By Johnny Sanders, Sports Editor
SPRINGVILLE – Somehow, the Springville Tigers surprised some people over the weekend by making it to the 5A State Championship in girls’ soccer, despite their impressive record on the year. The 21-2 Tigers made short work of Gulf Shores in the finals to get the blue map and bring Springville a state championship.
The first game of the tournament was a 7-0 win over Moody. The second round was a 4-3 nail-biter against John Carroll that saw the winning goal scored in the last 20 seconds by Zoey Blaszsczynski, her second goal of the game. Maggie Nalley and Rebecca Sierra also had a goal each in the game while goal keeper Sophie Crotts had a great game as well. Head Coach Meg Childress said, “(Crotts) has made some outstanding saves all season but she really outdid herself against in the John Carroll game.” Team Captain and defensive midfielder Emily Clendenin, hurt her ankle and was unable to play the remainder of the tournament. The win earned the Tigers a spot in the final four for the first time in school history.
In the semifinals, Springville drew East Limestone. Defensive players Hope Laughlin, who is a senior captain on the team, Kelley Anne McWhorter, Brook McQueen, and Madison Smith all had a great game on the defensive side of the ball, holding East Limestone to just 2 goals. Annie Grant had one of the two points scored for the Tigers while Rebecca Sierra had two. The Tigers defeated East Limestone 3-2 to advance to the final game against Gulf Shores on Saturday.
This championship game was not what championship games are typically made of. This one was never close. The score was 6-2 at halftime and that was not even the worst of it. These Lady Tigers came in determined to bring home the championship and that is precisely what they did as they proved themselves worth and solidified themselves as the best of the best in 5A girls soccer.
The final in the championship game was 9-4. Blaszsczynski, Nalley, and Grant had a goal in the game while Audrey Duckworth added 2 goals and Rebecca Sierra added a whopping 4 goals in the dominating win for the Tigers. Sierra also took home the tournament MVP as the Tigers continued to pile up the hardware.
“I am very proud of this hardworking and determined group of ladies,” said Coach Childress. “Muscle cramps, black eyes, ankle sprains, and countless bruises could not stop them from making history. They have played great together all season but stepped up to achieve the goal of final four and continue on to become state champions. We appreciate how much our community has celebrated and supported us.”