EDWARDSVILLE, IL – Edwardsville junior Cohen Schmidt felt butterflies prior to his lacrosse game Friday, but not due to performance anxiety.
Before the opening faceoff, Schmidt and his WormGear Warriors robotics teammates presented a custom-made, drivable car to coach Zac Bilyeu’s four-year-old daughter Hadley, who has cerebral palsy.
“I was a little nervous showing off all the work we’ve put in,” Schmidt said.
Schmidt watched with pride as Hadley drove her pink Jeep around Winston Brown stadium with an ear-to-ear smile. Two hours later, he delivered the game-winning goal in overtime, as Edwardsville erased a seven-goal deficit to defeat Kirkwood 14-13 Friday at Edwardsville High.
“It got me a little choked up because that’s the young man that designed the car for my daughter, and then he scores the game-winner,” Bilyeu said. “There’s just not a better kid, maybe in the world, and for him to get that goal just touched my heart a lot.”
Schmidt and his WormGear Robotics teammates were introduced to the idea of engineering a customized car through the “Go Baby Go” program, which originated at the University of Delaware and adapts toy cars for children with motor impairments.
“We saw that, and we were inspired by it,” Schmidt said. “I’ve been playing lacrosse for Coach Bilyeu for years, and I knew his daughter was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, so we wanted to do it for him.”
The robotics club purchased a toy Jeep in February and met with Hadley’s occupational therapist to understand the modifications the car needed. They installed a bar across the steering wheel for easy turning, buttons to operate the vehicle, and a roll cage made with pool noodles for safety.
“We rewired it so she only uses her hands, since she’s unable to push the pedals,” Worm Gear Warriors student co-founder Blake Chrenka said.
During the presentation, Bilyeu lifted Hadley from her wheelchair into her Jeep. With some assistance from Schmidt, she quickly became an expert motorist, driving onto the field with an endless smile while receiving tremendous applause from the crowd.
“She was so happy to be moving around,” WormGear Warriors student co-founder Reese Wilson said. “To see a life impacted is such a big deal, especially someone as close as a coach’s daughter.”
This summer, the WormGear Warriors robotics team plans to partner with a local children’s museum to design and produce more cars for children with disabilities.
“We want to refurbish toy cars and expand our work to more kids,” Wilson said.
Edwardsville United has another event to benefit children during certain lacrosse games. After they score their first goal, spectators throw teddy bears onto the track to be donated to a local children’s hospital.
Those spectators held onto their teddy bears much longer than expected Friday as Kirkwood goalie Holden Sodey stuffed everything Edwardsville threw at him. Sodey, who will play at Maryville University, held Edwardsville scoreless for the first 19 minutes while the Kirkwood offense, powered by a hat trick from junior Grey Davies, built a commanding, 7-0 lead.
“I knew (Sodey) was going to stand on his head and give his team everything he could, and he did. He was a brick wall,” Bilyeu said. “We just kept talking to our guys, ‘Bring energy, believe in one another and keep pushing.’”
A perfect shot by Ethan Walter snuck inside the far post to beat Sodey with 4:42 remaining until halftime, and dozens of well-hugged teddy bears finally rained down from the bleachers.
“We wanted to get those teddy bears on the field, and when we finally broke through, it felt like everyone could breathe,” Bilyeu said.
Edwardsville netted three more goals before halftime, then continued to chip away in the third quarter while the Pioneers made consistent pilgrimages to the penalty box.
“We jumped out to a quick lead and thought we had them, but the penalties in the third quarter killed us,” Kirkwood coach Chris Luckett said. “Just mental mistakes, and when you play a really good team like Edwardsville, you have to play near perfect, and we just didn’t.”
Late in the third quarter, Schmidt scored his first goal of the game during a man-advantage situation to slice the deficit to 11-10. Early in the fourth, he scooped a ground ball and delivered the shot that tied the game at 12.
“We just had to realize that if we kept putting ball after ball after ball on goal, the goalie can’t save everything,” Schmidt said. “We just kept hammering shots until we eventually brought it back from seven.”
In sudden-victory overtime, both Sodey and Edwardsville goalie Corbin Siron made stellar saves before a midfield interception by Walter set up Schmidt at the side of the net.
“To be honest, I got a little scared,” Schmidt said. “I shot three times from the same spot and he saved all three, so I decided to go near pipe because goalies never expect it. He slightly stepped over and I could see that pocket.”
Schmidt pocketed the game-winner and received a mobbing from his teammates to cap off an unforgettable night.
“There’s nothing like finishing those and seeing your team rush the field,” Schmidt said. “What a wonderful day, and a wonderful way to finish it. This was definitely my favorite day of the year.”
For a photo gallery from this game, including the pregame festivities, visit: https://benvessa.smugmug.com/2024-Boys-Lacrosse/Boys-Lacrosse-2026/Kirkwood-at-Edwardsville-5-1-26
