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Schools

Parkway West Takes Rival South In Frigid Soccer Matchup

Longhorns score three times in second half Tuesday night for 3-0 shutout win over visiting Patriots.

PARKWAY WEST HIGH SCHOOL — After starting the 2011 season with a mediocre August and September, the  boys soccer team seems to have found its footing in October.

The Longhorns won four of six matches to start the new month, and were in position to get back to the .500 mark if they could pull out a win Tuesday night at Longhorn Stadium against district rival .

And thanks to a big second half, which included goals by Gavyn Prsha, John Umstead, and Kevin Doherty, the Longhorns have won five of their last seven, and are now 12-12 on the season, behind a 3-0 win Tuesday night over the visiting Patriots.

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“It was a good win, no doubt,” West head coach Michael Skordos said. “We made some adjustments at halftime, and really come out and controlled the action in the second half.”

Boy did they ever.

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West seemed to have possession of the ball nearly the entire second half, and peppered South goalkeeper Cameron Tober with numerous shots and scoring chances.

Tober proved himself up for the challenge with a brilliant first half, which included at least four sensational saves.

But in the second half, West’s pressure just proved to be too much.

“They just pressured us a lot,” South head coach Al Trost said. “They had the ball in our end a lot, and we made a few mistakes. We’ve just got to play better.”

West’s Prsha made the first big play of the night when he scored his third goal of the season on a corner kick, just minutes after the start of the second half.

That tally gave the Longhorns some breathing room, and allowed the home team to get more comfortable on its attack. That offense crystalized when Umstead outleaped two South defenders on a head ball midway through the second half, then directed a shot past Tober, for his third goal of the season.

“I was just trying to get something on net,” the 6-foot-4-inch Umstead said. “Being big makes it easier, and I’m fast, so I kind of have an advantage.”

Doherty added an insurance goal, his second of the season, late in the match that made sure there would be no South comeback.

“We’ve definitely been playing better lately,” Skordos said. “Districts are right around the corner, and we’re in with Summit and Eureka and Lafayette and Marquette, so it’s important the kids know, we can still do better.”

South fell to 6-14 with the loss, and has now lost 11 straight matches to date.

Just more than a month ago on September 19, after they won a home match 2-1 over Ladue High, Parkway South was 6-3, and off to a fantastic 2011 campaign.

Since then, the Patriots have been staring down the barrel of one of the program's poorest seasons in recent memory.

“It’s just been one of those years for us,” Trost said. “It’s been horrific. We’ve had so many injuries, and player changes, and position changes, it’s just been a real tough year for us.”

West will be back in action on Wednesday night, with a Suburban South Conference matchup at Parkway North, while South will get back on the field Thursday night, with a trip to Cedar Hill to take on Northwest House Springs.

“South always plays us tough,” Skordos said. “So we’re pretty happy that we got this win tonight.”

Scoring Summary

 

Score by Halves

F

Parkway South

0

0

 

 

 

 

0

Parkway West

0

3

 

 

 

 

3

 

First Half

No scoring.

Second Half

PW: Gavyn Prsha (3) – 36:22.

PW: John Umstead (3) – 20:27.

PW: Kevin Doherty (2) – 7:22.

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