JACKSON, CENTRAL GIRLS PLAY TO SCORELESS DRAW

The high school girls soccer teams from Cape Girardeau Central and Jackson launched this season with games against a trio of St. Louis area foes. While Central's 10 goals propelled it to a three-game sweep, Jackson compiled a 1-2 mark against the same squads.

So for Jackson, Tuesday's 0-0 tie with Central at Shawnee Park was "a real good feeling" for coach Bonnie Knowlan and the Lady Indians.

But for Central, which hasn't dropped a regular-season match since 1997, coach Tom Doyle likened the outcome to "kissing your sister."

With the wind at its back, Central dictated play in the first half. The going was more even -- and increasingly rugged -- after halftime, and in all Central attempted 13 shots to Jackson's 12.

Jackson's Dana Littlepage and Central's Heather Hey, each varsity starters this season for the first time, recorded the shutouts.

Knowlan credited her fullbacks for assisting in Littlepage's blanking of the previously potent Central offense.

"I thought the game was pretty defensively played," Knowlan said. "My fullbacks did a great job. They (Central) have proven just in the past week that they can score plenty of goals. It was a big challenge for us and we tried to concentrate on that, and it paid off."

Doyle noted that the season is young, and squaring off with Jackson is a perpetual chore.

"Jackson is always going to play hard with us," Doyle said. "They're our archrival, and it's probably always going to be that way."

Doyle added that both teams generated scoring opportunities, but getting the ball in the net proved a hurdle too great.

"We had probably four or five good chances that we didn't put the ball in the net," he said. "And they probably had two or three real good chances, and they didn't put it in either.

"Both teams have good defenses, and there weren't any real clear-cut, one-on-one opportunities with the goalie."