Park Hill swept its three matches at the Blue Springs South Tournament but still needed to wait for the final game to know the outcome of the title.
State rules require a champion to be crowned, even in the six-team round robin setup. A points system based on result, goals scored and shutouts, Park Hill ended up with 20 points after beating Smithville 7-0 on Friday, April 22 in Blue Springs, Mo.
Blue Valley West and Blue Springs South tied in the final match, leaving Blue Valley West four points back of the Trojans.
Jenna Winebrenner recorded a hat trick in the win against Smithville, while Chais Wright added a pair. Bella Catano and Ayana Weisssenfluh rounded out the scorers, while Kelbey Emerson recorded her second shutout of the tournament.
Park Hill 1, Rock Bridge 0
Emerson recorded the shutout Thursday, April 21 in the middle game of the tournament. She made five saves, mostly in the first half, as Rock Bridge bunkered back late trying to preserve a shutout tie that would have scored points in the tournament’s unique format.
Instead, Wright gave Park Hill the win with a 78th minute goal on an assist from Winebrenner. The Trojans dominated possession and chances in the second half but only avoided the tie in the closing minutes.
Park Hill 3, Blue Springs South 2
The Trojans beat Class 4’s No. 10 team, building a two-goal lead early and hanging on late in their tournament opener Tuesday, April 19.
Alison Walls tallied the opener on an assist from freshman Sarah Hibbeler, who sent in a left-footed cross from the left that deflected off a defender. Walls collected before hitting a left-footed shot across the face of goal that crossed up the goalkeeper.
Park Hill increased its lead to 2-0 before halftime when Hibbeler took a pass from Taylor Buckholz before hitting a left-footed shot that went clear across the face of goal and pinged in off the far post.
Blue Springs South closed within 2-1 before Buckholz scored on an assist from Catano to put the Trojans back up two goals. The Jaguars late goal only closed the margin and gave them an additional point in the standings.
Park Hill South 4, Rock Bridge 3
The Panthers let two leads slip away Friday, April 22 in Blue Springs, Mo. before Margaret McKeon tallied a late winner.
After a difficult season in tournaments, Park Hill South salvaged a win from another potentially disappointing result. The Panthers led 1-0 at halftime on Kallen Mazeitis’ free kick goal in the 10th minute before Rock Bridge answered back with two goals in the first 10 minutes of the second half.
The final 10 minutes were back and forth.
Mazeitis added a second on a free kick in the 70th minute, and three minutes later, Marquese Oder finished a through ball from Meghan Jones to put Park Hill South up 3-2. The lead lasted only two minutes when the Bruins’ Molly Klein scored when the Panthers failed to clear a throw-in.
In the 78th minute, McKeon created a turneover in the midfield and blasted in the game-winner from 30 yards out. The 4-3 scoreline held for the final 2½ minutes.
Park Hill South went 1-2-0 in the tournament and finished fifth out of six teams.
Blue Springs South 5, Park Hill South 1
The Jaguars scored four times in the first half on the way to a win Thursday, April 21.
Park Hill South trailed 5-0 in the loosing minutes before Ryanne Serrone beat a defender dribbling to the end line before sending in a cross. Meghan Jones finished for the Panthers’ lone goal.
Blue Valley West 3, Park Hill South 0
The Panthers were shut out in their opener Tuesday, April 19 with goalkeeper Haley Mills starting and playing all 80 minutes.
Other games
Park Hill 2, Lee’s Summit North 0
The Trojans won their 10th straight, shutting out the No. 5 team in the MSHSSCA rankings Monday, April 25 in Lee’s Summit, Mo. They also wrapped up a lengthy road trip ahead of a scheduled home game vs. St. Joseph Central on Tuesday, April 26, but the result was not available at The Citizen’s deadline with weather potentially leading to a postponement.
Sam Paulak returned after missing six games due to a concussion and supplied a goal and an assist for Park Hill in its best win this season. Walls scored the other goal on the assist from the junior defensive midfielder.
Park Hill, now 14-3, garnered 14 points in the most recent Class 4 poll, the first team appearing in the others receiving votes portion of the list.
Liberty 1, Park Hill South 0
The Panthers lost their first in Suburban Conference Red Division play, unable to turn a majority of possession into a win Monday, April 25 in Liberty, Mo.
Haley Mills held a shutout for Park Hill South until the 72nd minute when Makenzie Herwig provided the match’s lone goal. The Panthers have now lost three of four but hold a 7-8-0 record, including a 4-1 mark in conference.
Park Hill South won the first meeting with Liberty 3-1 just 11 days earlier, ahead of the Panthers’ 1-2 showing in the Bule Springs South Tournament. They are scheduled to resume Red Division play at St. Joseph Central on Thursday, April 28.