LADY TIGERS SET FOR SOCCER SECTIONAL; 18-0 MARK ON THE LINE TONIGHT

Although only in its second year of existence, the Cape Girardeau Central High girls soccer program has quickly earned the respect of some more established soccer programs in St. Louis.

One of those teams, Lafayette of St. Louis, will battle the Lady Tigers today at 6 p.m., in a sectional contest on the Astroturf field of the Anheuser-Busch Soccer Complex in Fenton.

Central, winner of District 1 with a 2-1 win over Jackson, has a perfect 18-0 mark. Lafayette, champion of District 2 with a 6-0 win over Eureka, is 17-3-4.

"Looking at (Central's) record and some of the teams they've beat, we're probably the underdog," said Lafayette coach Tim Walters. "I would seriously say that. They're 18-0, and obviously they have some great talent."

The Lady Tigers have handled every hurdle thrown at them this year in their undefeated season. Playing on the bigger field and Astroturf of the soccer complex will be another challenge to overcome.

"It's a vastly different game on turf," Central coach Tom Doyle said. "Some of our girls have played a few games on it with club teams, but as a team we haven't played on it before. It's a lot faster game and we'll be playing on a bigger field.'

The field dimensions are 120 by 80 yards at the soccer complex. Central's home field at Shawnee Park measures around 110 by 72, but the bigger field may prove to be an advantage for the Lady Tigers.

"I like the big field because it allows a lot of passing and a lot of movement without the ball," Doyle said. "That's the style we like to play, but I've heard (Lafayette) is a very good passing team also."

Central has outscored its opponents 53-4, led by the talents of Nichole Thiele. The Lady Tigers' leading scorer, Thiele has 21 goals and four assists. Abby Harris and freshman Lorie Bittle have scored six goals each, with Harris adding a team-high eight assists.

Lafayette gets balanced scoring from five different players, outscoring its opponents 54-8. The Lady Lancers are led by senior Lindsey Bissell and sophomore Julie Hunkins. Both have scored a team-leading 12 goals and Bissell also has a team-high 14 assists. Sophomore Kristen Sprunger adds nine goals and nine assists.

"We don't have any goal-scorers like Thiele," Walters said. "We have kids that will score anywhere from 6-12 goals, but no one dominating.

Both squads have easily defeated Hillsboro this season. Other than that, the two teams have had no other common opponents.

"It looks like this will be a very good game and it could go either way," said Walters. "By no means are we looking past anybody because we are not necessarily a powerhouse."