The GHSA soccer state championships take place from Tuesday to Friday at McEachern in Powder Springs, Duluth High School in Duluth and Mercer University in Macon.
Follow the links to see the recaps from Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday or see the Friday results below.
Class 6A
Girls -- Roswell 2, Marist 0
A pair of goals from its two underclassmen led Roswell past Marist for its first state title in program history. Freshman Maya Misawa scored with 35:55 left in the second half and sophomore Rachel Phifer followed by scoring a goal five seconds later to help push the Lady Hornets to a 2-0 lead they never relinquished. Marist came into the state championship as the defending state champion in 4A but moved up to 6A because of reclassification. The Lady War Eagles were seeking their 12th title in program history, but Roswell pulled off an improbable run handing Marist its first loss of the season. Roswell was the No. 4 seed entering the playoffs and produced four shutouts in their five playoff games.
Boys -- Lassiter 3, River Ridge 2
There was no shortage of scoring in the 6A state championship as River Ridge and Lassiter combined for five goals and continued to throw haymakers at each other. Lassiter survived and is now a two-time defending state champion after an electric 3-2 victory against River Ridge. Junior Tyler Aromin was crucial on the attack for the Trojans as he scored a huge penalty kick in overtime to give Lassiter a 3-2 advantage. Aromin finished the game with a brace. River Ridge was seeking to win its first title in program history and got big contributions from Junior Dean Matthews and Sophomore Chris Asbridge but ultimately fell short. Matthews was second on the team in goals this season with 10.
Class 7A
Girls -- Denmark 0 (4), Walton 0 (2)
After a scoreless match in regulation, penalty kicks decided the fate for the 7A girls championship between Walton and Denmark. The Lady Danes won 4-2 in a penalty kicks shootout that helped deliver their first state title in program history. During its run to the championship, Denmark was led by senior Jordyn Crosby who scored 23 goals this season. The Lady Danes defeated Kennesaw Mountain 3-0, Norcross 5-2, Richmond Hill 4-0, and Campbell 1-0 this postseason. Walton was seeking to win its second ever state championship and first since 1993. Before the loss the Lady Raiders were on an eight-game winning streak, outscoring opponents by four goals a game.
Boys-- Lambert 3 (5) , Walton 3 (4)
An incredible game with a thrilling finish, Lambert and Walton each showed their resilience in a back-and-forth game where both teams gave it their all. Lambert won its fourth title in program history, first since 2019, and simply wouldn’t go away despite being pushed to the brink by Walton. The Longhorns’ two juniors Mason Keith and Cole Nelson scored crucial goals in the game. Keith’s goal got the Longhorns right back in it before halftime to give Lambert some momentum, and Nelson’s goal came less than three minutes into the second half for a 2-1 advantage. For Walton, senior Jaoa Ramos was instrumental on offense. Ramos (Michigan-commit) scored a hat trick Friday night and scored back-to-back goals in a three-minute span to give Walton a 3-2 lead after they trailed early in the second half. Lambert’s late goal pushed the game into overtime before a penalty shootout where they won 5-4. Lambert was the second-ranked team in the country, according to Maxpreps.com prior to the championship game. Nelson and Keith led the Longhorns in scoring this season accounting for 95 points.
About the Author
