Northgate got two goals from Micayla Crenshaw and one each from Hannah Murray and Lily Barron, defeating Whitewater 4-1 for the Class AAAAA girls state championship Saturday in Carrollton at the University of West Georgia.
Northgate (17-3) won its first state championship in girls soccer, snapping Fayette County’s string of three consecutive girls championships in the state’s second-largest classification.
It was the fifth consecutive state finals loss for Whitewater (19-3-1), which defeated Northgate 1-0 on March 15.
“Being in the same region with them and McIntosh and Starr’s Mill, we’re always overlooked,” Crenshaw said. “If we were in any other region, we’d win region every year. This is really good for our seniors.”
Crenshaw opened the scoring in the 29th minute, taking a feed from Barron, who beat Whitewater keeper Claire Messina to the ball. Once Crenshaw got Barron’s pass she had an easy shot past Messina.
Northgate (17-3) held the 1-0 lead through halftime, but Whitewater got the equalizer on a goal by Taylor Marks two minutes into the second half.
Crenshaw’s second goal, in the 47th minute, put the Lady Vikings up for good. Murray scored in the 56th minute and Barron in the 59th to put the game out of reach.
Class AAAAA boys
McIntosh 2, Houston County 0: In Carrollton, Salomon Lorenzano scored in the eighth minute and Chris Perez in the 75th for McIntosh (23-0), which won its fourth state championship while recording its 21st shutout.
In a battle of unbeatens, the Chiefs faced few serious offensive threats from the Bears (21-1), and finished having allowed two goals over the entire season.
Class AA boys
Westminster 1, Calhoun 0: In Carrollton, Harrison Butker's goal off a corner kick by Trey Blasingame in the 73rd minute gave Westminster (17-6) its third consecutive state championship.
In a battle of two teams that made the finals with penalty-kick shootout wins in the semifinals, Westminster and Calhoun (20-3) found the scoring opportunities scarce. Westminster got the majority of the chances in the second half, including four corner kicks.
Calhoun had a chance in the 79th minute on a crossing pass from Erwin Flores that rolled past two teammates, neither of whom could get a foot on the ball.
Class AA girls
Westminster 3, Greater Atlanta Christian 2: In Carrollton, Kathryn Murray, Liza Linginfelter and Caroline Beadles scored first-half goals, and Westminster held off GAC for the Class AA girls soccer championship.
Taylor Wagnon scored for GAC in the 44th minute, and Rachel Garcia pulled the Lady Spartans within one in the 64th minute.
Westminster (15-5) avenged two earlier losses to the Lady Spartans (19-2) and ended GAC’s bid for a third consecutive title.
Class A boys
Paideia 5, Hebron Christian 4: At Kennesaw State, Patrick Wilkerson came up with a big save, and Eli Pinner delivered the clincher for the Pythons in a thriller decided by goal kicks.
Hebron (16-3-1) overcame an early 2-0 deficit, behind a hat trick from Cole Redman. Bailey Pinto’s goal with 20 minutes left put the Lions ahead 4-3. But Paideia’s Malcolm Singleton tied the score with 2:20 to play, sending the game to goal kicks, where Wilkerson made a diving save to help the Pythons (21-1) sweep the Class A boys and girls state titles.
Class A girls
Paideia 3, Fellowship Christian 2: At Kennesaw State, freshman Shivani Beall scored the tying and go-ahead goals, lifting the Pythons to an overtime victory over the Paladins.
Fellowship Christian led 2-1, after Alexandra Lear scored at the 15-minute mark of the second half.
But Beall tied the score with 9:14 left in the second half and scored the game-winner 35 seconds into the first overtime session. Alex Murdoch also scored for Paideia (14-6), which earned its first state title since 2001 and third overall.
Megan Hudgens scored a first-half goal for Fellowship Christian (13-7), which was looking for its first state title.
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