Marist won its eighth girls soccer state title by defeating Columbus 5-0 in the Class AAAA championship game Friday at University Field. Katie MacGinnitie scored twice for the War Eagles.
“Everyone is special, but this group was unbelievable,” Marist coach Sergio Stadler said. “From the very beginning they embraced our philosophy, and they got better and better every single time. They believe in each other, and they choreographed a beautiful game of soccer.”
Senior Caroline Strom scored the first goal 12 minutes into the first half to give Marist the early edge. From there, the rout was on as the War Eagles outshot Columbus 19-1 and held the ball for 75 percent of the game.
Freshman Katie MacGinnitie scored two goals, and Emily Gale and Meredith Selvey each added goals for Marist. Strom’s initial strike preceded MacGinnitie’s first goal, which afforded Marist a 2-0 lead at the half.
“Katie is phenomenal,” Stadler said. “I taught her father and now I am teaching her, and she will be back next year.”
Sophomore Carlin Zaprowski was in goal for Marist for much of the contest, but had to make only one save. She was substituted for with six minutes remaining and was excited about helping the War Eagles earn their first state title since 2009.
“First state title, and it feels unreal,” Zaprowski said. “I am speechless. Our goal for the season was to win state, and we did.”
Despite dominating the competition throughout the season with a 22-0-1 record, Marist players seemed surprised to come out on top, despite outscoring their playoff foes 40-0.
“My goal for the season was to play my hardest and win state,” MacGinnitie said. “I never thought we would come this far.”
Columbus must take solace in losing their second state finals in a row. Last season, the Blue Devils fell 2-1 to Allatoona in the AAA final.
“We want to be in the state championship next year,” Columbus coach Rusty Oliver said. “That is our goal.”
The Blue Devils ended the season 16-6. Columbus got here by shutting out four consecutive playoff opponents. But Marist proved too strong Friday.
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