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Southwest All-Stars soccer games
By Joboo | June 27, 2008
In sports, we often make reference to ‘going out on top’. Coaches and players who retire after winning a championship. An athlete walking away from the game while still one of the very best. Memories of those who have done so are plentiful. Sandy Koufax retiring while still the dominant pitcher in baseball. Barry Sanders hanging up his cleats when it seemed certain he would become the all time leading rusher. Ray Bourque, George Walsh, Tom Osborne, on and on. Coming to the end of the careers, many great ones desire to step away being acknowledged as the best. We hardly ever think of a high school athlete in those terms. But after last nights performance in the Southwest All-Stars girls game last night, Waynesville’s Katie Pritchard has every right to claim that she went out on top.
In her final match, against a collection of the finest seniors in SW MO, Pritchard netted a hat trick including the game tying goal with just minutes left in the game to earn Gold team MVP honors. That offset a fine performance from Red team MVP Lorin Opfer of Glendale who scored 2 goals of her own in the 3-3 tie. Pritchard’s brilliant career comes to a glorious end as she turns her attention to basketball at Drury next season.
The boys game also ended 3-3 as Gold team MVP Heath Melugin of Kickapoo and Red team MVP Justin Scicluna of West Plains both scored a pair. Scicluna netted his second with 4 minutes left to level the contest before the final whistle. Both Melugin and Scicluna are headed to Missouri State next year.
The News-Leader has a full writeup here. And as soon as Ole at Springfield Soccer gives us his thoughts, I’ll add a link to that too.
SOUTHWEST ALL-STARS SOCCER GAMES
Girls
- Gold 3, Red 3: Gold - Katie Pritchard 3; Red - Lorin Opfer 2, Brianna Ragains
Boys
- Gold 3, Red 3: Gold - Heath Melugin 2, Rob Curtis; Red - Justin Scicluna 2, T.J. Martin
Topics: Soccer |