With a goal in the 52nd minute, St. Charles Community College eked past STLCC for the Region XVI women’s soccer title on Saturday.
Though the outcome was ultimately disappointing, head coach Erin Hesselbach saw plenty from her Archers to allow for plenty of optimism for the women’s soccer program at STLCC.
Despite facing the top seed of the tournament in St. Charles, a team that earned its spot in the Region XVI title game by defeating Blue River 6-1 a day previous, the Archers held tough with a one-goal game against the Cougars for the second time this year.
“I was very proud of the way they brought it and executed our game plan,” Hesselbach said. “We did everything we set out to do and it’s just a game of inches, and this one didn’t go our way.”
The Archers, who came in as underdogs in the region behind St. Charles, finish the season at 5-11-2. It was a year that was full of early-season injuries and late-season surges, and Hesselbach takes great appreciation in the strides her program has made in her second year as head coach.
“We are playing with some of the top teams, and we’re just a little bit off and coming up a little short,” Hesselbach said. “It’s a building block. Last year, we started out with pretty much nothing, and we’ve built off of that. These sophomores who were with me last year, they definitely left the program in a better place than where they found it.”