Under the glow of the stadium lights and the weight of four years of frustration, Park Hill found redemption in the 85th minute as Maryn Hudson rose to strike a header to lead the Trojans past Park Hill South for the first time in 1,474 days.
The Trojans concluded their drought against their storied rival with a dominant performance before Hudson's sudden-death header to win it in overtime, although they would have preferred to end it in regulation by taking a couple of chances they created in the first half.
Nonetheless, last week's overtime win marked the latest triumph under new coach Jason Pendleton, who has continued to set a new standard for the Trojans since taking the reins. In just four games this season, the undefeated Trojans have already matched their win total from last season.
“We're off to a better start than we've had in previous years,” Pendleton said. “There was some confidence coming in that we had an opportunity to get a result tonight. Fortunately, we made a play that mattered in overtime.”
Park Hill's victory snapped a six-game losing streak against their rivals, coming a day shy of the one-year anniversary of the reverse result when the Trojans suffered a devastating 1-0 defeat 73 seconds into overtime against the Panthers on April 2, 2024.
“It feels great,” Hudson said. “First time beating them (Park Hill South), so I couldn't have asked for a better way to end that one.”
If Park Hill were to find a goal in last week's meeting before a penalty shootout, it would likely come from a set piece. The Trojans created numerous big chances from first-half corner kick deliveries from Alyssa Estanich's right foot.
It was evident that the junior defender aimed to hit the six-yard box with every ball from seven Park Hill corner kicks in the opening half. The Trojans' first chance came from a corner inside the opening 90 seconds, but Karis Barton had her attempt from two yards out denied by Park Hill South goalkeeper Anna Pudenz.
Towards the end of the half, Park Hill created a couple more clear-cut chances as Mya Cohara rose well but was unable to direct her uncontested header on frame with five minutes left in the half. The Trojans had one final second-chance opportunity when a corner kick deflected to Hudson's left side, but the junior forward lifted her right-footed shot over from six yards out.
The Trojans had some promising attacks in the second half, looking most dangerous attacking down the right side, but nothing came to fruition. Those missed opportunities in the first half let the Panthers hang around and send the game to overtime.
Park Hill South, who were most threatening in transition but previously only had shots from outside the box, had their best chance of the game inside the opening two minutes of overtime. South junior forwards Olivia Dallas and Sarah Listrom connected on a give-and-go, opening up space on the left side from which Dallas drove into the box and ripped a left-footed shot from a tight angle but was easily stopped for Trojan freshman goalkeeper Elise Zeller's only save of the game.
The Trojans rose to the occasion more than four minutes into overtime when Estanich delivered a free kick from near the midfield touchline. With five Trojan targets in the box, Estanich's service was met in front of the penalty spot by Hudson's near-post run as the forward redirected the ball with a header inside the top corner.
“I was like, ‘I've got to put this in the back of the net,’” Hudson said. “I had to make sure I put it in; finish it for the team. We worked really hard for that one. It was a team effort.”
Park Hill moved to 4-0 this season with four shutouts, still yet to concede a goal after more than 324 minutes of game time. Pendleton said his early success has been aided by Zeller and other newcomers assisting more experienced varsity players.
“We've got an infusion of young players that have stepped up right away and helped some of the players who have been here a while,” Pendleton said. “Having a super-strong goalkeeper that you're confident in allows the players in front of you to play a little more freely.”
New to the Missouri side of high school soccer, Pendleton wasn't sure his team would have such a fast start to the season. He remains cautiously optimistic but has a process-oriented approach that he hopes will lead to the results taking care of themselves.
“We've put a lot of emphasis in how we defend and making it difficult on the opposition,” he said. “They (Park Hill South) had a few opportunities from distance but nothing super-dangerous. All in all, we've got a lot of positives; we've got a lot of things we can continue to build on. We feel good about our start.”
Park Hill freshman Kiley Cato defends Park Hill South junior Kate Yager.