Three-time defending state champion Westminster will be among four girls soccer teams from Georgia participating in the Southern Coast Cup this weekend in Foley, Ala.
The Southern Coast Cup is the Spring South Central Regional of the High School Cup, a series of regional tournaments that correspond to Top Drawer Soccer’s regions.
Westminster, 10-0-2 after a 2-0 victory over Class AAAAAAA Peachtree Ridge last week, will face Eureka (Mo.) at 8 p.m. Thursday, Charlotte Latin (N.C.) at noon on Friday and McGill-Toolen (Ala.) at 10 a.m. Saturday. McGill-Toolen is the highest-ranked team in Alabama’s largest classification, according to eurosportscoreboard.com.
Brookwood, Discovery and LaFayette are the other participating Georgia teams. Brookwood will face Oak Mountain (Ala.), Norman North (Okla.) and Rockwood Summit (Mo.). Discovery will take on Alabama schools Daphne, Hewitt-Trussville and St. Paul’s Episcopal, and LaFayette will meet Alabama schools Baldwin County, Madison Academy and Lincoln.
Westminster will return to Georgia for matches against Pace Academy (April 13) and Lovett (April 17) that will determine the champion in Region 5-AAA before closing the regular season with a non-region contest at Decatur on April 20.
*National rankings: Westminster is ranked No. 3 nationally in the USA Today/United Soccer Coaches Super 25 Spring Girls poll, which was released on Tuesday. The Wildcats were unranked in the previous poll, which came out on March 20. Other Georgia teams in the top 25 include Class AAAAAA Johns Creek (up 15 spots to No. 22) and Class AAAAAAA Parkview (moved from unranked to No. 17). Georgia teams in the Region II rankings include No. 1 Westminster, No. 2 Johns Creek, No. 4 Parkview, No. 6 Milton, No. 7 Lassiter, No. 8 McIntosh, No. 9 Blessed Trinity and No. 10 Marist.
*State rankings: Lassiter and Milton have split time at the top of the Class AAAAAAA rankings, but Lassiter held on to the No. 1 spot for the second consecutive week in the Score Atlanta poll released on Tuesday. The Trojans (11-1-1) had been ranked No. 1 until a 2-0 loss to Milton on March 13 that propelled the Eagles to the top of the rankings. Milton lost its next game, however, 2-1 against No. 5 Forsyth Central, and Lassiter reclaimed the No. 1 spot. The other No. 1 teams retained their top rankings this week. They are Johns Creek (AAAAAA), McIntosh (AAAAA), Blessed Trinity (AAAA), Westminster (AAA), St. Vincent's (AA) and Athens Academy (A).
*County leaders: Redan sophomore Amadia Veasley is running away with the goal-scoring lead in DeKalb County, according to stats released recently by the county's athletics department. Veasley, who was named the most valuable player of the county's all-star game as a freshman last season, scored 33 goals in the team's first 10 games, 15 goals more than the next-highest scorer. Veasley also ranked second in assists with eight, trailing only teammate Kiera Bankston with 10. Lakeside's Julia Moreman (no goals allowed) and Taylor Malinovsky (two) were the county's leading goalkeepers. Last year, M.L. King's Jasmine Mathis set a county record with 66 goals.
