Westminster’s 4-0 victory over Greater Atlanta Christian in the 3A girls state soccer championship Wednesday marked the Wildcats’ 15th soccer championship and sixth straight title.
Henley Tippins scored at the 1:08 mark of the first half to give Westminster the lead. Evelyn Shores put the Wildcats up 2-0 with 28:59 left in the match. Ali Ross scored with 25:59 left, and with 18 minutes remaining, Ross found the net again to put the match out of reach.
Westminster won its first title in 1996 (3A) and then captured the AA/A title in 1998. The Wildcats won five straight 3A titles from 2002 to 2006 (tied with Blessed Trinity in 2006) before their recent run of six straight.
See the results from the other championships below.
Class 3A Boys
Greater Atlanta Christian 3, Oconee County 1
Senior forward Matthew Taylor ended his career as a Spartan with a state championship-winning hat trick to lead Greater Atlanta Christian over Oconee County.
Not a bad way to go out.
The victory marked GAC’s sixth state title but first since back-to-back championships in 2014-2015.
Oconee County held a 1-0 lead after a Charlie Burke goal when Taylor scored first on a penalty kick with 3:12 left in the first half. Taylor gave GAC a 2-1 lead with 25 minutes left off an assist from senior midfielder Damola Salami. In the waning minutes, Oconee County removed its goalkeeper and allowed Taylor an open attempt for the hat trick.
Class 2A Boys
Pace Academy 1, Lovett 0
In a rematch of last season’s 2A title game, Pace Academy repeated its 1-0 victory over Lovett. For the first time in school history, the Knights defended a championship.
Senior striker Samuel Bready scored at the 38:43 mark in the second half to put Pace ahead.
The Knights finished 17-6. Pace Academy won the Class A title in 2006 before finally finding glory in the championship game again last season.
Class 2A Girls
Lovett 2, Pace Academy 1
Lovett’s 2-1 victory over Pace Academy in the 2A title match gave the Lions their fifth overall title. For the first time in school history, Lovett successfully defended a championship.
Parker Silliman put the Lions up 1-0 on an assist from Frances Aiken. Pace Academy tied the game with 14 minutes left on a goal from Adair Smith, which forced Lovett to respond.
It would.
With 35:88 left in the second half, Mary Camp Newton found Leslie Lewallen with a perfect pass which Lewallen headed into the net for the game-winning goal.
Last season, Lovett defeated Bremen 3-0 to win the 2A title. Pace was trying for the program’s fourth title and first since 2014.
