Eureka Girls' Soccer Ends Regular Season

Despite controlling the action much of the game, girls' soccer team could not break through the Nerinx Hall defense in a 1-0 defeat in Webster Groves this week.

Senior Day is always an emotional day at Nerinx Hall, and this was particularly the case with Tuesday night’s celebration. The game marked the final home game for one of Nerinx’s most popular players, senior Caitie Dierkes. She suffered a devastating knee injury in January, and wasn’t able to play this season for the Markers.

Nerinx dedicated the season to Dierkes, and have played every game like they wanted to win it just for her. Still, the Wildcats had their opportunities to spoil the party.

“We should’ve won,” Eureka coach Bill Goggin said. “We had the ball in their end the whole first half, and a lot of the second half, too. But we started getting tired, and three mistakes—boom, boom, boom, and it was in our goal.”

It was certainly a tough way to end the regular season for Eureka (10-6), which will begin district play next Wednesday, May 18, against Parkway South (8-12) in a district semifinal game at .

The winner of that contest then will advance to the district championship game, which is scheduled for Friday, May 20, at 6 p.m., also at Lafayette.

It was with bunches of hugs and buckets of tears that the Nerinx soccer family said goodbye to Dierkes and the four other Markers seniors in the game against Eureka.

“I’ll admit it, I’m a big wimp,” Nerinx head coach Brian Haddock said. “I love these girls so much. And they’ve all grown so much, and been through so much, that I cried maybe more than any of them. I mostly got goosebumps from today, but I cried a lot, too.”

And it was behind that emotion that Nerinx somehow withstood a relentless first half of pressure from the visiting Wildcats, then somehow made the one play that mattered in the second half.

“It really comes down to one word with this team—resiliency,” Haddock said. “These girls don’t quit. I think they learned that from Caitie. And even when we sub girls off the bench, we don’t lose a whole lot, and sometimes they give us more.”

That was exactly the case on Tuesday, when midway through the second half Nerinx’s Lauren Holder made a brilliant play to break through the Eureka defense and fire a point-blank shot on goal.

Wildcats goalkeeper Ali Wallner was there, though, and made an equally fantastic play to deflect the blast.  

But on what sure seemed like a day meant for the Markers, part-time starter Hayley Bokern stayed with the play, and was able to bang home the rebound for her third goal of the season, and a 1-0 lead.

“Hayley did a really good thing, which you teach kids when they’re two years old,” Haddock said, “which is follow every shot up. Don’t just stop in your tracks because a shot is taken, but follow the play. And Hayley did that, and got an open-net shot.”

From that point on, Eureka went all out to try to tie the score, generating numerous chances, but was unable to convert any of them.

The Wildcats’ best chance actually came in the final 10 seconds of the game, when senior Torie Goode sent a right-to-left pass across the goalmouth and found sophomore teammate Courtney Silberberg streaking toward the net.

But Silberberg’s right-footed shot veered slightly left and sailed wide of the Nerinx net. The clock ran out after that play, clinching the win for Nerinx.