Marysville girls soccer falls in district semifinal, reflects on bounce-back year

EAST CHINA — The Marysville girls soccer team bounced back in epic fashion this year. But it couldn't find enough bounces to extend the season.

The Vikings lost a heartbreaker to St. Clair Shores Lake Shore, 2-1, in penalty kicks in a Division 2 district semifinal at East China Stadium on Tuesday night.

"I saw a lot of fight in (our girls) today," said Marysville coach Scott Parker, whose team finished 11-5-1. "They continued to battle. We weren't getting some bounces at the beginning of the game. But we settled down and just kept pushing. They left it all out on the field."

Scoring was sparse on an evening when the temperature peaked at 90 degrees. The heat was so intense that each half had its own scheduled water break. But Marysville refused to wilt.

"The constant effort has been a theme all year," Parker said. "There won't be a team that's going to outwork us."

The Vikings dictated the pace early and weaved through the Shorians' defense. Yet it wasn't until the second half when the scoreless tie was broken.

Marysville's Maddy Smith was dribbling down the right side of the field. She passed it left to Sophia Lukitsch, who was just behind the penalty arc.

"Beautiful cross by Maddy," Parker said.

"The ball came across to my right foot," Lukitsch said. "I just laid into it and hoped for the best."

She kicked the ball in stride and it sailed over the goalie's head. That gave the Vikings a 1-0 edge with 27:21 left in the game.

But Lake Shore eventually answered at the 8:04 mark to pull even. The Shorians capitalized on a rebound in front of the goal for the final score of regulation.

Neither team would strike during the two overtime periods. So, 100 minutes of soccer came down to a shootout. Lake Shore connected on its first and fourth attempts to win in penalty kicks, 2-0.

The Vikings were disappointed as they exited the locker room at East China Stadium. But they left with their heads held high and reflected on a successful year.

"I felt this was one of the best seasons I've ever played," senior Evelynn Fletcher said. "As a team, we all connected really well. I couldn't be more proud of my teammates. We had such a good season and ended up sharing the MAC Gold championship with Lamphere."

"That's our first MAC championship in the Gold division," Parker said.

"It's a huge accomplishment," Fletcher said. "I'm glad I got to be a captain and lead everybody through this."

It was quite the turnaround for a team that finished 6-9-3 in 2021. Opponents even took notice of the Vikings' improvement.

"It's really cool hearing other teams from a higher division say they're shocked to see how good we are," Fletcher said. "We battled with them and that's rewarding."

"We gave it our all," junior Sydney Sampier said. "And it was absolutely amazing. I'm very thankful and lucky to be able to play with these girls."

Parker beamed with pride as he spoke about this collection of players. They've come a long way in the past three months.

"This is one of my favorite seasons out of all the years I've coached," Parker said. "The effort, the fight, the never-quit attitude ... it was a lot of fun this year."

Contact Brenden Welper at bwelper@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrendenWelper.

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Marysville falls in district semifinal, reflects on bounce-back year