Girls soccer: Indian Creek’s season ends with sectional final loss to Alleman

HINCKLEY – Molly Feitlich hadn’t touched a soccer ball before her sophomore year at Indian Creek, but on Friday night the Indian Creek senior goalkeeper had her hands full.

Facing a seemingly never-ending offensive assault from Alleman Catholic, Feitlich and the Timberwolves saw their magical season come to an end after a 7-1 loss to the Pioneers in the Class 1A Hinckley-Big Rock championship game.

Feitlich made her 14th save of the game just before halftime, but Indian Creek (17-2-1) already was looking at a 4-0 deficit. The Timberwolves had surrendered only five goals in their previous 11 games.

“At the start of the season none of us were expecting this. We were thinking a 50/50 season and hoping for a regional championship. We didn’t lose the first few games and we were like ‘What’s going on?’ and that was pretty cool. When we finally lost that only motivated us to work harder, and we won two tournaments and won regionals and, dare I say, we had one of the best seasons IC has ever had. When you work together as a team it creates a strong team dynamic.”

—  Alexa Anderson, Indian Creek soccer

“This was probably the hardest game I’ve ever had to play,” she said. “For them to get off 25-plus shots was crazy. I don’t know how to explain it. I got hit and I got kicked a few times, and then I knocked my head into (senior Alexa Anderson’s) shins and that didn’t help either.”

She ended her career banged up, but with a great deal of respect for what she and her teammates accomplished this spring.

“We lost everyone on the defensive line except for [my sister] Paige [Feitlich], but Alexa [Anderson] and Eliza [Tatro] and Sally [Diaz] all stepped up,” Molly Feitlich said. “Everyone stepped up and not just the defense, but I’ve got to speak up because they keep me safe. To go 17-2-1 is just phenomenal. I’m just so happy to see us grow so much.”

Herself included.

“I’m so happy I came to this team my sophomore year after never touching a soccer ball beforehand,” she said. “My sister Paige really pulled me into soccer along with my dad. They got me to do it.”

Abby Glackin scored less than four minutes into the action to give the Pioneers an early lead, and they never slowed down. Glackin finished with four goals to lead her team to a supersectional again. Carson Wendt added a pair of goals, and Lindsey Britton also scored for Alleman (13-3-1).

Indian Creek had the advantage of having the wind at its back in the second half. The Timberwolves narrowly missed getting on the scoreboard in the opening minute, but junior Emma Wilson’s shot was just a bit too high and landed atop the net.

The Timberwolves finally would break through on a tremendous boot from Molly Feitlich that Emma Turner was able to run down and send in with 31:02 left to make it a 4-1 game.

Unfortunately, Indian Creek couldn’t use it to spark a rally as Wendt scored off a rebound only 63 seconds later to make it 5-1. Then, just a couple of minutes later, Glackin scored to make it 6-1 with 28:04 left to play, the outcome all but official.

“It’s important to keep in mind that this is not a reflection of our season as a whole,” Anderson said. “It’s not how we wanted to end, but we made it farther than any team in IC history and worked together as a team. This is the best team I’ve ever played with. It was definitely my favorite season and I love this team.”

Last year, Indian Creek lost to Alleman 7-0 in a regional final and finished 7-7-1.

“I knew with the senior leadership and experience that we were going to have a better season than last year,” Timberwolves coach Scott McClure said. “I thought that we’d do well, but at the beginning of the season the thought of getting to a sectional championship was an awesome thing to dream about. I’m super proud of these girls. They fought hard all season and just kept putting it together and improving throughout the season, and the leadership continued all the way through.”

As the wins accumulated, the girls belief in themselves grew and grew.

“At the start of the season none of us were expecting this,” Anderson said. “We were thinking a 50/50 season and hoping for a regional championship. We didn’t lose the first few games and we were like ‘What’s going on?’ and that was pretty cool. When we finally lost, that only motivated us to work harder, and we won two tournaments and won regionals and, dare I say, we had one of the best seasons IC has ever had. When you work together as a team it creates a strong team dynamic.”