Jerry Malone was enjoying retirement by spending the winter months in South Carolina.
A former men’s soccer coach at Central Christian College throughout the 1970’s and 80’s, Malone led the Kansas-based school to back-to-back national championships in 1985 and 1986.
“We were pretty good,” he said.
As he lounged in tranquility and comfort in the Palmetto state in February, his son informed him that Metro High School was searching for a girls soccer coach and asked if he was interested.
“I’m pretty sure he was just kidding, but I said to my wife, ‘Why not? What else am I going to do, take a nap in the afternoon?’” Malone said.
Nobody will be napping on Metro this postseason, as the Panthers take a 15-1 record into the Missouri State High School Activities Association Class 1 District 2 tournament at Lutheran High School in St. Peters, MO.
Metro is ranked as the No. 1 team in Class 1 according to the latest Missouri High School Soccer Coaches Association (MHSSCA) poll. The Panthers will open district play against No. 8 seed Lutheran North at 4:30 p.m. on May 13 at Lutheran High.
MSHSAA District Soccer Brackets: https://www.mshsaa.org/Activities/DistrictTournaments.aspx?alg=34&class=1&district=2&year=2023
Metro began the season by winning its first 13 games, including one-goal victories over Lutheran South and Bishop DuBourg – two teams that defeated the Panthers each of the previous three seasons.
“We’re setting records,” Malone said. “This is the best soccer team Metro has ever had.”
Metro won three consecutive district championships from 2021-23, but each year, the Panthers fell in the sectional round, one step away from the final four. Last season, they took a scoreless tie into halftime against Saxony Lutheran before dropping a 2-0 decision.
“We were right there, tied at halftime, but it was a hot day and we kind of fell apart in the second half,” senior captain Alice Kovarik said.
With only four districts in Class 1 this year, each Class 1 district champion will bypass the sectional round and advance straight into the state semifinals – a place the Metro girls soccer program has never gone.
When Malone arrived on Metro’s campus, he only had three weeks to get to know the players and prepare the team for the regular season.
“I thought, ‘How can I get 11 players good enough to win games in three weeks?’ I cut through all the garbage and said, ‘If we do this, this and this, we’ll get there quicker,’” Malone said.
Metro does not have a home field, so the team practices at Saint Louis University and often has access to only one half of the field. Training consists of mini-games of ‘keep away’ where players work on passing, moving without the ball and finding open space.
“We have small sets of scrimmages that focus on technical skills, set plays and how to connect as a team,” senior captain Amelia Ayulo said.
Prior to the season, Ayulo worked closely with school administrators to acquire new uniforms, including team socks. She also proposed a more rigorous schedule to help the Panthers feel more prepared for the postseason. Metro opponents included Mid-Buchanan, Ursuline and Whitfield, all teams that reached the final four in 2023.
“I play club soccer. I know what (high school) teams are on our level and what’s going to be a challenge for us,” Ayulo said. “Playing good opponents is necessary, and it’s one of the reasons we have a shot at winning state.”
Another reason is the family atmosphere cultivated at practices by the 75-year-old Malone, who intertwines varsity and junior varsity players during mini-competitions while blaring his favorite Bob Marley tunes.
“He kind of swooped in,” Kovarik said. “We listen to Bob Marley together. He says we’re all his grandchildren. There’s definitely a sense of community and a lot of heart on our team.”
Both Kovarik and Ayulo feel that schools in the Public High League (PHL) within the St. Louis Public Schools system tend to be overlooked and underappreciated.
“There’s always an underdog feeling at Metro because we don’t have the facilities and we’re an SLPS school. That really fuels us to disprove people,” Kovarik said.
Metro recently was named the No. 1 public school academically in the state of Missouri and No. 99 nationally according to U.S. News and World Report.
“I feel the next step in destigmatizing the perception of SLPS schools is our athletics,” Ayulo said. “Our sport is not about prestige. It’s about working hard, making it a welcoming environment and having the opportunity to play hard games.”
Metro hopes those hard games continue during the weekend of May 31-June 1 when the MSHSAA state semifinals take place at Soccer Park in Fenton.
And as the games get harder and the postseason pressure mounts, Malone will likely remind the Panthers of the words of his favorite musical artist – ‘Don’t worry about a thing.’
“I’m having more fun coaching than I’ve ever had in my life. It’s like I have 24 granddaughters. It’s amazing,” Malone said.
Photos can be found and/or purchased at: https://benvessa.smugmug.com/Girls-Soccer-2023-24/Metro-vs-Ursuline-May-2-2024