MACON - Logue Shamburger scored less than four minutes into the game and finished with two goals and an assist to lead defending state champion Westminster to a 4-0 victory over Blessed Trinity in the Class AAA girls soccer final Thursday at Mercer University’s Five Star Stadium.
The championship was the third in four seasons and 10th overall for Westminster, which was ranked No. 1 all season by EurosportScoreboard.com. The game was a rematch of the 2015 final, which Westminster won 3-0.
Westminster (21-1-1) also completed a three-game season sweep of its Region 4-AAA rival. The Wildcats beat Blessed Trinity 3-0 and 6-1 in two regular-season matchups on their way to the region title.
“They have been an incredibly special team this year, possibly the best I’ve had in 19 years at Westminster,” Wildcats coach Clark Meyer said. “We’ve been really, really proud of the season we’ve had, but obviously to come here and close the deal meant a lot to us. I thought they played brilliantly.”
Westminster got all the scoring it needed when Shamburger recorded her first goal from close range with 36:11 remaining in the first half. She controlled a loose ball in front of the net after a throw-in and fired it past Blessed Trinity goalkeeper Olivia Francis. Shamburger’s sister, Ella, gave Westminster a 2-0 lead three minutes later, putting in the rebound after Francis deflected a shot.
Blessed Trinity employed a defensive-minded approach from the outset, rarely chasing the ball across midfield, but the Titans had to venture away from that strategy after falling behind early. The Titans managed three shots in the first half, two that sailed wide of the goal and another that was blocked.
Logue Shamburger, an Alabama signee, put the game away when she scored again from close range less than a minute into the second half. She added an assist on a pass to Allie Smith Miller, who scored from about 8 yards out on the right side with 16:58 remaining.
Westminster’s four goals were the first allowed in the playoffs by Blessed Trinity, which outscored its opponents 18-0 in the first four rounds. Goalkeeper Hannah Morgan recorded the shutout for the Wildcats, who had 15 shutouts this season and gave up only one goal in the playoffs.
Blessed Trinity (13-7-1) has won five state titles, most recently in 2011.
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