Posted Tuesday, May 9, 2006, The OG, sports

Despite goalie Mandy Grill's 25 saves, the girls varsity soccer team fell to host Decatur Lutheran 2-0 in East Central Illinois Conference action on Monday.

With the loss, the Illineks are 3-14 overall and 2-3 in the ECIC.

The Lady Lions scored a goal in each half. Grill made 12 saves in the first half and 13 in the second.

“Mandy had an incredible game,” said senior co-captain Roveiza Irfan. “Many of her saves were made in traffic — meaning many people were in the box and shooting, rebounding, etc. Decatur Lutheran had some really good strikers, and Mandy did an excellent job in saving some of the shots they drilled. It was incredible to watch.”

Uni got off 10 shots on goal for the game. The loss was the team's 11th shutout of the season.

One regular-season contest remains for Uni, Wednesday at Champaign Central. The Illineks begin the Class A playoffs next Tuesday with a rematch against the Lady Lions.

“Skillwise this team was not much better than us, but our main problem was controlling the tempo within the first few minutes of each half,” Irfan said. “This has happened to us repeatedly throughout the season; we're not as energetic as we should be, and the other team has to score a goal before we realize we need to step it up.”

The Illineks are seeded sixth in the seven-team Decatur (St. Teresa) sectional. Uni's first-round game will begin 4 p.m. at Decatur Lutheran.

— Gargoyle staff