There were four goals scored across four soccer matches Wednesday evening at two locations around the state – McEachern and Duluth – and each of those strikes proved to be a game and state championship winner.
Class 3A
At McEachern
Girls: Oconee County 1, Jefferson 0
Oconee County won the program’s third-straight and overall championship after outlasting Jefferson 1-0 in the 3A championship match.
Freshman forward Maddie Cass scored the game-winner after a scoreless regulation. Her overtime came just 50 seconds into the overtime period to put Oconee on top.
“This was a great game between two great teams. It was back and forth, and Jefferson gave us everything they had,” head coach Judson Hamby told Jeff Gable. “They knew us well and they took some of our players and strategies out with their gameplan. But wow, what heart and what fight our team had, both individually and as a group. This was a proper championship game to end the year.”
Oconee moved past Johnson-Gainesville 4-1, Harlem 8-0, Sandy Creek 9-1 and Whitewater 3-1 in the semifinals. Jefferson was trying for the program’s first-ever title.
Boys: Johnson-Gainesville 1, Northwest Whitfield 0
Johnson-Gainesville won the program’s fourth championship after moving past Northwest Whitfield and a goal from Daniel Trujillo at the 6:04 mark of the second period proved decisive.
Johnson previously won championships in 2018 and 2022 in Class 5A and 2023 in Class 4A before reclassifying to Class 3A. Northwest Whitfield had previously won one state championship in Class 4A in 2018.
On its way to the championship, Johnson-Gainesville moved past Groves 5-0, Calhoun 2-1, Chestatee 3-1 and Oconee County 2-0 in the semifinals.
Class 1A-3A Private
At Duluth
Girls: Lovett 1, Greater Atlanta Christian 0
Mary Camp Newton scored what would become the game-winning goal at the 5:27 mark of the first half to lead defending-champion Lovett to the program’s seventh state title in the Class 1A-3A Private match against Greater Atlanta Christian.
Lovett previously won championships in 2001, 2005, 2016, 2021, 2022 and last season. Greater Atlanta Christian had previously won four championships – 2012, 2014, 2015 and last season in Class 5A before being reclassed to 1A-3A Private.
Lovett moved past King’s Ridge 10-0, Fellowship Christian 7-0, Wesleyan 8-1 and Holy Innocents’ 6-0 in the semifinals.
Boys: Atlanta International 1, Whitefield Academy 0
Val Kristensen scored the game-winning goal with 39:03 in the first half to help secure the program’s fourth title – 2015, 2022 and last season – while moving past Whitefield Academy.
After a BYE, Atlanta International moved through Landmark Christian 4-1, Mount Vernon 4-0 and Paideia 1-0 in the semifinals. Whitefield had previously won the 2017 Class A title and was trying for its second title.
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