ACCS players who started team have sentimental senior night

Published 12:05 am Tuesday, September 29, 2015

ACCS senior Jordan Parker tries to kick a ball during ACCS’ 6-0 loss to St. Aloysius. Parker is one of the five seniors who played on the first ACCS soccer team. (Ben Hillyer / The Natchez Democrat)

ACCS senior Jordan Parker tries to kick a ball during ACCS’ 6-0 loss to St. Aloysius. Parker is one of the five seniors who played on the first ACCS soccer team. (Ben Hillyer / The Natchez Democrat)

NATCHEZ — Senior night for Adams County Christian School soccer signaled the end of an era Monday afternoon.

In the team’s last home game of the season — before (9-3) ACCS travels in the postseason — the Lady Rebels fell 6-0 to St. Aloysius. But the seniors who led the team on the field — Jordan Parker, Karrigan Eidt, Lindsey Peterman, Kristen Rhinehart and Madison Newman — were honored before the game for being the final remaining members of the very first ACCS girls soccer team.

“It’s funny because we were playing co-ed soccer seven years ago,” ACCS head coach Jimmy Allgood said. “Then the MAIS (Mississippi Association of Independent Schools) started allowing sixth graders to play soccer. That opened the door for us to make a girls soccer team with those sixth graders who are now my seniors.”

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The five seniors remember those days quite well, as losing by less than double digits became more of the goal rather than winning a game.

“We would lose to Laurel 20-0,” Eidt said. “Now, this year, we’ve beaten Cathedral, and we’ve shut out Brookhaven Academy. It just shows how far we’ve come.”

Parker, who had some close shots on goals against St. Aloysius, is first in the state with 34 goals, Allgood said. Eidt, who led a few breaks down the field with Parker in the contest, looked at Parker and took her claim for most assists.

“I’m pretty sure I’m close to leading in assists,” Eidt said, smiling and looking down at Parker. “Where’d your balls come from?”

Like the rest of the seniors, Parker has noticed a day-and-night change comparing the very first ACCS team to the team the Lady Rebels have become.

“I think we’re a lot more aggressive than we were,” Parker said. “We actually can handle the ball now.”

Allgood said had his Lady Rebel team played St. Aloysius years ago, the scoreboard would have likely showed 20-0.

But that didn’t happen against his 2015 Lady Rebels. Allgood said the seniors, who laid the foundation as sixth graders years ago, brought this program to new heights.

Eidt concurs.

“We made the program,” she said.