Metro Atlanta private schools and public schools from Gwinnett and Fayette counties have dominated girls soccer in the state since the GHSA began conducting playoffs in 1992 with an all-classification tournament.
Of the 124 championships that have been awarded in the 28 seasons since, more than half (67, or 54 percent) have been won by seven schools from those three groups. Atlanta private school Westminster leads the way with 13, including the past five in Class 3A. Other dominant programs include McIntosh (Fayette, 12 titles), St. Pius (Atlanta private school, 12), Marist (Atlanta private school, 10), Parkview (Gwinnett, nine), Starr’s Mill (Fayette, six) and Blessed Trinity (Roswell private school, five).
This year’s playoffs, which begin Tuesday, could bring more of the same. Westminster, Blessed Trinity, Marist and north Fulton private school Holy Innocents’ are No. 1 in this week’s Score Atlanta rankings, while Atlanta private school Lovett is No. 2 in Class 2A.
Still, there are teams outside of Atlanta having strong seasons that are seeking to break through and put a dent in that domination this season. Here are five teams to watch in the playoffs:
*Bremen (Class 2A): The Blue Devils, seeking their first state championship, are ranked No. 1 by both Score Atlanta and Eurosport Scoreboard this week. Bremen entered the week 14-1 overall (6-0 in Region 5-2A), with 12 consecutive victories since a 7-1 loss to Class 7A North Paulding on Feb. 12, outscoring its opponents 88-1 during that winning streak. The biggest victory was a 9-0 win over sixth-ranked Model, which was unbeaten at the time. Bremen will open the playoffs at home against the No. 4 seed from Region 8, which has yet to be announced.
*Commerce (Class A Public): With no private schools and essentially no metro Atlanta teams in A Public, this classification is wide open. The Tigers have been destroying everything in their path and appear primed for a run at winning their first state title. Commerce is 16-0 overall and 11-0 in Region 8-A Public, outscoring its opponents 164-7 after a 10-0 victory Tuesday night against Lake Oconee Academy. Sophomore Chloe Diaz has scored 59 goals with 36 assists, and freshman Ivy Tolbert has 55 goals and 53 assists. Commerce failed to make the playoffs in 2019 when the tournament included just 16 teams, half of its current size.
*Eastside (Class 5A): The Eagles were eliminated by Blessed Trinity in the quarterfinals in 2019, when the most recent tournament was held, and are seeking their first state title. They are ranked No. 3 by Score Atlanta and Eurosport this week. Eastside is 11-2-2 overall and 6-1 in Region 8-5A, but a 3-1 loss to Greenbrier likely cost the Eagles the region championship. Eastside returned from spring break with a 1-1 tie against Class 7A Mountain View on Tuesday and concludes the regular season with a home game Thursday night against Heritage-Conyers.
*Houston County (Class 6A): The Bears reached the quarterfinals of the 2019 state tournament before getting knocked out 4-2 by eventual state runner-up Harrison. This year, they are 13-0-1 and ranked No. 6 by Score Atlanta and No. 7 by Eurosport. The most telling result of the season for Houston County is likely the tie, a 1-1 contest against Starr’s Mill on Feb. 11. Otherwise, the Bears have had little trouble, cruising to a 6-0 mark in Region 1-6A while outscoring their opponents 49-0. But we’ll find out a lot more about Houston County on Thursday when it closes the regular season with a game at McIntosh.
*North Oconee (Class 4A): The Titans are 13-0-2 overall and 7-0 in Region 8-4A heading into their regular-season finale against Athens Academy on Friday. They are ranked No. 6 by Score Atlanta but No. 1 by Eurosport. North Oconee’s schedule hasn’t been the toughest in Class 4A, but the Titans have a good victory against fellow top-five team Flowery Branch (8-1 on March 19), which played in the state finals in 2019. They also have ties against top-five teams Eastside of 5A and Brookwood of 7A. North Oconee, seeking its first state championship, will open the playoffs at home against Mount Zion-Jonesboro.
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