Greenbrier relishes ‘incredible feeling’ after first state high school girls’ soccer title

DULUTH — The huge smiles, the shocked looks, the tears of joy, and the happy screams — they all spoke volumes.

“Did we just do that?” exclaimed one Greenbrier player.

Indeed they did.

The Greenbrier Wolfpack won the first state soccer title in program history on Wednesday night, shutting out Chamblee 3-0 to win the Class 5A girls’ championship at Duluth High School’s Cecil Morris Field.

Senior striker Aaliyah Silver scored two goals and junior midfielder Arianna Boone added another, and the Wolfpack defense stymied a potent Chamblee offense all night long. The Bulldogs had been the highest scoring team in Region 4-Class 5A this season, but managed just five shots on goal against Greenbrier.

The Wolfpack end their magical season at 16-3, with a Region 1-Class 5A championship and now a state title.

Chamblee’s season ends at 17-6.

“It feels like we’ve been trying to do this for so long, and every year we seemed to get close but never quite made it all the way through,” senior defender Darcy Bridwell said. “This team is really special… we’re all such good friends, and we’ve been a really bonded team, so that’s why we work together so well. It feels so good to finally win," she added.

“The further we got in the playoffs, the buildup and excitement went up, but honestly the nerves went down because we feel more comfortable the more games that we play,” Bridwell said. “This feels so great… it feels good that we got to win this together.”

Greenbrier head coach Rob Husted had to compose himself for a moment before speaking, as he watched his players celebrate with their championship spoils including medals, T-shirts and the silver trophy that will soon be in the school’s trophy case.

“This is history… it’s an incredible feeling. It’s just indescribable, honestly… I’ve never been to this stage, never gotten to this level, and never held a trophy like this. It’s a lifelong dream,” Husted said as he shook his head. “This team is incredible… resilience has been our theme all year long, and throughout the playoffs, we’ve gone down early in a couple of games, and they just keep battling back. They never give up, and their tenacity and fight just never goes away. Players just keep stepping up, and it’s incredible to watch them play for each other.”

Greenbrier had a flurry of early shots in the game before finally striking gold in the 13th minute. Madelyn Heckathorn had her shot deflected by a Bulldogs defender, and Silver collected the rebound before hammering home a high shot from 20 yards out.

Just four minutes before halftime, Alayna Tamez’s throw-in was corralled by Boone, who drilled a shot into the net from 10 yards out for a 2-0 lead, which was the score at halftime.

Greenbrier salted away the game early in the second half. Silver recorded her brace in the 46th minute, cranking a shot to the left corner from just outside the box for a 3-0 lead.

Chamblee had a few more offensive chances in the second half but could never cut into the lead. The Bulldogs had 12 of their 14 total shots in the second half, but freshman goalkeeper Murphy Larkin made five saves on the night to preserve the shutout, the Wolfpack’s 12th of the year.

Greenbrier finished with 14 total shots, six of them on goal.

The Wolfpack’s championship run comes after a decade of playoff appearances that included a state quarterfinal, two semifinals, and a 2023 title game appearance against Chamblee, which the Bulldogs won in dominant fashion 9-0.