The Junior Varsity Vikings’ season has come to an end, with the final two matches of the regular season being rained out. With a final record of 5-7-6, the Vikings accomplished much, but have some unfinished business to complete next year.

The JV squad was led in scoring by Alex Shupert and Mary Langebartel, two young ladies who will look to contribute at the Varsity level with the departure of a few offense weapons from the Varsity squad this year. Helping out in the offensive department in 2010 have been Amanda Leckrone and Marie Maize, the center mid duo that was able to able to anchor things at midfield for the majority of the season. Hard work and dedication pretty much defines these two, who were able to step into leadership roles this year for the JV team.

Defensively, the Vikings mixed and matched quite frequently, based on injuries and experience. Anna Bingham, Sydnie Pilkinton, Carsen Miller, Becca Castillo, Marissa Deffenbaugh, and Marisa Catt all put heavy amounts of time in on the back line for Parkview. Both Maddie George and Emily Courtney shared goal keeping duties for the Vikings, and there is no question that Parkview will have a wealth of depth and some decisions to make on the back line and in goal next year, with so many young players contributing and showing promise.

The Vikings pulled off some exciting wins, and ended up with some hard worked for ties as well. Some of the bigger matches on the season included beating West Plains 2-1 in last game of the season, and tying Kickapoo, Ozark, and Camdenton.

Many of these Junior Varsity ladies will see increased playtime at the JV level next year, gaining more experience and sharpening up their game for future Varsity play. Others will move on to the Varsity level in 2011, and contribute to a Varsity squad that has gone undefeated in the Ozark Conference, and gone 15-3 in the regular season.

Coach’s letter to the JV team.

Maerz at Center of Suprise Season for Lady Vikings

In a year when teams are stacked with talented players, Parkview, a program that typically finishes in the middle of the pack, looks to finally have found their winning formula…”We want to win the Conference, win the District and advance to state,” Maerz said. “We have always been looked down upon. It’s time for us to prove them wrong.”

Read the rest of the article by going to page 26 and 27 of the most recent edition of Big O Sports Magazine online.

The article inspired Ole at www.sgfsoccer.com to write an article about the Vikings going into districts as well.

The Parkview Lady Vikings beat West Plains 3-0 on Tuesday night, making them an undefeated 9-0 in the Ozark Conference, and 15-3 overall. This is the first time that Parkview had ever won the Ozark Conference on the girls’ side.

The Scoring was started by Melanie Allen, and the Vikings also got goals from Jessica Maerz and Amanda Leckrone. West Plains defended well and made Parkview work, but the Vikings did not give up many scoring chances on their way to victory. Parkview was able to send the ball to the wings consistently against the Zizzers, with the majority of the attack coming from crosses, including Loderhose’s cross to Leckrone for the third goal of the night.

Coach Nick Schmitt of West Plains wrote up a nice article about the game on their website as well.

Scoring Summary: Melanie Allen 1g, Jessica Maerz 1g, Amanda Leckrone 1g, Kelsey Loderhose 2a

The PHS JV had a 2-1 come from behind victory. Marie Maize scored 2 goals, and Mary Langebartel had 1 assist. After the Vikings gave up an early goal, Maize was able to get one back when she surprised the keeper with an early shot through traffic. The score was 1-1 at half, until Maize stole the ball from a Zizzer defender and took it to goal for the Vikings’ second goal, and a 2-1 victory.

Parkview’s next game is Wednesday at Neosho. The JV teams will play first at 5:00pm, with the Varsity match to follow at 6:45pm.

The Junior Varsity Viking squad beat Willard 3-0 in their second and final match of the Ozark JV Tournament, after losing to Nixa 0-3 in the first match. The Parkview girls got off to a slow start in the first match of the day, giving up 3 goals in the first 15 minutes against Nixa and the wind. The Vikings then settled things down and created some offense of their own, but were unable to put all the pieces together for a goal.

Parkview scored two in the first half against Willard, with the first one coming from Amanda Leckrone, followed by a calm pass past the keeper by Emily Courtney. The second half was evened by by a strong wind and a Viking team that played like they were content with a 2-0 lead, but Mary Langebartel was able to get goal number three Yazmin Chan hit a through-ball to Langebartel, creating a breakaway in which she was able to slide the ball by the keeper on the far post for the goal. Maddie George and Emily Courtney combined for the shutout.

Scoring Summary: Amanda Leckrone 1g, Emily Courtney 1g, Mary Langebartel 1g, Yazmin Chan 1a

The Parkview Varsity squad lost 0-1 to Ozark on Senior Night, making them 4-1 in District 11. Parkview is now 14-3 overall, and knows that they could potentially get rematch with Ozark in round two of Districts, as the Vikings had already clinched the 1st seed before the match was even played, and if Ozark can get past Nixa in the first round we will see each other again in round two.

The Vikings looked good in the first half, but were unable to put any of their chances away. Parkview’s tired legs from the night before showed in the second half, as they were not able to reproduce their normal work rate. Even playing playing without Aubrey Durst for 90% of the match, the defense held strong and was able to limit Ozark to 2-3 scoring opportunities. The Tiger’s finished an opportunity with about 15 minutes left in the match for the 1-0 victory.

The JV squads tied 0-0. The PHS JV squad put together a solid 70 minutes of soccer, limiting the Tiger’s chances to score and creating a few opportunities for themselves. Playing without Alex Shupert has set the offense back a bit, but Yazmin Chan, Keyuna Mays, and Amanda Leckrone are carrying the load now, and all that is lacking seems to be the composure to finish in front of the net. The PHS JV defense has come together nicely, albeit quite a rotation of players putting in time in the back. Anna Bingham, Sydnie Pilkinton, Carsen Miller, Becca Castillo, Marissa Deffenbaugh, and Marisa Catt have all logged legitimate minutes in the back for the Vikings, and have all contributed to the positive defensive play.

Parkview will go to Neosho on Monday, with the Junior Varsity squads kicking off at 5:00pm, and the Varsity teams following at about 6:45pm.

The Lady Vikings played a road game against the Waynesville Tigers on Thursday, and won 2-1. This Ozark Conference match makes Parkview 8-0 in the Conference, and clinches at least a share of the Conference title. The Vikings are now 14-2 overall. Last year Parkview’s record at the end of the season was 14-10, yet the Vikings have already reached that total wins this year, with 4 regular season matches left.

The Tigers scored two minutes into the game, catching the Vikings off guard with an aggressive attack. Caylin Manary pushed the first shot off of the post, but a Waynesville player followed up the shot and hammered it in.

Parkview knotted the game up when Kelsey Loderhose played the ball to Melanie Allen to the right of the goal, just inside the 18. Allen was able to take a touch and beat the keeper to tie the game at 1-1.

With 14 minutes left in the match, Jessica Maerz jumped on a loose ball and played it through to Shelby Stewart. Stewart beat a defender before putting the ball in the side netting for the go-ahead goal.

Scoring Summary: Melanie Allen 1g, Shelby Stewart 1g, Jessica Maerz 1a, Kelsey Loderhose 1a.

The Junior Varsity Girls lost 0-1 on a first half PK. Keeper Maddie George save the initial shot, but the defense failed to clear the rebound before a Waynesville player followed it up and scored.

The JV girls battled back in the second half, with Allie Griese and Keyuna Mays creating scoring chances, and the defense limited the Tiger’s scoring opportunities. The PHS girls looked like a different team in the second half, but just couldn’t their chances.

Parkview will play Ozark on Friday, the Vikings’ last District game of the season before the District Tournament. Friday night will also be Senior Night, and the game at JFK will feature a JV match at 5:00pm, and the Varsity squad will follow at about 7:00pm. Senior night festivities will take place prior to the Varsity match, at about 6:30pm.

1. Parkview
2. Glendale
3. Kickapoo
4. Ozark
5. Nixa
6. Branson

All of the coaches in the district vote on these seedings. While the Parkview ladies have won some close games to earn the first seed, the parity in District 11 is ridiculous. Parkview beat Nixa in PKs, and both Kickapoo and Glendale by a single goal in OT. Ozark beat Nixa in PKs, and Glendale beat Ozark 1-0. Glendale beat Kickapoo in their first match of the season 4-2.

The District 11 tournament schedule is as follows:

Saturday, May 15 (at Kickapoo)
#4 Ozark vs. #5 Nixa at 5:00pm
#3 Kickapoo vs. #6 Branson at 7:00pm

Wednesday, May 19 (at JFK Stadium)
#1 Parkview vs. Ozark/Nixa Winner at 5:00pm
#2 Glendale vs. Kickapoo/Branson Winner at 7:00pm

Friday, May 21 (at JFK Stadium)
District 11 Championship at 6:30pm

Check out www.sgfsoccer.com’s article with a nice photo of the PHS Ladies and the District Schedule as well.