Six squads win crowns

Gainesville (19-2-1) welcomed Woodward Academy (18-3-1) to City Park for the Class AAA boys championship, and early on the game two teams felt each other out. The Red Elephants received several acrobatic saves by keeper Edgar Espinoza before sophomore Cameron Moseley, who netted a pair of goals in the semifinal round, notched a goal with less than 12 minutes to go before halftime, giving the War Eagles a 1-0 lead.

The second half would see both teams again playing a strategic chess game before the War Eagles iced with the game with another Moseley goal. Junior Nolan Hall assisted on the second goal. Gainesville’s last big push was turned away by Woodward Academy keeper Alex Robinson, who finished with seven saves.

Class AAA girls

Allatoona claimed the first girls Class AAA title in program history after scoring a pair of goals in the second half. Allatoona (20-2-1) and Columbus (18-5) were scoreless at intermission after Columbus goalkeeper Anna Scogin came up with three saves in the first half. Columbus missed several opportunities on free kicks and corner kicks to dent the scoreboard.

The Bucs gave the home crowd a charge of excitement when Willough Davis found the back of the netting with 31:35 remaining. Allatoona went up 2-0 when Kristy Wise notched a goal with 18:01 to play in regulation.

Madison See beat the Allatoona defense to draw Columbus to within 2-1 on a free kick. Allatoona ended the playoffs having outscored its opponents 25-3.

Class AA girls

The Spartans of the Greater Atlanta Christian School (18-2-1) seized an early opportunity in the Class AA girls championship game and squeaked past Blessed Trinity (15-4-2) 1-0. Freshman Danielle Marcano headed home a goal barely six minutes into the first half, and the Spartans defense held off the Titans attack to take a one-goal lead into halftime.

The home Titans would try to crack the Spartans defense repeatedly in the second half, but Troy Bendickson’s junior goalkeeper Elizabeth White turned away 10 shots to pick up the program’s first girls soccer title. White and the Spartans defense did not allow a single goal in five playoff games. The win was also a measure of revenge for GAC after Blessed Trinity knocked off the Spartans in last year’s Class AA finals 1-0.

Class A girls

First Presbyterian Day (21-1) made its way to Roswell to face the Paladins in the girls Class A championship. The Vikings scored on a 35-yard shot with 15 minutes before halftime to edge Fellowship Christian (20-2) 1-0 and will take the GHSA Class A title back to Macon.

Paladin goalkeeper Abigail Freemeyer was credited with nine saves but it was Viking center-defenseman Kim-Caitlin Alderman that beat her late in the first half to give the Vikings the only goal Claire Crawford needed. The junior goalkeeper made 10 saves to secure the shutout win.

Josh Trieste’s program is now 40-0 with two titles against GHSA competition in its two years in Georgia High School Association play.