By Jason He
Gargoyle staff reporter
Posted Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2006, The OG, sports

WARRENSBURG — Uni suffered its first loss of the season Monday, falling 2-0 to the Warrensburg-Latham Cardinals.

The shutout brings the Illineks' record down to 12-1. Still, Uni's 12-game winning streak is the longest in school history.

Goalie Mike Renner said the team was not prepared to play at its best. “We came there thinking that [since] we beat Central, everything else would be a roll after that,” he said.

The Cardinals, now 10-0-1, scored one goal in each half. The Illineks, on the other hand, struggled with several missed goals and an opposing team that was physically stronger.

“We didn't get any offensive opportunities,” Renner said. “We couldn't win balls. We just couldn't move it upfield.”

He added that the Illineks were playing against the wind in the second half, resulting in fewer chances and more difficulty scoring.

The Cardinals are seeded second in the Monticello bracket of the October IHSA Class A sectionals, just behind the first-seeded Illineks. If the two teams meet again this season, it would be for the sectional title. Should Uni win that championship, the Illineks would be headed for the state tournament.

Up next: The Illineks face Danville Schlarman in a road game 6 p.m. Thursday. Last year, Uni handed Schlarman its only regular-season loss.

2006 VARSITY RECORD: 12-1 overall, 3-0 ECIC
(Home games in bold)
Aug. 26: Blue Ridge (Uni Soccer Shootout), W 6-0
Aug. 26: Oakwood (Uni Soccer Shootout), W 5-2
Aug. 26: Fisher/Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley (Uni Soccer Shootout), W 7-2
Aug. 29: Judah Christian,* W 2-0
Aug. 31: at Mahomet-Seymour, W 2-0
Sept. 5: Fisher/GCMS, W 3-0
Sept. 7: at Decatur Christian,* W 12-0
Sept. 9: at Sullivan, W 9-1
Sept. 12: Oakwood, W 3-2
Sept. 14: at Iroquois West, W 7-1
Sept. 19: Decatur Lutheran,* W 4-1
Sept. 21: Champaign Central, W 2-1
Sept. 25: at Warrensburg-Latham, L 2-0
*East Central Illinois Conference opponent