EVANSVILLE - It took the Monroe girls soccer team a little less than two minutes to score its first goal and set the pace for a 2-0 shutout win Thursday against Evansville in the opening round of the WIAA Division 2 regionals.
The Cheesemakers' win came three days after Monroe beat Evansville 3-1 on its home turf at Honey Creek Park.
On Thursday, the Cheesemakers felt at home in Evansville as they jumped out to an early lead and never looked back.
Catie Eiserman scored Monroe's first goal 1 minute, 54 seconds into the game and later scored the second goal at the 42:37 mark.
Eiserman was ecstatic after the win.
"That's probably the fastest we've scored all year," she said. "I'm so excited. I'm overwhelmed."
Eiserman's first goal came off an assist from Kylee Ritschard. The freshman Ritschard set her junior teammate up after blatantly beating both Callie Reese and Rachael Carlson to 50-50 balls. Then she took the corner around Reese into the penalty box and sliced a pinpoint low cross just a few yards in front of Blue Devils' netminder Kelsey Hoverson.
That's where Eiserman was waiting and she headed it into the left half of the top shelf.
"It was the perfect cross." Eiserman said. "She set it up so good."
Ritschard said she and Eiserman had wanted to score a goal and talked about it before the game.
The early goal, she said, gave Monroe the momentum.
"It helped us relax," she said of the 1-0 lead.
Eiserman's second goal came off an assist by senior midfielder Amelie Seifert early in the second half.
With a 2-0 lead, the Cheesemakers' defense came up with big steals and kept Evansville from getting too many shots on goal.
Monroe's junior goalkeeper, Niamh O'Neill-Culhane, who had a clean sheet against the Blue Devils, credited her team's defense with the shutout.
"We were so ready to come and play," she said. "Our defense wasn't going to let many shots even get near the goal."
Coach Miriam O'Neill congratulated her team after its win, the first regional win by any Monroe soccer team.
"Our defense has been amazing all year," O'Neill said. "As the season went on we had fewer and fewer goals scored against us."
O'Neill said the first goal of the game provided the team with the boost it needed.
"It's hard to play a team back-to-back," she said of her team's second game with Evansville this week.
The Cheesemakers travel to Belleville to play top-seeded Sugar River at 5 p.m. Saturday in the regional semifinals. The Raiders had a first-round bye Thursday.
The Cheesemakers' win came three days after Monroe beat Evansville 3-1 on its home turf at Honey Creek Park.
On Thursday, the Cheesemakers felt at home in Evansville as they jumped out to an early lead and never looked back.
Catie Eiserman scored Monroe's first goal 1 minute, 54 seconds into the game and later scored the second goal at the 42:37 mark.
Eiserman was ecstatic after the win.
"That's probably the fastest we've scored all year," she said. "I'm so excited. I'm overwhelmed."
Eiserman's first goal came off an assist from Kylee Ritschard. The freshman Ritschard set her junior teammate up after blatantly beating both Callie Reese and Rachael Carlson to 50-50 balls. Then she took the corner around Reese into the penalty box and sliced a pinpoint low cross just a few yards in front of Blue Devils' netminder Kelsey Hoverson.
That's where Eiserman was waiting and she headed it into the left half of the top shelf.
"It was the perfect cross." Eiserman said. "She set it up so good."
Ritschard said she and Eiserman had wanted to score a goal and talked about it before the game.
The early goal, she said, gave Monroe the momentum.
"It helped us relax," she said of the 1-0 lead.
Eiserman's second goal came off an assist by senior midfielder Amelie Seifert early in the second half.
With a 2-0 lead, the Cheesemakers' defense came up with big steals and kept Evansville from getting too many shots on goal.
Monroe's junior goalkeeper, Niamh O'Neill-Culhane, who had a clean sheet against the Blue Devils, credited her team's defense with the shutout.
"We were so ready to come and play," she said. "Our defense wasn't going to let many shots even get near the goal."
Coach Miriam O'Neill congratulated her team after its win, the first regional win by any Monroe soccer team.
"Our defense has been amazing all year," O'Neill said. "As the season went on we had fewer and fewer goals scored against us."
O'Neill said the first goal of the game provided the team with the boost it needed.
"It's hard to play a team back-to-back," she said of her team's second game with Evansville this week.
The Cheesemakers travel to Belleville to play top-seeded Sugar River at 5 p.m. Saturday in the regional semifinals. The Raiders had a first-round bye Thursday.
