Suburban Journals | = Sports | Battered Panthers hope to be healthier for playoffs

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Battered Panthers hope to be healthier = for=20 playoffs
Injuries test team's depth on=20 defense

By Scott=20 Marion
Wednesday, October 8, 2008 = 3:17 AM=20 CDT

A=20 solid defense carried the O'Fallon soccer team to a good start, but a = rash of=20 recent injuries is making the Panthers' task tougher than = ever.

O'Fallon=20 was 7-7-3 overall and 2-2 in the Southwestern Conference heading into = Tuesday's=20 home game against Belleville East. OTHS, which has lost four in a row, = has=20 allowed only 22 goals in 17 games, but an inconsistent offense has = produced only=20 21 goals.

"Our defense has been pretty solid all year," said = coach Jason=20 Turkington. "We gave up three to Granite City (in a 3-0 loss on Oct. 1), = but two=20 were in the first eight minutes and they got one very late when we were = pushing=20 up. We also gave up three to Edwardsville (in a 3-1 loss on Sept. 9), = but two=20 were early and once again we were pushing up.

"You look at our = scores and=20 you can tell we've been having trouble putting the ball in the back of = the net.=20 After the Granite City game, who knows what's going to happen? I lost = three=20 starting defenders (Cale Ward, Sean Blumberg and Tyler Wobbe) to a = broken leg, a=20 concussion and bruised ribs. Another one of our backs has been out for a = week=20 with a health issue and he's going to be out for another week. Cale is = done for=20 the year, but my only hope now is that the other three backs can make it = back=20 for the postseason.

"We're going to have to do some = experimenting, but we=20 don't have much time to figure it out."

The Panthers were 0-3 = last=20 weekend in the Gateway City Soccer Classic, losing 2-0 to St. Thomas = Aquinas,=20 2-1 to Quincy and 3-0 to Morton.

O'Fallon plays host to Columbia = on=20 Saturday. The last conference game is Oct. 14 at = Collinsville.

Under the=20 IHSA's new three-class playoff system for soccer, the Panthers are in = the Class=20 3A Belleville West Regional. The host Maroons are the No. 1 seed, = followed by=20 Collinsville, OTHS and Belleville East.

"The seedings are already = out, so=20 we know we'll play Collinsville again in the first round at Belleville = West,"=20 Turkington said. "Playing them back-to-back is not what you want to do, = but=20 that's the way it worked out.

"We as a team had a goal to win = conference=20 and we're 2-2, so I guess there's still a chance. We just want to = improve on a=20 day-by-day or week-by-week basis and we've been doing that for the most=20 part."

As expected, senior goalkeeper Conor Knox (6-7-3, 1.26=20 goals-against average) and senior forward Zach Engel (seven goals) have = been=20 among the leaders for leaders for O'Fallon. But several younger players = have=20 also been key contributors.

"I've got two freshmen that play = significant=20 time, Ryan Lawhead (midfield) and Nick Cherry (midfield/sweeper). A = couple other=20 freshmen and sophomores have competed and worked really hard. In the = summer we=20 had some good workouts and good training and I hoped they would do well = because=20 we lost 13 seniors from last year."

The freshmen have made the = most of=20 their opportunity.

"I was really hoping I would get a chance to = play=20 varsity because I knew there a lot of holes to fill from last year," = Cherry=20 said. "I'm pretty happy about how things have gone."

"Our defense = has=20 been pretty good, but we just need to score some more goals," Lawhead = said.=20

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