Two of the most successful girls soccer programs in GHSA history will meet in the semifinals Monday night in a rare playoff matchup of defending state champions.
McIntosh and St. Pius have won 12 championships each, second-most in state history behind Westminster’s 13, since the GHSA began holding championships in the sport in 1992. McIntosh won the most recent Class 5A title in 2019. St. Pius won the Class 4A title that same year but has since moved up one class during reclassification, putting the two defending champions on a collision course in the 5A semifinals. They will play at McIntosh at 6:30 p.m. Monday.
Both teams have been dominant in the postseason again this year. Third-ranked McIntosh has outscored Tri-Cities, Jones County and Northview 23-0 in the first three rounds, while No. 7 St. Pius has defeated Clarke Central, Calhoun and Woodward Academy by a combined score of 19-1. The winner of their semifinal matchup will advance to the championship game against either top-ranked Blessed Trinity or No. 10 Grady. The finals will be played Thursday through Saturday at McEachern High School, Duluth High School, Mercer University’s Five Star Stadium, and Memorial Stadium in Savannah, but the date and location for each classification will not be announced until after the semifinals.
In Class 3A, top-ranked Westminster will try to keep alive its hopes for a girls soccer state-record sixth consecutive championship when it travels to second-ranked Oconee County.
Westminster has rolled into the semifinals with victories over East Jackson (10-0), Cherokee Bluff (10-0) and Southeast Bulloch (11-1) to improve to 19-0. Henley Tippins scored three goals in each of the past two games and has a team-leading 31 on the season. The Wildcats have allowed just seven goals this season.
Westminster, McIntosh and St. Pius have combined to win 30 percent of the 124 championships that have been awarded since 1992.
Class 7A
Quarterfinal scores
Roswell 3, Harrison 2
West Forsyth 7, Parkview 1
Walton 3, Dunwoody 2
Lambert 2, Brookwood 1
Semifinal games
(R6 #2) West Forsyth at (R5 #1) Roswell
(R3 #2) Walton at (R6 #1) Lambert
Class 6A
Quarterfinal scores
Cambridge 4, Grovetown 0
Buford 2, Glynn Academy 1
Johns Creek 1, Houston County 0
Riverwood 2, Richmond Hill 0
Semifinal games
(R7 #2) Cambridge at (R8 #1) Buford
(R7 #4) Riverwood at (R7 #1) Johns Creek
Class 5A
Quarterfinal scores
St. Pius 4, Woodward Academy 0
McIntosh 4, Northview 0
Blessed Trinity 10, Northgate 0
Grady 3, Starr’s Mill 1
Semifinal games
(R5 #1) St. Pius at (R2 #1) McIntosh
(R7 #1) Blessed Trinity at (R6 #1) Grady
Class 4A
Quarterfinal scores
Heritage-Catoosa 2, Islands 1
North Oconee 6, Columbus 0
Northwest Whitfield 4, Thomas County Central 0
Marist 10, Perry 0
Semifinal games
(R7 #2) Heritage-Catoosa at (R8 #1) North Oconee
(R7 #1) Northwest Whitfield at (R6 #1) Marist
Class 3A
Quarterfinal scores
Westminster 11, Southeast Bulloch 1
Oconee County 4, Jackson 0
Greater Atlanta Christian 8, Mary Persons 0
Pike County 2, North Hall 0
Semifinal games
(R5 #1) Westminster at (R8 #1) Oconee County
(R5 #2) Greater Atlanta Christian at (R2 #2) Pike County
Class 2A
Quarterfinal scores
Bremen 3, Lamar County 0
Pace Academy 8, Oglethorpe County 0
Model 3, Fitzgerald 2
Lovett 9, Putnam County 0
Semifinal games
(R6 #2) Pace Academy at (R5 #1) Bremen
(R7 #1) Model at (R6 #1) Lovett
Class A Private
Quarterfinal scores
Holy Innocents’ 2, St. Vincent’s 1
Paideia 1, Athens Academy 0
Pinecrest Academy 3, First Presbyterian 1
Atlanta International 4, Whitefield Academy 1
Semifinal games
(R5 #1) Holy Innocents’ at (R2 #1) Paideia
(R6 #4) Pinecrest Academy at (R5 #3) Atlanta International
Class A Public
Quarterfinal scores
Towns County 2, Screven County 0
Atlanta Classical 7, Irwin County 1
ACE Charter 5, Portal 1
Armuchee 5, Atkinson County 0
Semifinal games
(R8 #4) Towns County at (R6 #2) Atlanta Classical
(R7 #1) ACE Charter at (R6 #1) Armuchee
About the Author
