Freeburg continues magical ride with shootout win over Althoff in sectional final

COLUMBIA, Ill. — Maddie Casey always looks forward to the final five minutes of soccer practice.

The Freeburg High senior can't wait to take a penalty kick against Midgets standout keeper Alyssa Wolf, the traditional end to the daily workout.

'It's such a challenge to try and score against her," Casey said. "It makes me better — and her better, too."

That was never more evident than on Friday night.

Freeburg continued its dream campaign by outlasting Althoff 2-1 in penalty kicks in the championship match of the Class 1A Columbia Sectional.

The Midgets (17-3-2) claimed the first sectional crown in school history and will face Pleasant Plains (25-2-1) in the Columbia Supersectional on Tuesday with a berth in the final four at stake.

Freeburg is 11-0-2 over its last 13 games and hasn't lost since dropping a 2-0 contest to Granite City on April 6.

Freeburg used the accuracy of Casey and an acrobatic diving save by Wolf to build up an insurmountable 3-1 edge after four rounds of penalty kicks.

"We work so hard on (PK's), every single day," Freeburg coach Becky Ganz said. "I guess this shows it pays off."

Indeed.

Casey and seniors Kylie Kisgen and Bella Borja each scored on Althoff keeper Anna Brewer.

Wolf kicked off the shootout phase with a diving, one-handed punch out of a shot by Crusaders junior Bree Birdsong.

"Going in (to the penalty kicks), I was very confident," Wolf said. "A lot of that comes from how much we practice them."

Wolf stops about 50 percent of her teammates shots at the close of practice.

"Sometimes we'll get more, sometimes she'll stop more," Borja said.

Added Kisgen, "It's about even."

Wolf also came up with four huge saves during the second half and the two extra 10-minute OT sessions.

"That was the difference," Ganz said. "I have the utmost confidence in Allyssa. I trust her. She's automatic."

The Midgets' ability to shine down the stretch spelled the difference in an intensity-filled 100-minute affair that was played in a light drizzle.

Althoff (16-8-3) struck first when senior Ella Tell converted off a nifty pass from Molly Lanter in the 11th minute.

Freeburg answered when a blast by sophomore Zoey Edmiaston deflected in off a defender in the 26th minute.

The rest of the contest was a hard-fought chess match and could have gone either way.

"I thought we played well," Althoff coach Skip Birdsong said. "Give them credit, they had a good game plan. They played six in the back. Unfortunately, we just couldn't stick another one in."

The 2 hour, 54 minute affair featured a battle of blue bloods vs. new bloods.

Althoff has won two states titles (2021, 2010) and has reached the state tournament five times. Freeburg was making its first appearance in a sectional final.

But this appears to be the Year of the Midgets. They beat Columbia twice after losing the first 24 meetings between the teams including a 2-1 win in the Freeburg regional final on May 12.

They had not beaten Althoff in the previous 13 meetings (12-0-1) and had been outscored 52-8.

"This whole time we've got the feeling that we just don't have anything to lose," said Kisgen, who will play volleyball at Ouchita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas "Our team chemistry is so strong right now we kind of lean on each other and let whatever happens, happen."

Freeburg has avenged two of its three regular season losses with wins over Althoff and Father McGivney along this postseason run.

"We all knew there would be something special about this year," Casey added. "And we're showing it."