The scoring chances kept coming Tuesday night for the Helias Lady Crusaders.
But they kept coming up empty as the game against the Waynesville Lady Tigers remained scoreless with less than 20 minutes remaining at the 179 Soccer Park.
"I was sure we were going to score," Helias coach Brad Dempsey said. "I didn't know when, it may have been in overtime, but we were going to score."
That confidence paid off with a little more than 15 minutes remaining when Sarah Pierle recorded the game's lone goal in a 1-0 Helias victory.
"It's not always easy to score in the game of soccer," Dempsey said. "We struggled connecting with our passes in our first game (a 3-1 loss to Rock Bridge), but we did a better job tonight.
"We're still learning how to play together. There was some frustration out there, but that's OK because that means they care. They continued to fight."
The Lady Crusaders fought for the goal. Lauren Alexander battled to stay on her feet through a tough tackle inside the penalty box and kept control of the ball to the end line.
Alexander then centered a pass to the front of the net and Pierle was there to record the score.
"Sarah played a great game, she was attacking the goal," Dempsey said. "It didn't surprise me she was the one that got the goal."
Helias finished with a 12-1 edge in shots in the contest as the Lady Crusader defense did a good job of keeping the Lady Tigers from getting anything dangerous around the net.
"We have some things to work on in transition, but we're going to get better," Dempsey said. "Our center backs did a great job of controlling the ball, distributing it, really controlling the pace of the game."
Ashley Rehagen got the shutout in goal for the Lady Crusaders.
Helias (1-1) is back in action today against Quincy (Ill.) Notre Dame at the 179 Soccer Park. The varsity contest will start at 5 p.m., with a shortened JV game to follow.
In Tuesday's JV game, Helias jumped out to a 2-0 halftime lead and cruised to a 5-0 victory. Haley Samson, Kelsey Schenewerk, Reese Hamilton, Michaelee Sipi and Megan Kerr scored goals for the Lady Crusaders.