Lovett girls make early goal stand up to win Private soccer title

“It feels awesome,” said Newton, who has signed to play at the University of Washington. “It will definitely be sad to leave but I think we’ve left a good legacy.”

Newton took a cross from Hollis Mefford near the right of the net and slipped her shot into the upper left corner in the 34th minute.

“She knows how to get herself in position to score,” Lovett coach Virginia Kerns said. “We trust her to do that. She’s a very strong player and I look forward to watching her play in college.”

Lovett (17-3-1) dominated the first half. The Lions’ aggressive defense kept the ball away from GAC for most of the half and prevented the Spartans from taking a shot on goal. The defense allowed Lovett to put perpetual pressure on the offensive end.

The Lions had numerous other chances, including good opportunities off corner kicks, but GAC goalkeeper Riley James was equal to the challenge for the remainder of the half.

“We talked about our defense in practice,” Kerns said. “We want to play our game and keep the other team from playing theirs. That’s how we framed it for them. And we were able to do it.”

GAC (18-4), last year’s Class 5A champion, was able to be more aggressive in the second half but could not crack the Lovett defense.

The Spartans got speedy Cydney Pace free for a shot in the 33rd minute, but Lovett keeper Covington Baumann got her hands up and deflected it over the net. Nothing came of the ensuing corner kick.

GAC’s other opportunity came with eight minutes left when a long shot got loose up front before Baumann smothered it.

“We scored early and played our game,” Newton said. “That’s what our goal has been.”

It was Lovett’s second win over GAC; the Lions won 5-1 on March 25 during the regular season. The Lions outscored their five state playoff opponents 31-1.

“We’ve been scoring a lot of goals, so it was a little different to ride a 1-0 but it was definitely very exciting,” Kerns said. “I was glad to play them again.”