Here are some of the top stories in girls soccer this week:
*New No. 1 in AAAAAA: Grayson has moved into the top spot in Eurosport's Class AAAAAA rankings after rallying for a 5-4 victory Friday against Parkview, the defending state champion and previous No. 1 team. Sophomore Jennifer Westendorf, a Notre Dame commitment who transferred from Montgomery, Ala., at the start of the school year, scored three goals for Grayson (7-0-1), which scored four unanswered goals after trailing 2-1 at halftime. The victory was Grayson's first against the Panthers in school history, although the teams tied in the 2007 state championship game. Parkview fell to No. 3 and is 6-1 after suffering its first loss since April 13 last year, a 2-1 setback against Harrison that the Panthers avenged in the championship game.
*Holding on to No. 1: Blessed Trinity remained the top-ranked team in Eurosport's AAA rankings despite a 2-0 loss to Greater Atlanta Christian (AA No. 2) on Friday. GAC's Perry Bitzer scored both goals in the game's last five minutes, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post, and goalkeeper Melissa Gray recorded the shutout. Blessed Trinity (5-2-1) will face another test on Tuesday when it plays seventh-ranked Decatur (3-2) at 5:30 p.m. in an important 6-AAA matchup. Greater Atlanta Christian will play an out-of-region game Tuesday when it hosts Class AAAAAA Rockdale County (3-5).
*Games to watch: Class AAA No. 3 Woodward Academy, which has faced three ranked opponents in its first six games and emerged with a 5-0-1 record, will face an even tougher stretch beginning on Tuesday. The War Eagles host Northgate (AAAAA No. 1) at 7 p.m. in what will be the first of six consecutive games against ranked opponents. Woodward also will face Grady (AAAA No. 6), Blessed Trinity (AAA No. 1), Decatur (AAA No. 7), Marist (AAAA No. 1) and McIntosh (AAAAA No. 2) between now and April 3. ... Marist, which is off to a 2-0-1 start but hasn't played since Feb. 28, will get its final tune-up Tuesday before heading into region play when it hosts Pope (AAAAA No. 6) at 6 p.m.
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