Trojan catalyst - Gossett always in thick of the action for resurgent Park Hill girls

After two seasons of averaging the same amount of wins as losses, the Park Hill girls soccer team is looking to break the trend this season after a recent string of victories.

“We are improving daily, the chemistry and the work rate grows on a game by game basis. Up to now we’re telling the girls that this next game is the most important of the season and they should treat it as such,” coach Manny Catano said.

“I think earlier in the season one of our weaknesses was just selflessness, we weren’t playing as a team and I think we’re starting to come into our own as a team,” assistant coach Tara Southwick said.

Some of the Lady Trojans’ momentum can be attributed to the leadership and player of senior Emma Gossett. Whether it’s diving on the basketball court for a loose ball or breaking through the defense for a goal on the soccer field, you’ll usually find Gossett in the middle of the action. Although hardly a surprise, last year’s conference defensive player of the year doesn’t shy away from the physical nature of the game.

“I don’t like getting pushed around, I’m not gonna let it happen. I’ve got an older brother so I’ve kind of learned to handle my own,” Gossett said of her aggressive style.

“Emma is an asset to any team. She has a lot of determination and her work rate in games is simply our best,” Catano said of Gossett’s contributions. “She can step up and compete against our opponent’s best player and shut them down.”

Known as a tenacious defender, her skills were on display last Thursday against Raytown South, but it wasn’t necessarily on the side of the field you might expect. The loss of several offensive players to graduation and unexpected injuries this season has created the need for Gossett to play both offense and defense. Streaking through the Cardinal defense from almost a third of the field’s length, Gossett scored the first of what would be a standout three goal night.

Shared credit followed the strong performance as the Trojans’ top defender and leading goal scorer praised her teammates.

“They fed me perfect balls so I could do it,” Gossett said.

Attending Northwest Missouri State next year, Gossett will hang up the competitive soccer cleats for good at the end of this season, but a common theme has been expressed from Gossett and her team about what they’d like to accomplish before then.

“I definitely want to beat South,” Gossett said. “I don’t think we played some of our best soccer the last time we played them.”

Gossett was at it again on Monday night as she scored five goals for the Trojans in an 8-0 rout of William Chrisman. It's clear now no matter what the rest of the season brings Park Hill, you can be sure Gossett will be causing a stir for opposing offenses and defenses alike.

Spring Roundup: April 12 - April 16

Park Hill Baseball
Park Hill Baseball had another strong week last week as they added two victories to their record. They found themselves down against Park Hill South on Thursday, but a 3-0 deficit turned late in the game when the Trojans scored four runs in the top of the sixth inning behind Daniel Jessen’s two-run double, Adam Vanderpool’s sacrifice fly, and Alec Kennedy’s triple. South tied the game up 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth before the Trojans added three runs in the seventh after Chris Burr batted two runs in and Vanderpool added another as Park Hill won 7-4.

Against Truman on Wednesday, the Trojans found themselves down 2-0 before J.D. Weyer clocked a grand slam putting them up 4-2. They never looked back as Alex Otto added a two-run homer. Clay Smith took the victory and Otto came in to finish the game as Park Hill won 9-5. The Trojans are now 5-2 overall, 4-0 in conference as they’re participating in the Northland Tournament this week against the likes of Excelsior Springs, Staley, and Kearney along with the rest of the Northland.

Park Hill Girls Soccer
The Lady Trojans seem to be gaining some momentum after rattling off two wins last week and haven’t given up on a conference title yet says coach Manny Catano. Emma Gossett took over on offense against Raytown South last Thursday as she drilled home three goals along with scores from Catherine Netwal and Ashley Sutlief. A 2-1 victory against Oak Park last Monday was led by goals from Heather Schieber and Olivia Derry.

“Preparation has been key for us and the kids are applying themselves more and more. I expect great competition in the next weeks as we see several opponents that are top notch teams such as Liberty, Platte County, Kearney, Park Hill South and Truman,” Catano said.

Park Hill Boys Golf
In a triangular match last Thursday, Park Hill placed second between Blue Springs and William Chrisman as they shot 172 on nine holes. Victor Soderholm and Colby Buehler both shot 40.The Trojan golf team placed 15th out of 22 teams last Monday in the Sedalia Smith-Cotton Tournament as they shot a combined score of 340. Soderholm led with an 81.

Park Hill Boys Tennis
The Park Hill tennis team ended last week with a showing at the Blue Valley Northwest Tournament where they placed sixth overall among some of the top teams in the region. Placing 6th and 11th in singles, the Trojans finished in 10th and 19th place in doubles.

“The guys played really well throughout the day especially considering that each of them had 5 matches. We had some big individual wins,” coach Ryan Kalis said.

After two tough losses to local powerhouses Rockhurst and Liberty two weeks ago, the Park Hill tennis team rebounded last week with a third place finish in the Pembroke Hill Doubles Tournament, a win against Kearney 8-1, North Kansas City 9-0, and wins by Sam Barth in singles and Mike Merchant/Brian Hillix in doubles against Park Hill South led them to a 9-0 victory. The Trojans are now 7-2 overall in match play and will compete against Oak Park this week.