The 5-foot-2 dynamo helped take the Rams to a 23-2 mark and the runner-up spot in the PIAA Class AAA state playoffs this season.
Looking for a little warmer clime in which to play soccer, she is headed to the University of South Carolina on a full scholarship. She also had sparked interest from West Virginia, Maryland, Rutgers, and Florida.
"It was the combination of weather and the family atmosphere I found there that made me choose South Carolina," said Parker, a four-year starter for the Rams.
Parker has played competitive soccer since she was 3, starting with a recreation league team in Philadelphia, where she was born. She moved to Bucks County when she was 5.
"She's the most competitive player we have," Pennridge coach Jorge Rodriguez said. "She'll do anything to win. She's very motivated to improve."
And as Parker has improved, so has her team.
In her freshman year, the Rams won the District 1 Class AAA playoffs. When she was a junior, the Rams made it to the state quarterfinals.
This season, the Rams reached the finals and lost to defending champion Peters Township, 1-0.
"It was disappointing to lose that game, but I thought we played well," Parker said. "It was also big to get there.
"We had opportunities, but we just couldn't finish. It was a good game."
The low point of the season for Parker came in a 2-1 loss to Hatboro-Horsham in a Suburban One League Continental Conference game on Sept. 15. She said there had been some issues - some "girl stuff" - on the team that might have contributed to the loss.
Parker called a team meeting and the Rams obviously straightened things out, going on an 18-game winning streak before losing to Peters Township.
Although many of her opponents are much taller than she is, Parker never let her size bother her. She credits her father, Scott, with instilling her attitude.
"He told me to forget my height and work on other areas," Parker said.
When she isn't playing for the Rams, Parker competes with her club team, the FC Pennsylvania Strikers. They are based out of Villanova, some distance from her Bucks County home.
She is considering a major in exercise science at South Carolina but hasn't made a final decision. She laughingly said "gym" when asked her favorite subject in school.
According to a post on a web page, Parker's motto is "Leave no doubt." As a soccer player, she certainly lives up to that.
"She's a great kid and a stellar student," Pennridge athletic director David Babb said.
Indeed, Parker has a 4.5 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale.
Contact staff writer Don Beideman at 267-815-0733
or dbeideman@phillynews.com.
