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Grain Valley, MO —
This is how much the Grain Valley girls soccer team has improved in the last year:
When the Eagles met Notre Dame de Sion in the district championship last year, the Grain Valley girls were celebrating following a 9-0 loss because the Storm did not reach the mercy rule.
Following Friday night’s Class 2 District 13 championship game, the Eagles were crying because they came so close to downing the Storm, who came away with an oh-so-close 2-0 victory.
“We came into this game thinking we could win,” Eagles freshman Reighan Childers said. “Notre Dame is a great program – they’re the type of program I want to be a part of by the time I’m a senior here at Grain Valley – but we really felt like we could win this game tonight.”
While the Storm bombarded Eagles goalkeeper Darcy Scharfenkamp with 26 shots – including two goals by Patricia White – Grain Valley could manage just three shots on goal, but one by Childers late in the game nearly slipped past Sion goalkeeper Anna Hendrix.
“There were a lot of tears because we had a great season and played so well tonight,” said Grain Valley coach Aleana Balistreri, whose team finished with a 17-8 record. “We have to say goodbye to two great seniors, captains Jena Prue and Courtney Morales, but our future is so bright.
“Courtney was here from the beginning and Jena is a three-sport star who wanted to play soccer last year and she has become a valuable part of our team.”
Prue managed a smile in a post-game interview, despite the tears that streaked her face.
“The hardest part for me is knowing that I will never play with these girls again,” Prue said. “I play three sports and this is my last sport, so this is it for sports at Grain Valley. We gave Sion a real game, but their pressure was just too much for us.
“But with players like Reighan, we’re going to get so much better. She made the team incredibly good this season. Gosh, I wish I had another year with this team.”
Childers was disappointed by the loss, but is confident her team is going to become a fixture in the Eastern Jackson County soccer establishment.
“I know I can be a difference-maker, but I want to be a game-changer,” Childers said. “When it was 1-0, we knew we still had a chance. We score, and it’s a new game.
This is how much the Grain Valley girls soccer team has improved in the last year:
When the Eagles met Notre Dame de Sion in the district championship last year, the Grain Valley girls were celebrating following a 9-0 loss because the Storm did not reach the mercy rule.
Following Friday night’s Class 2 District 13 championship game, the Eagles were crying because they came so close to downing the Storm, who came away with an oh-so-close 2-0 victory.
“We came into this game thinking we could win,” Eagles freshman Reighan Childers said. “Notre Dame is a great program – they’re the type of program I want to be a part of by the time I’m a senior here at Grain Valley – but we really felt like we could win this game tonight.”
While the Storm bombarded Eagles goalkeeper Darcy Scharfenkamp with 26 shots – including two goals by Patricia White – Grain Valley could manage just three shots on goal, but one by Childers late in the game nearly slipped past Sion goalkeeper Anna Hendrix.
“There were a lot of tears because we had a great season and played so well tonight,” said Grain Valley coach Aleana Balistreri, whose team finished with a 17-8 record. “We have to say goodbye to two great seniors, captains Jena Prue and Courtney Morales, but our future is so bright.
“Courtney was here from the beginning and Jena is a three-sport star who wanted to play soccer last year and she has become a valuable part of our team.”
Prue managed a smile in a post-game interview, despite the tears that streaked her face.
“The hardest part for me is knowing that I will never play with these girls again,” Prue said. “I play three sports and this is my last sport, so this is it for sports at Grain Valley. We gave Sion a real game, but their pressure was just too much for us.
“But with players like Reighan, we’re going to get so much better. She made the team incredibly good this season. Gosh, I wish I had another year with this team.”
Childers was disappointed by the loss, but is confident her team is going to become a fixture in the Eastern Jackson County soccer establishment.
“I know I can be a difference-maker, but I want to be a game-changer,” Childers said. “When it was 1-0, we knew we still had a chance. We score, and it’s a new game.
“Things changed when they got that second goal. We still worked hard, but we knew it would be much more difficult to win. But this game, this loss, is going to make us better. We don’t want to feel like this again after a loss. We can get a lot of positives from this game.”
Sion’s White scored her first goal following a corner kick at the 32-minute mark of the first half when she kicked in a rebound off a Scharfekamp save.
He second goal came at the 76-minute mark and iced the win.
“We hate to lose, but 2-0 is a lot better than 9-0,” Balistreri said. “The improvement in this team, in just one year, is pretty amazing. Our core is made up of freshmen and sophomores and there are some great eighth-grade players who will be here next year.
“Now, that this season is over, it’s fun to think about next year.”
