BELLEVILLE, Ill. – The Parkland College women's soccer team battled injuries, sickness and the weather in the NJCAA Region 24 Final as the Cobras fell, 5-1, to No. 9 Southwestern Illinois College on Sunday, October 30th. The Cobras came into the game with six starters unavailable and it showed, as the team suffered its biggest loss since September in this crucial postseason matchup. Freshman forward Athenais Ouairy scored Parkland's lone goal with three minutes remaining while freshman goalkeeper Hannah Null, who replaced Shiann Haymaker after an injury in the 25th minute, made 12 saves in the loss. The Cobras finish the season with a 10-8 record, the team's best record since 2016.
 
"Not how we wanted to end our season," Parkland College head coach Dan Vogelsang said after the game, "but this team went out fighting. We knew this was going to be a tough matchup… I was so happy to see this team go out today and compete and never give up."
 
Parkland College fell behind 1-0 in the 7th minute and the Blue Storm (12-7-1) found the back of the net two more times in the first half against the short-handed Cobras (10-8) to lead 3-0 at the break. Parkland's defense looked to tighten up in the second half and the team was able to keep SWIC off the scoresheet for a while, but the Blue Storm broke through in the 70th minute and again in the 81st to all but put the game to bed. The Cobras were not held scoreless on Sunday though, as Toronto native Athenais Ouairy scored her 17th goal of the season in the 87th minute, but it was too little, too late as Parkland loses 5-1 in the NJCAA Region 24 Final.
 
Scoring Summary:
SWIC Goal: 7th minute
SWIC Goal: 39th minute
SWIC Goal: 43rd minute
HALFTIME
SWIC Goal: 70th minute
SWIC Goal: 81st minute
Parkland Goal: Athenais Ouairy, 87' (Unassisted)
 
"This loss today doesn't define this team," Vogelsang concluded. "There are so many positives to this season that we can be proud of. This is the best season our program has had in 6 years. We will get back to the drawing board and start working on next season."