Marist gave retiring coach Sergio Stadler his ninth state championship as the defending champion War Eagles overpowered Veterans 3-0 in the Class AAAA girls championship at Kennesaw State.
Stadler stood on the field after the game, posing for photos with his players, waving to fans and even blowing a few kissed their way. Stadler has spent 39 years teaching math at Marist and started the soccer program in 1988. His teams won or share state championships in 1995, 1997, 2001, 2003-04, 2008-09 and 2013.
“They worked hard all year,” Stadler said. “The players believed in our style and executed well and peaked at the right time.”
Junior Kelsey Carrier opened the scoring with 30:10 left in the first half when she scored off a pass from Laine Keough. Meredith Selvey added a goal with 24:12 remaining and Caroline Snyder scored with 2:18 left to give Marist (18-0-1) a 3-0 lead at the half.
Selvey said, “Coach Stadler has been a big part of my career. It was great to get to go out with him.”
The Marist defense prevented Veterans (18-2) from getting many quality scoring opportunities. The War Eagles did not allow a goal in five playoff games and outscored their opposition 37-0. Marist allowed only four goals all season.
“That was a result of them listening and playing the way we want to play,” Stadler said. “We allowed only four goals all year and scored …. a lot.”
