EDWARDSVILLE – Edwardsville's boys soccer team has had many great players go through it over the years.
Thursday night, the Tigers bid farewell to 16 seniors in their final home match as they celebrated Senior Night at Tiger Stadium; the match against Marquette Catholic ended up in a 1-1 draw.
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All 16 seniors got a chance to play Thursday; the seniors and their parents who were being honored included Daniel and Michael Piccihotti, Blake Conway, Cameron Kelehan, Alec Curran, Mohammad Hamad, Daniel Perry, Michael Glisson (who scored the Tigers' only goal of the night), Matthew Busse, Sean Swanson, August Windau, Riley Patterson, John Wasmuth, Andrew Joseph, David Diak and Ian Tegert.
“I'm honored to play for the Edwardsville Tigers,” Hamad said following the match. “We came out tonight and tried our hardest to do whatever we can to get a victory; it was unlucky of us to not get that victory.”
Hamad joined the program in 2013, his freshman year – when the Tigers won their second IHSA Class 3A state championship to go with the 2000 Class 2A championship. “My first memory was playing my freshman year on the varsity and we went up to state,” Hamad said, “and we won that tournament. Honestly, it was something I'd been dreaming of my whole life when I first joined the team, and fortunately, we won it my freshman year.
“Hopefully, my senior year, we can get up to state again and win it all.”
“It's been a fun experience,” Daniel Piccihotti said. “The soccer and baseball teams (Piccihotti is also a part of the Tiger baseball team) are like an extended family.”
Piccihotti's twin brother Michael plays up front for the Tigers, while Daniel is a goalkeeper. “I get excited when (Michael) scores,” Piccihotti said. “It means a lot to the team.”
Piccihotti's memories will include team dinners and being on the team with a close group of players. “It's something none of us will experience again,” Piccihotti said. “It means a lot to be a part of the program.”
Piccihotti plans to attend the University of Iowa, majoring in pre-med with hopes of becoming a doctor, anesthesiologist or dentist.
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Feeney, 56, is a native of Granite City and graduated from Granite City South in 1978. He was a part-time writer for the old Granite City Journal from 1979-84 before attending Eastern Illinois University in Charleston,
from which he earned his BA in journalism in 1988. He has worked for newspapers in Sikeston, Mo., Rocky Mount, N.C., Seneca, S.C. and in Charleston-Mattoon. He also worked for the old St. Clair County Suburban
Journals.
