BETHALTO — The Civic Memorial Eagles pulled off an upset Tuesday night, defeating the No. 2-seeded Mattoon Greenwave 1-0 in a regional semifinal. The Eagles entered the matchup as the No. 9 seed.
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The first half was a defensive battle, with both teams creating opportunities but neither finding the back of the net.
With just 8:21 remaining in the game, Quentin Daniels broke the scoreless tie, scoring the game-winning goal to give Civic Memorial a 1-0 lead.
"I'm proud of the effort the boys have put out. The defense was outstanding tonight," CM head coach Eric Zyung said.
Goalkeeper Brady Strubhart helped secure the victory, recording a shutout to preserve the Eagles' one-goal advantage.
"It feels real good; these kids have been through not the greatest results through the season, but they kept battling, and it was there. Now we have a three-game win streak going into the championship game," Zyung said.
Civic Memorial will face Jacksonville in the regional championship after the Crimsons defeated Alton 2-1 in the other semifinal.
The Eagles will look to carry their three-game winning streak into the championship matchup.