Parkway South Stuns Rival Parkway Central In Kicks For Cancer Girls Soccer Matchup

CHESTERFIELD -- In one of the true shockers of the 2012 girls soccer season, visiting Parkway South, a club that struggled to a 4-5 record previously, took apart rival -- the 10th-ranked team in the area, 7-1 on Thursday, in the Third Annual Kicks For Cancer Game at PCH Stadium.

North County schools and Hazelwood West have been meeting for the past two years in the Kicks For Cancer game, with one game being played at both schools.

But this year, the Pirates and Wildcats invited the Patriots and Colts to join in for single-day, two-game event to be played at Central’s wonderful new football/soccer stadium.

And although a lot of great work was done on behalf of cancer research and awareness, the best work of the day was no doubt done by the fired up Parkway South club, which tied a season-high with seven goals against Parkway Central.

The Patriots were especially ablaze in the first half, when they outscored the Colts 6-1.

Parkway Central hadn’t given up six goals in any game all year.

In fact, the Colts defense had been so tough heading into Thursday’s matchup, that they had allowed only 10 goals total all season. But South touched them for seven goals, six in the first half.

Senior Nicole Breece, junior Elizabeth Sanders, and freshman Claire Ballman each had two goals apiece to spark the Patriot attack, while teammate Molly Ray notched the other score in South’s best win of the season.

For the University of Illinois-bound Breece, the two goals gave her a team-leading eight this year, while Ballman’s two scores were the first of her high school career.

Erin Roepke had the lone score for Parkway Central, which is now 7-3 this year, and will likely fall out of the area top 10 rankings.

Despite the surprising defeat, Central will have the chance to play itself back into the top 10, beginning next week, when the Colts have games against University City and Pattonville, on Tuesday and Thursday respectively.

South will get very little time to enjoy is big-league upset, as the Patriots will be right back in action on Monday, with a road game against

Then on Tuesday, the Patriots will host No. 6-ranked Eureka in a Suburban West Conference game, before closing the week with another road game at Kirkwood on Thursday.

LOOKING AHEAD

Once next week’s games have been played, there will be two weeks left in the regular season, giving both teams six more games before the district playoffs begin on May 14.

That would seem to be just enough time for the Colts to work out whatever kinks that may have been revealed in Thursday’s loss to Parkway South.

Central will play a number of tough teams though, in that final six, including matchups against 8-5 Francis Howell (April 30), 11-4 Ft. Zumwalt West (May 3), 11-1 Rockwood Summit (May 8), and 11-2 Webster Groves (May 10).

While South will close out the year with games against top programs like Oakville (May 1), Francis Howell (May 2), Washington, MO (May 7), and Lafayette (May 10).