Bexley — In the second quarter, it seemed St. Charles was destined for a shootout against St. Edward on Sunday afternoon. The two teams erupted offensively, combining for ten goals in a wild quarter of ties, lead changes, and momentum shifts.
Freshman Liam Deal got the Cardinals on the board in the first quarter, scooping up a loose ball after a big hit from Ethan Berndt on a St. Edward defender. That lone goal stood as the only score heading into the second quarter, but things were about to take a dramatic turn.
St. Edward struck quickly to open the second quarter, scoring twice to take a 2-1 lead. However, Berndt responded, tying the game at 2-all with 8:55 left in the first half. St. Edward regained the advantage with two more goals, making it 4-2, but Berndt wasn’t done. In an 18-second span, he leveled the game once again with back-to-back goals.
St. Edward regained the lead for the third time in the quarter, going up 5-4, but Berndt answered with his fourth and fifth goals of the period, the last of which came with just 23 seconds remaining until halftime. His efforts gave the Cardinals a 6-5 lead as they headed into the break.
St. Charles Head Coach Kyle Andrews didn’t shy away from critiquing his team’s sluggish start.
“I thought we were flat, we were flat the entire first half and most of the third as well,” Andrews admitted. “The guys dug deeper and found it late in the third to the fourth quarter.”
Leading 6-5 at the half, the Cardinals locked down defensively, holding St. Edward to just two goals in the second half. But finding offensive rhythm remained a challenge.
Much like the first quarter, St. Charles endured a scoring drought of over ten minutes in the third before Aidan King broke through with a goal, capping a two-goal period that included one from Michael Selan.
Clinging to an 8-6 lead heading into the fourth, the Cardinals finally found their groove. St. Charles blew the game wide open, cruising to a 14-7 victory over St. Edward behind six goals from five different scorers: Dylan Berndt (2), Ethan Berndt, Trey Davis, Pete Lechaira, and Tobias Hobbs.
Despite remaining unbeaten this season, Coach Andrews had a clear message for his team: The Cardinals must bring their best effort every time they step on the field.
“No matter who the opponent is, you need to come out with a huge amount of fire,” Andrews emphasized. “If you don’t come out and put your stamp on the game in the first five minutes, it is going to be a struggle.”
St. Charles (3-0) hosts Bexley (3-1) on Wednesday at St. Charles Athletic Complex.
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