A victory by the Lovett girls soccer team not only would earn the Lions their second consecutive championship, it would send its group of seniors off with three rings in their four seasons.
“Just being able to defend our title will be an awesome experience, and I know my girls are really excited to play for another state championship,” said coach Virginia Seiler, who has taken the Lions to state championships in 2021-22 and 2024.
Lovett, which won the Class 4A championship a year ago, will meet Greater Atlanta Christian, the 2024 Class 5A champions, for the Class 1-3A Private title at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Duluth High School.
Lovett and GAC are two of the seven teams that will try to defend their state titles this week. Also coming back for seconds are the Marist and Oconee County girls and the River Ridge, Westminster and Atlanta International boys.
The Lions are an experienced group that features 10 seniors and 10 juniors. They are led by seniors Mary Camp Newton and Ridley Newton, two of three triplets, senior Mary Parrish Greene, who Seiler called “the bedrock of the team,” and junior Hollis Mefford. Freshman Alex Kasow has found a way to break through the veteran lineup to play a key role.
“We have a really talented group this year, from our seniors all the way to our freshmen,” Seiler said. “The younger girls have filled in gaps where the previous year’s seniors have graduated, so we’ve been able to keep the culture of the program really consistent. That way all the girls know what to expect from me and what to expect from each other.”
Lovett (16-3-1) plays a high-pressure style that keeps the heat on the opposition and often leads to goals. Two of Lovett’s losses have come against Class 6A-finalist Grayson on penalty kicks and Class 4A-finalist Marist on a goal in the final five minutes.
Lovett defeated GAC 5-1 on March 25, but Seiler warned against reading too much into that outcome.
“I always tell my girls to live in the present,” Seiler said. “We’re not looking ahead to anything, and we’re not looking behind. That result is in the past. It means nothing, other than a win or a loss, so I’ve been harping that the only thing that matters is what’s happening today, and I’ll be telling them that on Wednesday as well.”
Greater Atlanta Christian (18-3) has won four consecutive matches since losing back-to-back games before the state playoffs began.
The championships will be spread out over three days at neutral sites. Girls games will start at 5 p.m., with the boys to follow at 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday
Class A Division I at McEachern: Girls - Bremen vs. Model; Boys - Armuchee vs. Thomasville.
Wednesday
Class 3A at McEachern: Girls - Jefferson vs. Oconee County; Boys - Northwest Whitfield vs. Johnson Gainesville.
Class 1-3A Private at Duluth: Girls - Lovett vs. Greater Atlanta Christian; Boys - Atlanta International vs. Whitefield Academy.
Thursday
Class 6A at McEachern: Girls - Walton vs. Buford; Boys - Grayson vs. Campbell.
Class 4A at Duluth: Girls – Marist vs. Blessed Trinity; Boys – Marist vs. Westminster.
Class A Division II at Mercer: Girls – ACE Charter vs. Lake Oconee Academy; Boys – Atkinson County vs. Lake Oconee Academy.
Friday
Class 5A at Duluth: Girls – Northgate vs. Roswell; Boys – Sprayberry at River Ridge.
Class 2A at Mercer: Girls – Pike County vs. Savannah Arts; Boys – Shaw vs. Drew Charter.
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