Edwardsville’s Ella Thompson celebrates with her teammates after the win against O’Fallon in the Class 3A Normal Community Sectional semifinals on May 26 in Troy.
Father McGivney’s Layla Tobin drills a shot against St. Joseph’s on May 13, 2026, in Glen Carbon.
Edwardsville and Father McGivney each stand one win away from sectional girls soccer championships Friday night.
The Tigers (14-3-2) will play Peoria Notre Dame (23-0-2) at 5 p.m. in the Class 3A Normal Community Sectional championship game, and the Griffins (20-2-3) will face host Columbia (15-8-1) at 5:30 p.m. in a Class 1A sectional championship game.
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Edwardsville will be seeking its first sectional championship since 2024 and sixth in program history, while Father McGivney is looking for its first.
CLASS 3A
The Tigers hit the road for central Illinois after an emotional 1-0 win over O’Fallon in the sectional semifinal on May 26 at Triad High School.
Reagan Jumper scored the game’s only goal with 22 minutes left, and keeper Genny Burroughs and the defense secured the shutout down the stretch against the defending state champions.
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“We wanted to see out those kinds of games. Obviously, it’s one game at a time, but we knew it would take an entire team effort, and it was good,” EHS coach Justin Bernaix said.
It was the seventh straight sectional semifinal between the two programs, with Edwardsville holding a 4-3 edge after alternating wins during the stretch. O’Fallon earned its three wins during state championship seasons in 2021, 2023 and 2025.
Prior to this season, the last time Tigers beat the Panthers in the postseason, they went on to finish fourth in the state tournament for the program’s first state trophy.
“I think it’s insane. It really shows the competitiveness of this rivalry and this conference,” Burroughs said. “It’s crazy that we’ve matched up with them like this, and it’s always a fun game. I love these games.”
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Edwardsville now has the task of moving past the O’Fallon game.
“Coach Boyd said we can celebrate until midnight. J.B. said until 1 p.m. tomorrow, so we’ll see,” Burroughs said. “At practice tomorrow, it’s a whole different lock-in.”
EHS will turn its attention to Peoria Notre Dame, which is playing in Class 3A for the first time after finishing second in Class 2A last season and third in 2024.
The Irish are coming off a 5-0 win over East Moline United in the sectional semifinal.
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“It’s fun to see a new team,” Jumper said. “We’re very excited, especially because our season wasn’t going to end today. We get to keep working together as a team and keep going.”
Peoria Notre Dame has outscored the opposition 146-5, averaging 5.8 goals per game, with 22 shutouts. It hasn’t allowed a goal since May 1 – a stretch of seven games.
Edwardsville has outscored teams 64-16 this season, averaging 3.7 goals, with 12 shutouts.
Gabby Thompson leads the Tigers with 19 goals and two assists, while Thea Dimitroff has nine goals and eight assists and Anna Maxim has six goals and four assists.
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Friday's winner meets the winner of the Tinley Park Andrew Sectional between Lincoln-Way Central (17-2-1) and Sandburg (10-7-3) in the Bloomington Super-Sectional at 6 p.m. June 1 in Bloomington.
CLASS 1A
The Griffins have the defending Class 1A standing champions standing in the way of their first sectional championship.
Columbia beat Father McGivney 1-0 in last season’s sectional championship game on the way to that state championship. Madi Ross scored the game-winner in the 72nd minute.
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FMCHS got some retribution with a 2-1 victory over Columbia on March 27 with goals from Layla Tobin and Emerson Isringhausen. The game was tied 1-1 at halftime.
Since dropping the regular-season finale to Missouri power St. Joseph’s Academy, Father McGivney has won six straight, including a 6-0 win over Freeburg in the sectional semifinals.
Natalie Beck, Grace Welser and Sofia Rossetto each had a goal and assist, while Kinley Dettmers, Isringhausen and Tobin each had a goal and Bristol Ellis, Mira Ahlvers and Peyton Ellis each had an assist.
Beck’s goal was the 100th of her career. She leads the team with a single-season program record 34 goals and 22 assists.
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Tobin is second with 21 goals and 17 assists. Rossetto (15 goals, 14 assists) and Isringhausen (11 goals, 10 assists) provide additional firepower.
Columbia enters on a seven-game winning streak, including a 3-1 overtime victory over Murphysboro. Hayden Cleveland netted a hat trick, with a goal during the first overtime period and two in the second overtime.
Cleveland leads the team with 18 goals and nine assists. Alaina Rains has 13 goals and three assists, Avery Ellner has 12 goals and 24 assists, Lillie Prater has 11 goals and 13 assists and Kinley Trexler has 10 goals and five assists.
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Friday's winner advances to the Civic Memorial Super-Sectional at 5 p.m. June 1 in Bethalto to face the Litchfield Sectional champion. Marquette (15-4-3) and Litchfield (23-1-2) are meeting in that sectional title game.
Matt Kamp is the sports editor of the Edwardsville Intelligencer. He has been with the newspaper since 2010, serving in multiple roles, including as sports editor since 2013. Kamp has won multiple awards from the Illinois Press Association, is a future member of the IBCA Hall of Fame, and is a recipient of a Special Recognition Award from the Edwardsville High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
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Tigers, Griffins are one win from sectional titles – The Edwardsville Intelligencer
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