Jack Elder’s goal with just 40 seconds left completed a late rally and lifted St. Anthony to a 4-3 victory at home Tuesday over Greenville in an opening-round match of the St. Anthony/Teutopolis Soccer Invitational.
The tournament, hosted by both St. Anthony and Teutopolis, includes 10 teams and will continue Thursday and Saturday at both locations.
After St. Anthony got an early goal from Will Swingler, Greenville scored twice to take a 2-1 lead at halftime and added a third goal early in the second half.
That’s when the Bulldogs began their comeback. With 18 minutes to play, Luke Swingler got a pass from Wade Lawrence and scored to trim the lead to 3-2. With less than two minutes to play, the Swingler brothers worked together to tie the game, with Luke recording his second goal of the match.
Then with less than a minute left, Wade Lawrence found Elder with a pass and the junior found the back of the net in the top right corner to give the Bulldogs the victory.
St. Anthony coach Martin Reyes noted the defensive play of Will Fonner and Grace Hakman as keys to the team’s comeback.
“I’m really proud of our team,” Reyes said. “We never give up and always believe we can come from behind. Our seniors played very well and showed great leadership. And Wade and Luke were great scoring or creating opportunities for goals.”
The Bulldogs will return to action Thursday with a 4 p.m. match against Christ Our Rock. On Saturday, they will play at home against Pinckneyville at 11:15 a.m. and then travel to Teutopolis to face the Wooden Shoes at 3 p.m.