UNBEATEN LADY TIGERS WIN SOCCER DISRICT

FESTUS -- After qualifying for state competition in three track events earlier Saturday, Cape Central's Nichole Thiele raced over to help the undefeated Cape Central soccer team to a 2-1 District 1 championship win over Jackson.

Thiele, who leads the Lady Tigers with 21 goals, recorded both Central scores as the Lady Tigers avenged last year's stunning loss to Jackson in the district semifinals. Central, the No. 1 seed in the district, is now 18-0 and will play the winner of District 2 at St. Louis Soccer Park Thursday at 6 p.m.

The loss was Jackson's fourth this season to Central as the second-seeded Lady Indians finished at 13-5-1.

Thiele scored twice in the first half, the first an unassisted goal at the 19-minute mark to make the score 1-0. Thiele added another goal, assisted by Abby Harris, at the 26-minute mark to put Central up 2-0.

"She's our number one offensive weapon," said Central coach Tom Doyle of Thiele. "She's scored 21 of our 49 goals this year, but I still marvel at our defense."

Central has allowed just four goals all season. Jackson's Jessica Shultz scored one of those at the 36-minute mark to close the score to 2-1, but the second half was scoreless.

After the upset loss last year to Jackson, the Lady Tigers weren't about to let the Lady Indians stand in the way of Central's first district girls' soccer championship.

"We talked about it obviously," Doyle said of last year's upset loss. "We waited a year for this game to happen again and we wanted to make sure what happened last year didn't happen again."

Jackson took second in the district for the second year in a row. Both losses were by one goal.

"We made up or minds to go out an leave everything on the field," said Jackson coach Bonnie Knowlan. "A lot of the game was played in the middle of the field, which shows how even the game was."