The state girls soccer playoffs begin Tuesday night with first-round games in classes 7A, 5A, 3A and A (Divisions I and II), to be played at the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds.
Classes 6A, 4A and 2A will play their first of five rounds Thursday night. Champions will be crowned May 2-5 at McEachern High School and Mercer University.
Here’s a look at the classifications that begin play Tuesday. Previews for the other classifications will be posted Thursday.
Class 7A
*No. 1 team: Mill Creek
*2022 champion: West Forsyth
*Overview: Teams from Gwinnett, Forsyth and Cobb have combined to win nine consecutive state titles in the highest class, and the winner this year is likely to come from that group as those counties make up the entire top 10 in the rankings. No. 1 Mill Creek, seeking its first championship, is one of five from Gwinnett in the top 10 (No. 2 Buford, No. 3 Archer, No. 7 Brookwood and No. 10 Norcross). Mill Creek is 14-1-1 and has won nine consecutive matches, outscoring opponents 66-2 in that stretch. Cobb has three top-10 teams (No. 4 Walton, No. 6 Harrison and No. 9 Campbell), and Forsyth has two (No. 5 Forsyth Central and No. 8 Denmark).
*Worth noting: Last season, West Forsyth became the first team to win consecutive championships in the highest class since Parkview won three straight from 2007 to 2009. The Wolverines enter the playoffs this year unranked and the No. 4 seed from Region 6.
*First-round matchups:
(R5 #3) Kennesaw Mountain at (R6 #2) Denmark
(R8 #4) Collins Hill at (R7 #1) Norcross
(R3 #3) Hillgrove at (R4 #2) Brookwood
(R2 #4) Westlake at (R1 #1) Richmond Hill
(R6 #3) Milton at (R5 #2) Cherokee
(R7 #4) Peachtree Ridge at (R8 #1) Mill Creek
(R4 #3) Parkview at (R3 #2) North Paulding
(R1 #4) Colquitt County at (R2 #1) Campbell
(R1 #3) Camden County at (R2 #2) East Coweta
(R4 #4) South Gwinnett at (R3 #1) Harrison
(R7 #3) Meadowcreek at (R8 #2) Buford
(R6 #4) West Forsyth at (R5 #1) Walton
(R2 #3) Carrollton at (R1 #2) Lowndes
(R3 #4) Marietta at (R4 #1) Archer
(R8 #3) Mountain View at (R7 #2) North Gwinnett
(R5 #4) Wheeler at (R6 #1) Forsyth Central
Class 5A
*No. 1 team: Chamblee
*2022 champion: Vacated
*Overview: Last year, Chamblee became the first DeKalb County public school to win a girls soccer state championship, but the title was vacated after the GHSA found rules violations. Now the Bulldogs (16-0-1) are on a mission to win a title that’s official. They have outscored their opponents 108-5 this season. Third-ranked Midtown (15-1) and No. 2 Cambridge are championship threats, as well. Cambridge, led by Florida State signee Jordynn Dudley, was the state runner-up in Class 6A last season and is 10-1-1 this year. All three have played 6A No. 1 Marist. The War Eagles tied Chamblee (2-2) and Cambridge (0-0) and defeated Midtown (3-0).
*Worth noting: McIntosh has won 12 girls soccer state championships, tied with St. Pius for second in GHSA history. The Chiefs’ most recent title came in 2019. McIntosh (12-3-2) is the Region 3 champion and ranked No. 5 entering this year’s tournament.
*First-round matchups:
(R5 #3) Jackson-Atlanta at (R6 #2) Northview
(R8 #4) Flowery Branch at (R7 #1) Dalton
(R3 #3) Harris County at (R4 #2) Decatur
(R2 #4) Locust Grove at (R1 #1) Greenbrier
(R6 #3) Greater Atlanta Christian at (R5 #2) Villa Rica
(R7 #4) Woodland-Cartersville at (R8 #1) Loganville
(R4 #3) Tucker at (R3 #2) Northgate
(R1 #4) Bradwell Institute at (R2 #1) Union Grove
(R1 #3) Statesboro at (R2 #2) Dutchtown
(R4 #4) Arabia Mountain at (R3 #1) McIntosh
(R7 #3) Cartersville at (R8 #2) Jefferson
(R6 #4) Chattahoochee at (R5 #1) Midtown
(R2 #3) Ola at (R1 #2) Ware County
(R3 #4) Northside-Columbus at (R4 #1) Chamblee
(R8 #3) Eastside at (R7 #2) Calhoun
(R5 #4) Chapel Hill at (R6 #1) Cambridge
Class 3A
*No. 1 team: Oconee County
*2022 champion: Westminster
*Overview: Westminster won the past seven state titles in Class 3A, but the Wildcats are in 4A now, leaving the door open for a new champion. Top-ranked Oconee County is the logical choice to be labeled the favorite. The Warriors are 12-4-1, with three losses and the tie coming against Class 5A schools, and the other loss coming against Class 2A No. 5 Athens Academy. Oconee’s toughest game before the semifinals could be its first one, an opening-round matchup against No. 7 Dawson County. No. 2 Wesleyan is just 9-5-3 overall, but most of the losses came early against higher-classification teams. The Wolves have won seven of their last eight games.
*Worth noting: No team in this year’s 3A field has ever won the championship in this classification. However, four teams have won state titles in lower classifications – St. Vincent’s in 2A, Savannah Country Day in 2A/A, and Wesleyan and Hebron Christian in A.
*First-round matchups:
(R5 #3) Cedar Grove at (R6 #2) Coahulla Creek
(R8 #4) Monroe Area at (R7 #1) Wesleyan
(R3 #3) Calvary Day at (R4 #2) Richmond Academy
(R2 #4) Upson-Lee at (R1 #1) Columbus
(R6 #3) Adairsville at (R5 #2) Douglass
(R7 #4) Dawson County at (R8 #1) Oconee County
(R4 #3) Harlem at (R3 #2) Savannah Country Day
(R1 #4) Carver-Columbus at (R2 #1) Pike County
(R1 #3) Crisp County at (R2 #2) Mary Persons
(R4 #4) Salem at (R3 #1) St. Vincent’s
(R7 #3) White County at (R8 #2) Hebron Christian
(R6 #4) Ridgeland at (R5 #1) Sandy Creek
(R2 #3) Jackson at (R1 #2) Thomasville
(R3 #4) Long County at (R4 #1) Morgan County
(R8 #3) Stephens County at (R7 #2) Lumpkin County
(R5 #4) Carver-Atlanta at (R6 #1) Bremen
Class A Division I
*No. 1 team: Commerce
*2022 champions: Pinecrest Academy (Private) and Social Circle (Public)
*Overview: Commerce enters the playoffs ranked No. 1 or No. 2 for the third consecutive season but is still seeking its first championship. The Tigers lost to Social Circle in the A Public final last year and were knocked out by eventual champion Atlanta Classical in the second round in 2021. Commerce is 16-1, with its only loss coming against Class 5A Clarke Central 4-3 on Feb. 9. The Tigers have outscored their opponents 146-19. Ivy Tolbert, a 3-star junior committed to Cornell, has scored 70 goals this season and has 239 goals and 140 assists in her career. Second-ranked Paideia won state championships in 2000, 2001 and 2013.
*Worth noting: Pinecrest Academy, which defeated Holy Innocents’ 1-0 in the Class A Private final last year to earn its first state title, is now a member of the Georgia Association of Private and Parochial Schools. Holy Innocents’ is now in the GHSA’s Class 4A.
*First-round matchups:
(R5 #3) Oglethorpe County at (R6 #2) Mount Vernon
(R8 #4) Elbert County at (R7 #1) Dade County
(R3 #3) Bryan County at (R4 #2) Temple
(R2 #4) Swainsboro at (R1 #1) Bacon County
(R6 #3) Atlanta International at (R5 #2) Prince Avenue Christian
(R7 #4) Pepperell at (R8 #1) Commerce
(R4 #3) Crawford County at (R3 #2) Claxton
(R2 #1) Bleckley County bye
(R1 #3) Brooks County at (R2 #2) East Laurens
(R3 #1) Screven County bye
(R7 #3) Trion at (R8 #2) Tallulah Falls
(R6 #4) Whitefield Academy at (R5 #1) Social Circle
(R2 #3) Dublin at (R1 #2) Irwin County
(R3 #4) Metter at (R4 #1) Lamar County
(R8 #3) Rabun County at (R7 #2) Darlington
(R5 #4) Jasper County at (R6 #1) Paideia
Class A Division II
*No. 1 teams: McIntosh County Academy (Score Atlanta) and Aquinas (Scorbord.com)
*2022 champions: Pinecrest Academy (Private) and Social Circle (Public)
*Overview: Favorites McIntosh Academy and Aquinas are both seeking their first titles, and they could meet in the semifinals. McIntosh County Academy is 14-4-1, with three of the losses coming against higher-classification schools. Madi McMahan, who has scored 41 of the team’s 57 goals this season, is a member of MCA’s soccer, basketball, football, flag football, track and cross country teams and is on pace to earn 20 varsity letters. Aquinas outscored its opponents 62-6 in a 10-0 regular season. Senior Caroline Jackson has 15 goals and eight assists. No. 6 Atlanta Classical won the Class A Public title in 2021 and was a semifinalist last season.
*Worth noting: Class A Division II has a 24-team bracket, with the top six teams from each area making the playoffs and the top two from each area receiving first-round byes. Towns County, the No. 3 seed from Area 3, also received a bye because Area 4 did not have six playoff teams.
*First-round matchups:
(A3 #3) Towns County bye
(A2 #2) Portal bye
(A1 #5) Chattahoochee County at (A2 #4) Treutlen
(A1 #1) Hawkinsville bye
(A1 #6) Macon County at (A2 #3) Johnson County
(A3 #2) Lake Oconee Academy bye
(A4 #5) Bowdon at (A3 #4) Lincoln County
(A4 #1) Atlanta Classical bye
(A3 #6) Greene County at (A4 #3) Christian Heritage
(A1 #2) Dooly County bye
(A2 #5) Montgomery County at (A1 #4) Lanier County
(A2 #1) McIntosh County Academy bye
(A2 #6) Wheeler County at (A1 #3) Atkinson County
(A4 #2) Mount Zion-Carroll bye
(A3 #5) GMC Prep at (A4 #4) Manchester
(A3 #1) Aquinas bye
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