BALLWIN – Parkway West senior Kate Hardy remembered it vividly. One win, 17 losses. A freshman season most would try to forget. A freshman season that made the magic of Saturday night possible.
“That year was hard, but even though we lost all the time, we were a tight-knit team and loved being together,” Hardy said. “It motivated us to keep working and see what we were capable of.”
Hardy scored twice and sophomore Grace Wright netted the game-winner as Parkway West stunned St. Dominic 3-2 in a Class 4 quarterfinal Saturday at Parkway West High.
Parkway West (20-7), which reached its first final four in program history, will face two-time defending state champion Cor Jesu (23-0) in a Class 4 Missouri State High School Activities Association semifinal at 4 p.m. Friday at Soccer Park in Fenton.
Nixa (22-3) and St. Teresa’s Academy (10-6-1) will face off in the other Class 4 semifinal at 7 p.m. at Soccer Park.
For the full schedule of state soccer, visit: https://www.mshsaa.org/Activities/DistrictWinners.aspx?alg=34&class=1.
To complete the remarkable turnaround, the Longhorns had to find a way to defeat seven-time champion and last season’s state-runner-up St. Dominic on Saturday night.
“They’re a really good team – historically good. We knew this was going to be a very difficult matchup and that we were going to have to be the best versions of ourselves to give them a fight,” Parkway West coach Annie Wayland said.
The Longhorns brought a fearless version of themselves that seemed to be one step quicker to 50-50 balls throughout the night. It the 13th minute, Wright launched a 20-yard rocket off the bottom of the crossbar that Hardy was the first to locate. With defenders approaching quickly, Hardy settled the bouncing ball, calmly picked her spot and gave Parkway West the lead.
“I didn’t feel calm in the moment. I was a little worried about missing that one,” Hardy said.
St. Dominic (14-7) began to use its speed up top to create havoc, and in the 29th minute, a collision in the box resulted in a penalty kick that sophomore Emma Schulte converted to tie the score at 1.
Less than a minute later, a free kick line drive by senior Julia Kiffer squirted through the grasp of St. Dominic goalkeeper Katelyn Hannon and the right foot of Hardy was waiting.
“It came right to my feet. I was in the right position I guess,” Hardy said.
A diving save by Parkway West senior goalkeeper Steffi Fussner on a partial breakaway by Crusaders’ sophomore Elle Frede closed out a first half in which the Longhorns played one step and one reaction faster than St. Dominic.
“We weren’t connecting side-to-side – a bad touch here – and we were just a step too slow. The small details matter, and you need to have them this time of year,” St. Dominic coach Greg Koeller said.
For Wayland, the first two goals were indicative of the passion that Parkway West exemplified throughout the season.
“Those first two goals were all effort. ‘I want it,’” Wayland said. “In the stat column, it doesn’t say, ‘Pretty goal,’ it just says, ‘Goal.’ We needed to get our body on everything, and those two goals were indicative of the heart this team has.”
St. Dominic emerged from halftime and tilted the field in its favor, earning two corner kicks in the opening minutes. On the second attempt, senior Evelyn Miller delivered a perfectly-placed ball into the box that sophomore Elle Frede half-volleyed into the net to tie the game at 2.
But once again, Parkway West responded with alacrity. A beautiful through-ball by senior Maggie Leahy sent Wright into the clear and the Longhorns leading goal scorer made no mistake, drilling a shot far post with 31 minutes remaining to give West a 3-2 lead.
“That one was unexpected. I saw the path and I followed through with it,” Wright said.
While it may have been tempting for the Longhorns to sit back and play kick-away for the final 30 minutes, they did not. Strong step-ups in the midfield by Kiffer and sophomore Ava Kerber, combined with outstanding challenges by senior Faith Mosher and freshman Olivia Roth kept St. Dominic from finding dangerous chances.
A St. Dominic free kick sailed over the crossbar with 2:14 remaining and the final hope for the Crusaders drifted away.
“Credit to (Parkway West), they did what they needed to do. It just wasn’t our night,” Koeller said. “A lot of lessons to learn. People say it’s easy to get (to the final four), but it’s hard.”
He added, “Sometimes failure leads to success later on.”
Nobody knows the accuracy of those final two statements than Parkway West, which muddled through a 1-17 season in 2023 with a team comprised mostly of freshmen after graduating 13 seniors the year before.
“We were starting from square one and we knew it was going to be a difficult season,” Hardy said. “That year was hard, but even though we lost all the time, we were a tight-knit team and loved been together. At the end of that season, we were excited to roll into the next year and see what came next. It motivated us to keep working and see what we were capable of.”
Parkway West won eight games in 2024 and 16 games in 2025. The Longhorns entered this year’s playoffs in a tough district where they faced Marquette and Kirkwood – two teams that had defeated them during the regular season.
“All season, we’ve had a lot of confidence building, but the biggest turning point was in districts against Marquette. That win told us, ‘We can go far,’ said Wright, who scored five goals in a 6-2 playoff win over the Mustangs.
A pair of goals by freshman Julianna Bell, including the second half game-winner, propelled Parkway West to a 3-1 win over top-seeded Kirkwood, a district title and a shot at yearly powerhouse St. Dominic in the quarterfinal.
Now, with Cor Jesu and superstar Maddie DiMaria on the horizon Friday, the Longhorns know their newly paved road will not get easier, but they are enjoying every second of the ride.
“West has never done this before. It’s crazy to even be here. We’ve had some big upsets, and we’re just going to keep playing, no matter how hard our competition is,” Wright said.
And for Wayland, now in her 22nd season at Parkway West, the journey from a 1-17 record to the final four is one to be cherished and celebrated.
“What a cool, full-circle moment for them. They had such a great attitude when things were turbulent, and it played out three years later. They never gave up then, and they never gave up now. If anyone deserves it, this class does,” she said.
For a full photo gallery from this game: click on this link: https://benvessa.smugmug.com/Girls-Soccer-2023-24/Girls-Soccer-2026/Parkway-West-vs-St-Dominic-state-quarterfinal