Katie Rogers’ first-half goal holds up as Triad nips Althoff in girls soccer

Turned away on a penalty kick in the first half, the Triad Knights didn’t let it bother them.

Freshman Katie Rogers scored on a strange play late in the first half Thursday, and it proved to be the only goal the Knights needed in their 1-0 victory over Althoff in a nonconference girls soccer game at Southwestern Illinois College.

Rogers tapped a loose ball into an undefended goal at 35 minutes, 58 seconds. The ball was served into the box from midfield, and Triad junior Ciera Harris and Crusaders junior Amanda Kaltwasser collided as each tried to play the ball. Althoff sophomore goalie Rachel Monken, who had come off her line to attempt a save, instead found herself pinned to the ground.

“After I saw them collide, I saw the ball and just ran in and got the goal,” said Rogers, who leads the Knights with 12 goals. “I was a little far back, so I had to hustle (to get) there. I wasn’t too close to it.”

Triad, one of the top teams in the metro-east in Class 2A, improved to 9-2-2 as senior goalkeeper Skye Clark picked up her seventh shutout of the season.

Althoff, which figures to be a postseason threat in Class 1A, slipped to 6-6-1.

Key sequence

Triad controlled the play for much of the game. In the first half, Monken was called for a foul when she tackled Rogers in the box to give Triad a penalty kick.

Monken, however, made a sensational save on junior Morgan Bohnenstiehl at 31:45, keeping the game scoreless. But the Knights converted their only goal less than five minutes later.

“On the goal, we’ve been working on trying to get in front of that defender, being that first girl to the ball,” Knights coach Matt Bettlach said. “Ciera won the ball and I know (Harris and Kaltwasser) kind of came down on the keeper, but Ciera was there to kind of make that happen when that ball popped out.”

Bettlach was proud of his team for not getting down after Bohnenstiehl’s penalty kick was saved.

“Morgan Bohnenstiehl is usually pretty solid when it comes to take penalty kicks,” Bettlach said. “We’re 0-for-3 so far this year. I guess that’s one thing I’ve got to work on.

“But one of the things we’ve talked about all year long is, ‘No matter what happens, no matter what the situation is, you have to forget about it. You erase it and move on.’”

Althoff’s defense was under pressure most of the game, but Crusaders coach Juergen Huettner was generally pleased with his team’s performance.

“They had a lot of chances, but I think we played very well defensively,” Huettner said. “What we didn’t do, the goalkeeper (Monken) took care of. The goalkeeper had an excellent game and she saved a PK. At the end of the day, you can’t sit there and complain and say, ‘They were lucky to win this game.’ They had the better of the play and were pretty dominant.

“There’s no question Triad is one of the top-notch teams in the area. Even without (Wendt), they’re one of the top-notch teams in the area.”

Monken finished with 12 saves. Triad outshot the Crusaders 13-2.

Rogers to the rescue

Rogers began the year on the junior varsity team, but was promoted to the varsity and recorded a hat trick in her first game March 25 against Mascoutah. She also had three goals against Jerseyville.

The Knights will need all the scoring they can get because talented senior Allison Wendt is sidelined for the season with a torn ACL, MCL and meniscus. Wendt, who has signed to play at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, had eight goals and three assists when she suffered the injury April 4 against Jersyville.

“We have to have girls step up in different spots, because Allison was such a threat all over the field,” Bettlach said. “Bringing Katie up, she’s got speed, she does a tremendous job of getting to a ball and she’s great with her head. But she’s got a great shot. When she strikes it right, it’s going to be on frame and it’s going to be dangerous.”

This story was originally published April 21, 2016 at 9:19 PM with the headline "Katie Rogers’ first-half goal holds up as Triad nips Althoff in girls soccer."