After a gut-wrenching early-season loss to Etowah (3-0, 0-0) last Friday (0-0, 5-4 on penalties), the Roswell girls soccer team will look to return to form this week. The Class 6A No. 4-ranked Hornets (3-2, 0-0) will travel to Class 7A No. 3 North Gwinnett Friday to take on the Bulldogs (5-0, 0-0), a matchup where both teams are looking to make a statement with a win.
A win for Roswell will show it can still perform at its championship caliber level, while North Gwinnett is trying to keep up the dominant run it has enjoyed so far this year.
The Hornets return much of the talent that won them the GHSA 6A State Championship game last year, most notably junior goalkeeper Lilli Suarez, who did not concede a single goal during Roswell’s 2023 playoff run. Alongside Suarez, the Hornets are led by five seniors this year including Piedmont University-commit Kylin Rothwell.
Roswell is experienced in sending talent to the next level, with last year’s team having multiple players in college, including Kennesaw State University defender Lara Kennedy, and University of North Florida defender Hadley Collier.
North Gwinnett has gotten off to a hot start, winning its first five games of the season. Second-year head coach Ryan Burkhart is aiming to lead his team back to the playoffs, where they had an unfortunate second round exit last year.
“The girls have really started to develop a specific culture and are embracing it,” coach Ryan Burkhart stated. “It has led them to some solid early season wins against worthy opponents.”
The Bulldogs are experience, with 15 upperclassmen.
“The upperclassmen have helped lead the way for some talented underclassmen,” Burkhart said.
Of these upperclassmen, there are multiple standouts, most notably junior Cameron Martin, who has scored seven goals in five games.
The young talent has also contributed so far this season, with freshman forward Areyanna Michel scoring three goals and assisting one in her four games played. Sophomore midfielder Kendall Barley is currently leading the team with five assists.
North Gwinnett has maintained a dominant goal ratio thus far, scoring 25 goals while only conceding five, four of which came against Parkview who the Bulldogs beat 7-4 in double overtime on February 15. Another notable win came against Mill Creek, where after two overtime periods North Gwinnett secured the win, 3-1 on penalties.
“Roswell is well-coached, and will provide another awesome early challenge for the team,” Burkhart said.
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