By MATT PIKE
In a season where they won their first MEC Conference championship, and claimed a district championship yet again, the Maryville Spoofhound girls soccer team fell in state quarterfinals, matching their best finish in the postseason.
Maryville fell to a top ranked team in the state in the Class 2 quarterfinals, losing to Pleasant Hill 4-0. The Chicks scored three goals in the first half, with two coming from Rylee Hull, eight minutes into the game and the second coming just two minutes later, and the third coming off the foot of Laney Sterling with four minutes left in the half. In the second half, the score held the same, until there were six minutes remaining, when Pleasant Hill scored the final goal.
Despite the loss, and the emotions felt following the game, head coach Stephanie Ingram says she'd rather play teams the caliber of Pleasant Hill than win all the time.
"I mean it makes the game so much better, the loss sucks, but I'm so proud of this group, I mean we fought all season, especially coming from a smaller school so this loss definitely does not define our season," Ingram tells reporters after the game.
The team was led by a group of five seniors. This senior class also marks the end, of a sort of family legacy, ending 11 straight years of an Ingram playing for the Spoofhounds, with Jersey Ingram playing her final game, her sister as the head coach. Stephanie spent her playing career in Maryville, her career ending during the COVID canceled high school sports season.
Stephanie returned to coach Maryville in 2024, in time to also coach her other sister, Presley, in her senior season, along with Jersey being on the team. Also during her time playing, Stephanie played alongside her sister Shanna as well. Ingram jokes, with the sisters being all just two years apart, they all just kind of took over Maryville High School.
"Getting to play with Shanna and then now getting to coach Presley and then Jersey, especially with them going through the same injury as me, it's just a whole different dynamic," Ingram explains becoming emotional. "I can't explain how special that relationship is to me, I mean my sisters are my best friends."
All three sisters, Stephanie, Jersey, and Presley, suffered torn ACL's in their careers. Jersey tore her ACL playing basketball entering her sophomore season. In the same season, Presley also tore her ACL. Both injuries to Presley and Jersey, happened just prior to Stephanie's first year at the helm with the Spoofhounds.
Even with five seniors graduating, Maryville still returns a solid core of players next season with 23 players set to return next season. Ingram says even losing five, this team still has a lot of depth to go.
"A lot of incoming freshman, I would put all those JV girls out there, it's hard to get everybody in," Ingram says. "So to have depth that we do on the bench, that's great, we can just continue building, building, and just go from there. "
Maryville ends the season 12-5-1.
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.