Several of this year’s state finalists will see familiar faces when they take the field for the girls soccer state championships this weekend at McEachern High School and Mercer University.
No matchup will have more of a familiar feel to it than the one in Class AAAA, where DeKalb County private-school rivals St. Pius and Marist will meet for the title for the fourth consecutive season. St. Pius won the past three championship-game matchups despite losing to the War Eagles in the regular season all three years. It should be a good sign for the Golden Lions that they lost to Marist in the regular season again this year, 2-1 on April 17.
Another victory this weekend would make St. Pius the first soccer team in state history, boys or girls, to win six consecutive state championships.
Here’s a look at the matchups in the other classifications:
*Class AAAAAAA (Parkview vs. Milton): Parkview prevailed 7-6 in penalty kicks to defeat top-ranked Lassiter in the semifinals. Parkview's Nieva Gaither broke the school record for goals with her 36th of the season. Lassiter's only other loss came against Milton, 2-0 on March 13, a victory that temporarily moved Milton to No. 1 in the rankings. Milton avenged a regular-season loss to Walton with a 1-0 win in the semifinals. Parkview has won eight state titles, most recently in 2013. Milton won its only title in 2012.
*Class AAAAAA (Alpharetta vs. Glynn Academy): Alpharetta has been one of the best stories of the postseason. The Raiders entered the playoffs as an unranked team and a No. 4 seed before advancing to the finals, knocking off Dacula, defending champion Harrison, Grovetown and top-ranked Johns Creek along the way. Glynn Academy is 21-0 but ranked just seventh. The Red Terrors have allowed just six goals this season and outscored their playoff opponents 13-0. Both teams are seeking their first state title.
*Class AAAAA (McIntosh vs. Whitewater): Top-ranked McIntosh and No. 5 Whitewater know a lot about each other. They are from the same county (Fayette) and same region (3-AAAAA), and they've met once this season, a 3-0 victory by McIntosh on March 15. McIntosh is seeking its third consecutive state championship and 12th overall. Whitewater beat fellow Region 3 member and Fayette County school Starr's Mill 3-0 Tuesday in the semifinals. The Wildcats are seeking their second state title and first since 2007.
*Class AAA (Westminster vs. Lovett): The Atlanta private-school rivals and fellow Region 5-AAA members are used to competing in the spotlight. They have won a combined 14 state championships (Westminster 11, Lovett three), and they came within one game of meeting in the finals last season (Lovett lost to 5-AAA's Pace Academy in the semifinals). Westminster is seeking its fourth consecutive state championship, while Lovett seeks its first since 2016. Westminster won the regular-season meeting 2-1 on April 17.
*Class AA (Oglethorpe County vs. St. Vincent's Academy): The Class AA championship game looked like it was going to be a rematch between last year's finalists – St. Vincent's and East Laurens – but Oglethorpe County changed those plans when it knocked off East Laurens 3-2 in the semifinals. It will still be rematch from last year, however. St. Vincent's beat Oglethorpe County 10-0 in the second round in 2017 on its way to the first championship in program history. Oglethorpe County is seeking its first state title.
*Class A (Athens Academy vs. First Presbyterian): Athens Academy and First Presbyterian have held the top two spots in the rankings all season, and they haven't disappointed in the playoffs. Athens Academy (21-1), which is seeking its first state title, has had a couple of close calls, recording 1-0 victories over Savannah Country Day in the second round and Pinecrest Academy in the semifinals. First Presbyterian (22-0), which won GHSA titles in 2011 and 2012, has outscored its playoff opponents 21-0.
*Girls championship schedule:
Friday
Class AA – Oglethorpe County vs. St. Vincent’s Academy, noon (Mercer University)
Class AAA – Lovett vs. Westminster, 5 p.m. (McEachern High School)
Class AAAAA – McIntosh vs. Whitewater, 5 p.m. (Mercer University)
Saturday
Class A – Athens Academy vs. First Presbyterian, noon (Mercer University)
Class AAAAAA – Alpharetta vs. Glynn Academy, noon (McEachern High School)
Class AAAA – St. Pius vs. Marist, 5 p.m. (Mercer University)
Class AAAAAAA – Parkview vs. Milton, 5 p.m. (McEachern High School)
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