St. Charles Stuns Trinity in 2-1 Win

ST. CHARLES - Rodney Orrick is about to become the happiest bald man in America.    

In an effort to motivate his St. Charles High soccer team, Orrick promised to let the players shave his head if the Pirates could somehow upset traditional power Trinity Catholic in the Class 2 District 6 Tournament at St. Charles High.     

Bring on the scissors.

Freshman Ellen Weaver scored in the second overtime on Wednesday to lead the Pirates to a stunning 2-1 win over Trinity in the district championship game.     St. Charles (14-10) captured its first ever district title in the most dramatic fashion. Weaver converted off a nice pass from junior Erika Teson with 6:41 left in the second of two 15-minute extra sessions. The goal, likely the biggest in the history of the school's soccer program, will cost Orrick his full head of hair.    

"I don't mind at all," he said. "Small price to pay for being part of history."     Orrick and the players agreed on the challenge earlier in the week.    

"He's always messing with his hair, trying to make sure everything is perfect," said St. Charles sophomore Autumn Olendorff. "So we asked him if he would do it."     The players are going to make the most of the opportunity. They plan on taking turns with the shaving tools on Friday during a pep assembly in front of the entire school.    

Weaver's 10th goal of the season sent the St. Charles bench into a frenzy. Fans poured onto the field to congratulate their heroines.    

"This is a really big deal for us," said Weaver.    

The goal capped an amazing turnaround for St. Charles, which dropped a 3-1 decision to Trinity just 21 days earlier. This time around, the Pirates were the more aggressive side. They controlled play in overtime. Teson hit a goal post. Abby Zimpfer and Ashley Sudbrock also came close.    

Teson started the game-winning sequence with a nifty run into the Titans' end. She sent a pass into the middle that ended up on the foot of Weaver, who made no mistake, drilling it behind Trinity senior keeper Taylor Zerbe.   

"It just tried to keep it low and put it in the corner," said Weaver.    

The Pirates remained undaunted after losing to Trinity in the regular-season meeting at St. Charles. Orrick made one subtle change, moving Olendorff into a defensive role in an attempt to stop Trinity speedster Alexis Jackson, who burned the Pirates time and time again in the first contest.    The move worked as Olendorff threw a blanket over Jackson.   

"We felt like the past was history," said Olendorff. "Instead, we wanted to make history."   

The Pirates did just that, thanks to a strong team effort.. Teson broke a scoreless tie with her team-best 25th goal of the season early in the second half. Titans' junior sharpshooter Jen Eaton tied the game with just over 14 minutes remaining in regulation.   

"It was nerve-wracking," said Olendorff. "But we were determined to do this."    St. Charles junior keeper Taylor Wolf shined in the nets.   

The road gets tougher for the Pirates who will likely face traditional toughie Visitation Academy (17-4) in sectional play on Tuesday. Orrick won't have to worry about fixing his hair before the game. He has a date with 20 or so eager female barbers in his future.   

"I can't wait," said Olendorff of the upcoming clipping. "This is going to be fun."