Girls Soccer 2024 State Champions!
Congratulations to the Grace Girls soccer team for winning the State Championship! They defeated Austin Regents in the Semi-Finals and Katy St. John XXIII in the finals to lift the trophy in Round Rock. This is the 3rd State Championship for the Girls program overall, and the first since 2018.
It was a dramatic two days for the Lady Cougars, as both games in the State Tournament went to overtime, and the State Championship went all the way to penalty kicks before a winner was decided. In the Semis, Grace defeated Austin Regents 3-2. They came back from a 1-0 deficit with goals from Addison Eli and Cesa Sabillon, both assisted by Elle Durham. Grace was leading 2-1 heading into the final minute when the Lady Knights equalized off a corner with 1 second left in regulation. The game was back and forth during OT, until Elle Durham broke free and played a beautiful ball across to Cesa Sabillon, who buried the ball in the corner of the net.
Grace then progressed to the State Championship against Katy St. John XXIII. Though they had played 100 minutes of soccer the day before, the Lady Cougars were mentally and physically up to the challenge and dominated for most of the game. Grace managed 23 shots to St. John’s 4, but were unable to find the back of the net through 80 minutes of regular time and 20 minutes of overtime–so the State Championship came down to a penalty kick shootout. In the shootout, the Lady Cougars were dominant, with all five shooters scoring and Claire Stoermer making a crucial save against St. John’s leading scorer. The Lady Cougars won the shootout 5-3, and lifted the trophy as STATE CHAMPIONS! Penalty kick shots were scored by Randi Huddleston, Ally Wallace, Addison Eli, Elle Durham, and Cesa Sabillon.
Thank you to everyone who supported us throughout the season, and especially during the State Tournament! It takes a village to win a State Championship, and your love and support provided so much encouragement to the players and coaches. Congratulations Lady Cougars!