'The girls made history': West Holmes reflects on season to remember after state loss

MARYSVILLE — As the time expired at IMPACT Stadium in Marysville, the site of the Div. II state semifinal between Cincinnati Summit Country Day and West Holmes, a special moment happened. With the Knights coming out of the handshake line and beginning to hug each other, sharing tears and even bigger hugs, the Holmes County faithful rose for one final, loud standing ovation to their team.

First district champions, first regional champions and the first girls from Millersburg to ever play in a state match for girls' soccer. It didn't matter that the final result was a 5-0 loss to Summit Country Day, all that mattered was the bond between this team and its community.

"When you turn around from midfield and look at those full stands, like it should be a football game, that's pretty cool," said West Holmes coach Schuyler Snyder. "Just that type of support, you don't see groups and fans like that for women's soccer and just the excitement these girls have brought to the community, that's pretty special."

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Getting the chance to play at state was pretty special too.

"We walked in here and our jaws dropped," said Knights senior and University of Akron commit Allie McMillen. "It's a once in a lifetime experience for all of us. We come from a Holmes County bubble. We aren't used to things like this.

"It took a lot of hard work and teamwork to get here, and honestly, I am so happy that we got to experience this day. It is one that we'll never forget, and it was just such a great experience with it being my last game with my coach and my best friends. It was a special moment, even though we didn't get the outcome we wanted, I am really proud of all of us."

The game started out with Summit Country Day applying the heat early on West Holmes goalkeeper Brianna Parks. Three shots on the frame and two other shots were fired by the Silver Knights within the first five minutes and each time, Parks had an answer. The senior didn't back down as she made superb saves and raced out to grab a cross to end that five-minute rush.

"Bri just doesn't quit," said McMillen. "I look up to her honestly, as a person and a player. She is a great leader, even though she isn't a captain, she is always there for us, and she's improved so much from her freshman year to her senior year. I just really admire that about her."

For Parks it was the start of a busy day, as she worked hard for the entire 80 minutes. From pushing shots outside the post, to one over the cross bar, diving stops and racing all over the goal box, Parks finished with 14 saves on the day.

But Summit Country Day's offense was just too much, as the Silver Knights broke through despite Parks' best efforts.

The Knights swung back offensively, and when it could muster some offense, it created some dangerous opportunities. There was McMillen taking a feed from Charli Murphy, up and over the last defender and she fired a shot that was blocked Summit goalkeeper Maddie Mescher with 7:11 left in the opening period. It could have changed the tide as it would have cut the Silver Knights' 2-0 advantage in half.

"I should have taken a touch and cut it in," said McMillen.

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Even after Summit extended it out to 5-0 when Mia Stevens scored her second goal on the night, the locals kept swinging. Murphy raced up the far hash and led a breakaway towards the frame before a defender slid in from the backside and executed a perfect tackle. All the way to the end, when West Holmes had back-to-back corner kicks as it tried to break through late in the contest.

"We could have easily folded," said Snyder. "Yet, you see Bri Parks making great saves, Natalie Rohr busting every sprint to keep the backline organized, see Avery (Arnold) and Allie in the middle sprinting and just trying and get an opportunity. You can't teach that. A lot of respect for these kids that just didn't stop until that final whistle blew."Instead, this unit just on challenging themselves.

"Regardless of the team we were playing they knew it would be a battle," added Snyder. "Honestly, I think they battled themselves, I mean they could see the scoreboard, yet they challenged themselves, like, 'Hey, let's punch one in' or 'Let's keep our defensive line strong so that another one doesn't go in." They are always challenging themselves."

It's that no quit mentality that defined the team this year as they did things never done before by a Knights girls soccer team. It enabled them to raise that bar higher than it's ever been.

"Most of the credit goes to my coach, hands down, she has built this program up," said McMillen. "She motivates us at practice, she is the reason we want to come, we play for her every game, she is a great role model for me, and her motivation helps us all. She leads the whole team, and we follow her."

Yet it was this team, this group of seniors Josie Tish, Kali Woods, Arnold, Rohr, McMillen and Parks that made this run possible. This group of six seniors bonded, put the team over themselves and simply wouldn't be denied as they put together the greatest run in Knights girls' soccer history.

"The girls made history. This will be talked about for a while and I want it to be talked about for a while, the girls deserve that," said Snyder. "They put in the work for this to be talked about, the girls earned a lot of respect and a lot of eyes on them as athletes, as young adults, as young female athletes and as a lot of young girls to look up to them and I think that's a huge role to play."

She went on to add on a personal note about a team that won't be forgotten for a very long time.

"I think out of all the teams that I coached and played for, this is by far the most special team that I've been a part of," added Snyder. "It's simply a great group of kids, as people, as athletes, in the classroom, they all come from wonderful families, and you will not find a better group of girls who enjoy playing together."

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Girls Soccer: Summit Country Day ends West Holmes' historic season