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Father McGivney’s Allison Beltramea battles for possession against Civic Memorial’s Landree Wallace Wednesday in Glen Carbon.<\/p>\n
Matt Kamp\/Hearst Illinois<\/p>\n
Father McGivney, the state\u2019s top-ranked Class 1A team, scored two first-half goals on the way to a 3-0\u00a0non-conference victory Wednesday in Glen Carbon.<\/p>\n
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\u201cClass 1A is not easy,\u201d CM coach Eric Zyung said. \u201cThey say you dropped from Class 2A to 1A, but you\u2019ve got Father McGivney, Marquette, Althoff and Columbia. They are all state contenders.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The Griffins improved to 10-1 with their eighth consecutive win, while the Eagles dropped to 4-6-1.<\/p>\n
CM was coming off a 3-0 loss to Triad on April 9 and a scoreless tie against Marquette Monday in Bethalto. The tough stretch continues with a home game against\u00a0Althoff Friday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe love these types of games, though,” Zyung said. “They challenge you and show what we need to do to get better.”<\/p>\n
McGivney won the coin toss and took advantage of a stiff wind in the first half.<\/p>\n
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Harper\u00a0Dettmers opened the scoring in the 10th\u00a0minute when she pounced on a loose ball in front and tapped in a shot for the 1-0 lead. It was her first goal of the season.<\/p>\n
\u201cHarper just keeps working; her motor never turns off, and that was perfect timing,\u201d McGivney\u00a0coach Jason Turkington said.<\/p>\n
Father McGivney continued pressuring for a second goal, and it came 20 minutes later when Hayden Etcheson drilled a left-footed shot that hit off both posts before bouncing in for the 2-0 lead. It was her second goal of the season.<\/p>\n
Despite leading 2-0 at the half, Turkington felt the Griffins could have built a bigger lead if they had connected a couple more passes in the final third and finished their chances.<\/p>\n
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\u201cAny time you have it, you want to take advantage. I don\u2019t think we took enough advantage,\u201d Turkington said. \u201cCredit to them – they compete hard, they\u2019re well-coached and very organized. They made things difficult today.\u201d<\/p>\n
CM played more composed in the second half and had possession much more than it did over the first 40 minutes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe made an adjustment, changed the formation and tried to get a little more offensive because we knew we had the wind. That helps,\u201d Zyung said. \u201cWhen these girls stay composed, they\u2019re as good as anybody. We\u2019re trying to get them to communicate and be patient, and I thought they connected passes pretty well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite having more possession in the second half, the Eagles couldn\u2019t cut into the lead.<\/p>\n
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The Griffins added to their lead in the 70th minute when Emerson\u00a0Isringhausen scored to make it 3-0 after getting free behind the defense. It was her fourth goal of the season.<\/p>\n
McGivney\u2019s Peyton Ellis and Addison Ronk shared the shutout.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Griffins and Eagles could see each other again in the postseason, though the teams are in different sectionals.<\/p>\n
Father McGivney will play in the Columbia Sectional along with Althoff and Columbia, while Civic Memorial and Marquette are in the Litchfield Sectional. The two sectional winners match up in the Civic Memorial Super-Sectional.<\/p>\n
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