Cape Central soccer above .500 entering Fralish Cup

By defeating Sikeston 4-0 on Tuesday, April 9, at Bill Lawson Memorial Field in Sikeston, Mo, the Cape Central girls’ soccer team did something that hasn’t been done this late into the season since 2021.

Have a winning record.

Cape Central’s previous two games against Kelly and Sikeston were won by a combined score of 12-0. These opponents showed up on the schedule at the right time, as the Tigers have now defeated the Bulldogs seven straight times and the Hawks in nine consecutive meetings, dating back to 2018.

On a team led by eight seniors, Celeste Gutierrez leads the pack with 13 goals in seven games including her second straight hat trick. She previously started the season with a hat trick during the Tigers’ 5-1 win over the St. Vincent Indians on March 18 at home.

“We were being very vocal (Tuesday) which helped a lot,” Gutierrez said. “We made triangles, passed around their defense, a lot of movement off the ball helped a lot. Taking lots of shots also helped.”

Gutierrez said she feels that the way the Tigers have been able to move the ball through the pass against Sikeston is a sign of progress for the team moving forward this season.

“It looked the best it probably has ever been this season,” Gutierrez said.

As noted by Cape Central senior Averie Huff, another positive behind better passing is securing their leads late in games to prevent late rallies from opposing teams.

“In past games, we’ve been getting sloppy once we get ahead,” Huff said.

Cape Central will play in the 2024 Fralish Cup Showcase this weekend in Carbondale, Illinois. The Tigers will first play Anna-Jonesboro on Saturday, April 13, and both Alton and Illinois Valley Central on Sunday, April 14. The last time the Tigers participated in the Fralish Cup was in 2022 when they split with a win over Peoria Christian and a loss against Marion. The Tigers finished that season with an 11-11 record.

Both Alton and Illinois Valley Central are currently looking for their first win of the season and Anna-Jonesboro is currently 3-7, giving the Tigers a chance to add to their current winning streak entering next week.

The momentum would serve the Tigers well, as they would then travel to St. Pius X (Festus) on April 16 and then to Farmington on April 17.