By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Of all the girls’ soccer programs in the area, none may have been hit harder by the cancellation of the Spring 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic than the Parkview Lady Vikings, who had more than 10 seniors miss out on their final high school seasons.
“It was devastating for that group to lose their senior season after all the work they have put into our program,” Parkview head coach Shelby Stewart said. “With the experience we returned, we had a good shot of finishing in the top half of our conference, as well as a shot at the district title. Our seniors were thankful that Springfield Public Schools hosted a senior game, which allowed them to exit their senior seasons by playing one final game.”
A few of those key graduates included Megan Dempsey, Olivia Wheeler, Ella Werner-Click and Aisha Ramadhan.
Dempsey, a midfielder, was a Class 3 District 11 and All-Ozark Conference first-team selection. Wheeler, a forward who is playing at Stephens College in Columbia, earned all-district and all-conference second-team honors, and Werner-Click, a midfielder, was an all-district second-team pick.
A key returnee in 2021 for the Lady Vikings, who finished 10-11-1 overall and 5-4 in the OC in 2019, is senior forward Mikaela Whalen.
CLICK HERE FOR ALL OF THE SPRING SPORTS PREVIEWS
“Mikaela is our top returning scorer,” Stewart said. “We will look for her to lead this team through patience and hard work.”
Whalen, who will be taking her basketball skills to Missouri Valley College next year, was an all-district and all-conference first-team selection as a sophomore.
As for newcomers, Stewart has several holes to fill with the numbers lost in the Class of 2020 and the loss of the season.
“Without playing a single minute last season and a depleted summer schedule, we will have over 75 percent, or more, players that are considered newcomers,” Stewart said.
Parkview opens the regular season at Central on March 23 before hosting three straight at home against Joplin (March 29), Republic (March 30) and Rogersville (April 2).
“Being able to play this season is what our players will be most thankful for,” Stewart said. “After losing a season due to COVID, we are looking forward to getting back out on the field and improving our program. We will have many new faces, but expectations are to get better each day and compete each game.”
