redbirds in the next several minutes in working the ball deep into Alton territory and taking shots. Ryan Osterhout scored from just feet from the goal with 23:40 left to play to give Collinsville a 2-0 advantage. Logan Whitehead and Zachary Stenger added goals in the latter part of the second half.

Alton had chances to end the shutout, but couldn’t convert. CJ Nasello’s free kick with 2:48 to play in the first half came up dry. Nasello took another shot with 15:55 left to play in the game, as he launched from approximately 25 yards out, but Kahoks’ goalkeeper Brett Niedzwiecki came up with the save.   

Alton blanks Jersey 6-0 in boys soccer match - Riverbender.com - 10/3/2016

Updated on 06/10/2022

Alton blanks Jersey 6-0 in boys soccer match at Jersey

 
by Brent Feeney, Sports Writer
published October 4 2016 9:35 AM
 
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JERSEYVILLE – Timing can be a big thing when it comes to sport at times.

 

Jersey's boys soccer team had been on a stretch where they were playing several matches in the space of a few days, including three matches in two days en route to winning their round-robin tournament over the weekend.

The Panthers were coming off that win going into Monday night's match at home against a streaking Alton team.

The Redbirds shut the Panthers completely down, getting two goals each fromMatt Paulda and Steven Ngyuen as Alton scored a 6-0 win over Jersey, taking their record to 14-3-1 on the year; Jersey fell to 13-4-1.

“The kids worked hard and really took it to them,” said Redbird coach Nick Funk. “I'm really proud of the result and we got some kids some minutes and they kept up the pace of play.”

Alton went into the match having some problems finishing scoring opportunities. “We haven't been finishing a whole lot, but tonight, they stepped up their game and put six in,” Funk said. “No matter who you're playing, that's not easy.

“They were 13-3-1 going into tonight and the kids knew that; they knew they had to step it up tonight, plus Jersey's a team that always plays hard. They were coming in on a roll and it was good to see our kids step up to the challenge and stop them.”

“Alton played really, really well,” said Panther coach Scott Burney. “They caught us at a great time and we didn't play well mentally. Physically, we were already beat down with five games in six days. No excuse at all, but we did not play well; we had our worse game tonight, and they took advantage of it.

“We looked at the schedule and we realized Alton on Monday with two big (Mississippi Valley Conference) games in front of us; you can call it a little bit of a tournament hangover if you want, but what a tough game to come out here tonight. They hit us with a little bit of speed there tonight and we could tell we didn't have all of our legs tonight and they put a couple (of goals) up on us.”

Paulda got the Redbirds out front early, picking up a loose ball near the Panther goal in the ninth minute and putting it away to put Alton on top. Ngyuen added to the lead in the 36th minute on a Paulda assist to send the Redbirds into the break up 2-0.

Paulda and Ngyuen teamed up again not long after the resumption of play to put Alton up, Paulda scoring his second of the match for a 3-0 AHS lead. Five minutes later, Ngyuen took a pass from Paulda and found the back of the net to put Alton ahead 4-0. Sam Vanfoorhis scored in the 55th minute off a Theo Docy assist for a 5-0 lead and C.J. Nasello ended the scoring in the 57th minute.

Brandon Flanigan and Myles Marfell teamed up to record the clean sheet for the Redbirds. The Redbird and Panther junior varsities played to a scoreless draw in the curtain-raiser for the evening.

The Redbirds host Belleville West in a Southwestern Conference match at Piasa Motor Fuels Field for the Redbirds' Senior Night festivities, with the match commencing following the ceremonies honoring the Redbird seniors at approximately 6:15 p.m. tonight. The Panthers travel to Highland for a key MVC match at 5:30 p.m. this evening, followed by a home league match against Triad at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, then wrap up the MVC campaign with a Senior Night match against Civic Memorial Oct. 10.

 

 

Boys Soccer shuts down Gibault 1-0 - The Telegraph - 10/1/2016

Updated on 06/10/2022

SOCCER: Redbirds shut down Gibault 1-0; Jersey wins own tournament

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By Pete Hayes - phayes@thetelegraph.com

 

Alton’s Skylar Funk (3) scored the only goal of the game in Saturday’s 1-0 victyory over Wterloo Gibault at Alton. Funk is shown in action last week against Edwardsville’s Jacob Mulvihill.

 

Billy Hurst File Photo | For The Telegraph

Skylar Funk got an assist from a player he knows well Saturday – himself. The result was a 1-0 victory over Waterloo Gibault.

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Funk sent the ball into the Gibault penalty area, where it ricocheted off goalie Trevor Davis – back to Funk, who scored the only goal the Redbirds would need in the non-conference home win.

The win lifted the Redbirds to 12-3-2 on the season. And while the goal was fun to talk about,. Alton coach Nick Funk heaped praise on his team’s defense.

“(Gibault) is a very good team, maybe even better than they’ve been in the last couple years.” Nick Funk said. “Our defense did a good job on them, especially Levi Davis.”

Davis was given the task of man-marking Gibault’s Ben Mueth, who came into the game with 17 goals and two assists.

“(David) did a great job marking him,” Funk said. “(Mueth) switched sides, but Levi went with him.”

Alton outshot the Hawks 27-9 and had a 6-4 edge in corner kicks.

Boys Soccer ties with Edwardsville - AdVantage News - 9/27/2016

Updated on 06/10/2022

BOYS' SOCCER : Alton, Edwardsville finish in a scoreless tie

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EDWARDSVILLE -- The Alton Redbirds fought the Edwardsville Tigers to a 0-0 tie on Tuesday night in a Southwestern Conference contest at Edwardsville High School.

After playing 80 minutes of regulation, the two teams played two 10 minute overtimes. Alton defeated Edwardsville 1-0 in the 2015 season.

“It’s a great program and (Edwardsville coach) Mark (Heiderscheid) does a great job with them,” Alton coach Nick Funk said on the significance of a tie. “They came out to win and of course the rivalry is there.”

The contest wasn’t a high shots-on-goal affair, as Alton placed four shots on goal while Edwardsville had three. Alton’s Brandon Flanigan and Edwardsville’s Daniel Picchiotti were the goalkeepers.

Funk gave credit to Flanigan as well as Alton’s defense.

“He’s posted quite a few shutouts this year,” he said. “But a lot of credit goes to our back line as well, holding people from a lot of shots. Colin (Lombardi) and Levi (Davis) in the middle really shut stuff down.” 

The game was played both sides of the field in the first half, as each team worked the ball into the other team’s side of the field on several occasions. Alton’s Colin Lombardi fired off a shot at the 17-minute mark from approximately 40 yards out that flew a few feet to the west of the goal. Lombardi fired off another shot from approximately 40-yards out at the 22:35 mark that was stopped by Picchiotti. Edwardsville’s John Wasmuth fired off a shot at the 32:35 approximately 20-yards from the goal, but Flanigan caught the ball.

The Redbirds’ offense managed to keep the ball on the Tigers side of the field much of the time in the first 30-minutes of the second half.

“We’ve been a second half team all year long,” Funk said. “I don’t know why, I guess it’s what it takes to wake them up. They come out with a lot of energy and a lot of focus after halftime. I don’t think that Edwardsville was expecting it from us, but they worked their tails off. That’s all you can ask of them.” 

Heiderscheid agreed that Alton pressured his team.

“They did an excellent job,” he said. “Their work rate was better than ours, I think. They were winning the second balls, excellently. I thought Alton played extremely well a majority of the second half. In the game of soccer that happens, it goes in phases. For whatever reason, we hit a lull.”  

Both team’s worked the ball up and down the field in the two overtimes. Alton might have scored in overtime. Logan Clark’s header from just feet from the goal with 5:49 left to play in the first overtime didn’t make it past Flanigan and Lombardi fired off a shot 15-seconds into the second overtime that flew a few feet to the east of the goal.  

Heiderscheid thought that the overtime contest could test his team’s fitness a little.

“That’s not that concerning because in the post-season we’ll get our center back because (Matthew) Busse will be healthy for us,” he said. “And hopefully we’ll get Riley Patterson back again. We’re very, very deep, but we’re missing two starters. What this really tests is some resolve on our part because players became a little too animated on our team.”

Busse didn’t play due to a toe injury and Patterson is out with a back injury. Heiderscheid expects them both back for the postseason.    

With the tie, Alton is 11-3-1 overall and 1-1-1 in conference play and Edwardsville is 11-0-4 overall and 3-0-2 in the league.

The Redbirds, who were coming off a CYC tournament championship over the weekend, return to action at 5 tomorrow against Mater Dei on the road.

The Tigers will tangle with Marquette Catholic at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Gordon Moore Park. 

- See more at: http://advantagenews.com/sports/boys-soccer-alton-edwardsville-finish-in-a-scoreless-tie/#sthash.G3Qh9xtX.dpuf

Alton tops Seckman for CYC Tourney Title - The Telegraph - 9/24/2016

Updated on 06/10/2022

PREP SOCCER: Alton tops Seckman for CYC Tourney title

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By Pete Hayes - phayes@thetelegraph.com

 

FENTON, Mo. — Alton found a cure for the hiccups Saturday night – and won the CYC/Bob Guelker Tournament championship game at Soccer Park.

Alton spotted Seckman High School an early 1-0 lead, then made a pair of unanswered first-half goals stand up for a 2-1 victory in the championship game of the Sullivan Division of the prestigious tournament.

“All the credit in the world to this group of kids and the heart they continue to show,” Alton coach Nick Funk said. “They played hard the entire game and fought back from an early hiccup again.

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“Winning this tournament is really special,” Funk said. “CYC puts on a great tourney every year and always have good competition in it. From the beginning of the season, we wanted to be able to compete at a high level and this tournament offered that to us.”

Saturday night’s hiccup came in the form of a Seckman goal by Caleb Potter in the 13th minute. But that was all the scoring for Seckman.

Logan Clark tied it 1-1 for Alton in the 20th minute from an assist by Skylar Funk. Seven minutes later, the Redbirds took the lead for good.

CJ Nasello converted a penalty kick for Alton in the 27th minute to make it 2-1.

The Redbirds outshot Seckman 19-11 in the title game and had a 9-6 edge in corner kicks.

The Redbirds (11-3) gained a measure of revenge as well as the tournament championship. Earlier in the week, Seckman handed Alton a 2-0 defeat in pool play. Seckman finished first in the pool, while Alton made it into the final four with the wild card as the second-place pool finished with the highest point total.

In that earlier loss to Seckman, Josh Small scored both the Jaguars’ goals. He came into Saturday’s final with seven goals on the season.

Alton’s Levi Davis made sure Small finished the championship game with seven. Davis man-marked Small and kt close tabs on the Seckman senior captain went.

“They tried moving (Small) to left wing and center mid to get away from the man mark,” Funk said. “But Levi continued to shut him down.”

Alton will step back into the Southwestern Conference Tuesday with a 6:45 p.m. showdown with rival Edwardsville, which sits a 11-0-3 overall and 3-0-1 in the SWC.

“We dominated the pace and play of the game and really put Seckman on their heels,” Funk said. “I told them that all I wanted was everything they had for 80 minutes and if I had to carry them off the field after the game, I would.

“They all knew that if we could do that, we would go home champions tonight and that’s exactly what we did.”

Reach Pete Hayes at 463-2500 or Twitter @HayeserPetes

Alton wipes away memory with CYC championship - STLHighSchoolSports - 9/24/2016

Updated on 06/10/2022

Alton wipes away painful memory with CYC championship

  • By Steve Overbey | STLhighschoolsports.com
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FENTON • Alton High senior midfielder C.J. Nasello called it embarrassing.

Teammate Logan Clark was "humiliated."

Simply put, the Redbirds were not pleased after their dismal performance in a two-goal loss to Seckman in pool play at the 62nd annual CYC/Bob Guelker Memorial Soccer Tournament.

 

They got a chance at redemption on Saturday night — and they made the most of it.

Nasello converted on a penalty kick midway through the first half to propel Alton to a 2-1 win over Seckman in the championship match of the Msgr. Lloyd Sullivan Division of the talent-rich 37-team affair at Soccer Park.

Alton (10-3) squeezed into the final by winning two of three pool play matches, including a 2-1 overtime triumph Friday over Troy.

That gave the Redbirds another shot at Seckman.

"I've ne

AHS Boys Soccer advances in CYC Tourney with semifinal wild card - The Telegraph - 9/23/2016

Updated on 06/10/2022

BOYS PREP SOCCER: Alton advances in CYC Tourney with semifinal wild card

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By Pete Hayes - phayes@thetelegraph.com

 

Alton High dropped its last pool game Wednesday in the CYC/Bob Guelker Soccer Tournament, but will advance to the semifinals anyway. The Redbirds, who fell to host Seckman 2-0, will still advance with the wild card in the Sullivan Division as the second-place pool team with the most points.

Alton will play Troy, Mo. Buchanan High at 4:15 p.m. Friday in a Walsh Division semifinal.

Meanwhile Marquette Catholic, in the tourney’s Walsh Division, saw its tourney record drop to 0-2 with a 3-1 loss at Triad.

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Alton’s Redbirds finished with 10 points. They maxed out in their first game, a 4-0 victory over Washington, Mo. on Monday and received five points for a 3-0 win over Affton Tuesday. Teams receive four points for each victory and a bonus point for a shutout.

Seckman finished 3-0 with 15 points and won Pool B, with Alton second. Troy Buchanan won Pool A with a 3-0 mark and 14 points. Liberty High School of Wentzville, Mo. won Pool C with a 3-0 mark and 14 points.

In its loss to Seckman, Alton had an 18-13 advantage in shots, but wasn’t able to find the back of the net and dropped to 8-3 overall. Seckman, winning its third consecutive game, evened its overall record at 6-6.

“We had moments of good soccer, but struggled overall and once again. struggled to find the net with a large shot volume,” Alton coach Nick Funk said.

Seckman forward Josh Small scored a goal in each half, with assists going to Ryan Berhorst and Cody Eakins.

“All (Seckman’s) positive lay went through him,” Funk said. “As far as skill, they were one of the better teams we’ve seen.”

Mother Nature Wins, Alton vs Edwardsville canceled due to lightening - The Telegraph - 8/27/2016

Updated on 06/10/2022

MOTHER NATURE WINS: Alton-EHS soccer showdown cancelled because of lightning

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Alton-EHS showdown cancelled because of lightning

By Pete Hayes - phayes@civitasmedia.com

 

Alton’s Josh Lombardi (7) battles for position with Dunlap’s Austin Allen during action in the Alton round-robin soccer tournament Saturday at Alton High School.

 

James B. Ritter | For The Telegraph

Edwardsville’s Alec Mills (22) controls the ball against Triad’s Kenyon Davis Saturday at AHS during second-round action in the Alton Tournament.

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James B. Ritter | For The Telegraph

GODFREY — With an early season showdown between rivals Alton High and Edwardsville on tap for Saturday evening, Mother Nature decided to put on a light show instead.

Saturday’s Alton Tournament game at Alton High School between Alton and Edwardsville was cancelled after several lightning delays. Saturday’s game would have been for the round-robin tourney title. Both teams finished the tournament 2-0. Earlier Saturday, Alton defeated Dunlap 2-0 and Edwardsville shut out Triad 4-0. The tourney began Friday.

“It was getting later and later,” Alton coach Nick Funk said. “Every time there’s a lightning strike, a new 30-minute delay starts. Without lights, it was pretty clear we weren’t going to get the game in tonight.”

There are no plans to make up the game. The teams play a Southwestern Conference game Sept. 27 in Edwardsville.

“It’s too bad we couldn’t play the game, but it is what it is,” Edwardsville coach Mark Heiderscheid said. “It’s tough to reschedule, trying to find refs and open dates for each team.”

A 3:30 p.m. game between Triad and Dunlap was called 10 minutes into the second half because of lightning with Triad leading 4-0.

Meanwhile, scores at the Carlinville Tournament included Jersey 8, Athens 1; Lincolnwood 3, Gillespie 0; Athens 1, Roxana 0; Springfield Southeast 0, McGivney 0; Hillsboro 1, Springfield Lutheran 0; Southeast 1, Carlinville 0; Jersey 9, Roxana 0; McGivney 3, Carlinville 2; Hillsboro 4, Litchfield 1; Lincolnwood 1, EAWR 0 and EAWR 3, Gillespie 0.

The Carlinville Tournament will continue next week.

ALTON 2, DUNLAP 0 – Logan Clark scored early in the first half and CJ Nasello added a penalty kick goal early in the second for the Redbirds, who notched their third consecutive shutout with the victory. Friday, they beat Triad 3-0 and had blanked Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 3-0 in the season opener.

“We’re playing the ball wider and it’s really working so far,” Alton first-year coach Nick Funk said. “So far, we have scored seven goals and six of them have come from playing the ball wide.”

With the ball wider, opposing defenses are drawn out, creating more space in which the Redbirds can work.

“I know it’s early,” Funk said, “but the team is really doing a good job working together.”

With the temperature rising as the game wore on, play slowed late in the game. But early, the Redbirds used a play that began with a long ball from Nasello to get the scoring started.

From right wing, Nasello sent the ball in toward the goal. The ball deflected off Skylar Funk in front of the goal and it was headed toward the left goal post. Clark was there to redirect it inside the post.

“(Nasello) started it with a good ball,” Nick Funk said. “Clark is really coming on and playing very well for us.”

In the second half, a handball by the Eagles inside the penalty area resulted in a penalty kick by Nasello. The senior midfielder calmly placed it in back of the net.

“CJ does a lot for us,” Nick Funk said. “He’s skilled, he can create, he sees the field very well.”

EDWARDSVILLE 4, TRIAD 0 – Alec Mills scored his first three goals for Edwardsville as the Tigers blanked Triad.

“(Mills) worked very hard off season and came back in great shape and it shows in his play,” Edwardsville coach Mark Heiderscheid said of the junior. “He’s got good size and he works his tail off.”

Mills gave the Tigers and early lead when he headed in a pass from Michael Glisson in the second minute of play. Then came a goal from Kyle Wright after an assist from Jacob Mulvihill.

Mills scored his second goal of the game early in the second half . He put in a rebound after an original shot by Bayne Noll and a save by Triad goalie John McGee.

CARLINVILLE TOURNEY – In its 8-0 win over Athens, Jersey got four goals from Jake Ridenhour, two from Logan Simpson and one each from Luke Palcheff and Austin Kimnrell.

In the Panthers’ 9-0 win over Roxana, Eric Walker scored three goals, Ridenhour had two, while Palcheff, Simpson, Alan Wendell and David Rogers each scored once.

Reach Pete Hayes at 463-2500 or Twitter @HayeserPete

Redbirds win opening soccer match of Alton Round Robin Tourney - Riverbender.com - 8/26/2016

Updated on 06/10/2022

Alton, Edwardsville win opening soccer matches in round robin tourney

 
by Brent Feeney, Sports Writer
published August 27 2016 2:16 AM
 
 
 

 

ALTON – Alton and Edwardsville both won their opening matches of the Alton Round-Robin Tournament at Piasa Motor Fuels Field Friday evening.

 

Edwardsville defeated Dunlap in their tournament opener, the Tigers bouncing back fron a 1-1 draw with Granite City Thursday night to go to 2-0-1 on the season. The Redbirds also scored a 3-0 win over Triad in their tournament opener.

Michael Glisson, Alec Mills and Blake Conway each goled for Edwardsville in their win; Conway, Kyle Wright and Andrew Joseph each assisted on the goals.

In the Alton-Triad match, Logan Clark scored in the 10th minute off a Skylar Funk assist, while Matthew Paulda scored in the 28th minute thanks to a C.J. Nasello assist and Steven Ngyuen scored from Adam Kane in the 57th minute.

Alton had 11 fouls to Triad's 10 and a yellow card issued to Chade Jones; Alton had six shots on goal to Triad's two.

The Tigers and Redbirds meet at 5:30 p.m. Saturday to close out the tournament.

Send your news tips to news@riverbender.com or on twitter @RiverBenderNews

Alton Boys Soccer clips SHG 2-0 in opener - Riverbender.com - 8/24/2016

Updated on 06/10/2022

Alton boys soccer squad clips Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 2-0 in opener

 
by Dan Brannan, Content Director
published August 25 2016 12:50 PM
updated August 25 2016 1:06 PM
 
 
 

 

 

ALTON – The Alton boys soccer Redbirds began their season with a strong performance at Alton High School, clipping Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 2-0.

The win was the first for new head coach Nick Funk and he was pleased with his team’s effort.

“We came out in the very beginning pretty hot and were up 2-0,” Funk said. “I don’t know what happened after that, but we did end up controlling most of the game. It is always great to get a win in the opener, especially against a decent team like Springfield Sacred Heart-Grifffin."

Funk singled out Logan Clark for his efforts on setting up several of the scores with his outside work. C.J. Nasello and Sam Van Voorhis helped the Redbirds get off to a perfect start with goals early in the match and Clark with the assists. The Nasello goal came at 10 minutes and Voorhis goal at 21 minutes in the first half. Alton led in shots with 20 to Sacred Heart-Griffin’s 5.

Edwardsville plays in the Alton Tournament at 4:30 p.m. Friday against Triad.Edwardsville faces Dunlap at 6:30 in the nightcap on Friday.

Funk said there would be some strong competition in the tourney and he said, “We will see what we are made of in the tourney.”

 

 

If you have a EdGlenToday or Riverbender.com news, human interest or sports idea, e-mail Danbrannan@riverbender.com or call or text 618-623-5930. Follow Dan Brannan on Facebook and Danbrannannews on Twitter.

Redbirds readying for Soccer openers - TheTelegraph - 8/18/2016

Updated on 06/10/2022

BOYS PREP SOCCER: Redbirds, Explorers readying for openers

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BOYS PREP SOCCER

By Pete Hayes - phayes@civitasmedia.com

 

Marquette’s Zach Weinman, right, dribbles past Collinsville defender Clay Hartman in a road game last season. Marquette will open its season Aug. 22 at home against the Kahoks.

 

Billy Hurst File Photo | For The telegraph

Members of the Alton High soccer team huddle prior prior to a Southwestern Conference showdown last season against Edwardsville. The Redbirds will begin the 2016 season Aug. 24 against Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin.

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Scott Kane File Photo | For The Telegraph

For the city of Alton’s two boys prep soccer teams, the early season has meant lots of hard work, plenty of sweat – and in the case of at least one of those teams, a little bit of craziness.

“We’re on the middle two-a-days,” Alton High’s first-year coach Nick Funk said. “We have around 60 kids out right now. We have 17 seniors this season, so it’s crazy.”

That’s crazy-good, Funk said.

“The kids are working hard and we’re seeing results,” said Funk, who puts his team through its paces at AHS. “The team looks good.”

Meanwhile, the city’s other prep kickers at Marquette Catholic High were also going through two-a-day workouts ahead of the beginning of the school term.

“Practices have been going well,” Marquette coach Jeremy Sanfilippo said. “It’s been pretty humid, but things look good so far.”

At Alton High, Funk is taking over the reins from former head coach Jay Robertson, who stepped down during the offseason. A former AHS player, the 28-year-old Funk stresses fitness.

“Conditioning is something that we are going to stress, especially early on,” Funk said. “Fitness is a major thing. We had stepped away a little from that. You have to be as fit as possible to compete in the Southwestern Conference.

“I think that skill-wise we’re pretty set,” he said. “But fitness will be a major focus.”

Last season, the Redbirds were 9-10-3. Under Robertson, Alton was 53-62-3 in six seasons.

AHS will begin its season Aug. 24 against Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin. The Redbirds will play host to their annual round-robin tournament Aug. 26 and 27. The tourney will include Triad, Edwardsville and Dunlap.

“Becoming a head coach at a high school is something I’ve wanted to eventually do,” he said. “I’ve always had the passion for coaching.”

Funk added that the opening of the soccer field at Alton High last year is a big plus to the program.

“Having everything in one place at the school is really great,” said Funk, who works in private business and is also a youth leader and media specialist at The Bridge church in Alton. “Being able to practice and have games at school cuts down on travel time (to the former facilities at Gordon Moore Park).”

Funk is a 2006 AHS graduate and played four seasons for the Redbirds under former coach Greg Nasello.

Nasello’s son, CJ Nasello, is one of the returning starters for the Redbirds. The senior defender scored four goals and added four assists last season.

Offensively, the Redbirds will need to replace Eric Fehrenbach, who put together an All-SWC senior season last year with 18 goals and three assists. Also lost to graduation was Nick Hatfield and his seven goals and six assists.

Skylar Funk returns. The senior scored three goals and added 10 assists last season. Also back is Stephen Nguyen, who had four goals and four assists last season.

Marquette’s Explorers, who went 14-7-3 last season,will feature a young lineup.

“We have 32 players out this year,” Sanfilippo said. “I think the biggest challenge this year will be that we are young but we’ve got a lot of skill on the field we’ve got more (club soccer) players this year than we have had in past years.”

The Explorers will get their season started Aug. 22 at home against SWC power Collinsville. Marquette, which plays a non-conference soccer schedule, has a tough slate once again.

“Marquette has always played tough schedules,” said Sanfilippo, who guided the Explorers to the 2012 Class 1A state championship. “That goes back a long way. We feel to get ready for the postseason, you need to play tough teams during the season.”

Included on the schedule are other SWC teams Edwardsville, Belleville East and Belleville West.

Marquette will look to senior Zach Weinman to carry some of the scoring load. As a junior, he led Marquette with 23 goals and eight assists.

Other returning players who’ll be counted on to contribute goals are Chris Hartrich, who had 123 goals and 15 assists last season, and Noah Fahnestock, who had two goals and nine assists last season.

“I think there’s a strong outlook this year we will grow each game,” Sanfilippo said.

Reach Pete Hayes at 463-2500 or Twitter @HayeserPete

Nick Funk hired as Boys Soccer Coach at AHS - AdVantage News - 7/20/2016

Updated on 06/10/2022

BOYS SOCCER: Funk named Redbirds' boys' soccer coach

by  

GODFREY -- Nick Funk is staying home.

Funk, 28, and the Alton High boys' assistant soccer coach the last three years, is the new Redbirds' head soccer coach. The AHS grad was hired Tuesday night during a school board meeting.

"He was a great player when he played here and he has a lot of pri

de in the program," Alton High director of athletics Jeff Alderman said.

One of the youngest AHS head coaches, Funk replaces Jay Robertson, the Redbirds' head coach the past six seasons. Robertson, a Granite City High product, compiled a 53-62-11 record, including a 9-10-3 mark in 2015. The Redbirds went 12-8-1 in 2012 and 11-7-3 in 2014.

Funk will officially begin practices Aug. 10 and the Redbirds are scheduled to open their season at homeAug. 24 against Springfield Sacred-Heart Griffin.

Alton graduates 10 players from last year's squad, most notably Eric Feren bach, the AdVantage News' Co-Player of the Year. The Redbirds' return a dozen players, including C.J. Nasello, Skylar Funk and Stephen Nguyen. Skylar Funk is Nick Funk's brother.

The Redbirds' soccer program dates to 1973-74 when Marshall "Mick" Brown served as their first coach.

- See more at: http://advantagenews.com/sports/boys-soccer-funk-named-ahs-boys-soccer-coach/#sthash.NuskEg8m.dpuf

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