Lady Cougars Capture TAPPS Division II State Soccer Championship with Undefeated Season

March 16, 2026 – Congratulations to the Grace Girls Soccer team for winning the State Championship!  The Lady Cougars finished the season with an undefeated 17-0-1 record. They defeated Brook Hill in the Regional playoff game to advance to the Final Four for the third straight season.  

The Semifinals game had the Lady Cougars playing against Ft. Worth All Saints.  There was a little extra motivation for this game, as they were the team that knocked Grace out of the playoffs at this same point last year. The Lady Cougars imposed themselves on the game early, controlling possession and creating chances. Cesa Sabillon stepped up and netted the first two goals for the Lady Cougars, assisted by Addison Eli and Elle Durham. Eli combined with Sabillon to score the third.  All Saints pushed the game close in the second half, trying to find an equalizer, but the Lady Cougars were up to the task and held strong. Sabillon completed her hat trick on an assist from Eli, and Camille Moser came up with a huge save on a shot heading to the top corner. Grace walked away as the 4-2 winners and advanced to the State Championship game. 

The State Championship was a much closer affair, as the Lady Cougars found themselves up against the Woodlands Christian Academy. Grace created a couple chances early, but the Woodlands goalkeeper made several good saves to keep the score 0-0.  Woodlands found the first breakthrough on a shot from just inside the box, and the Lady Cougars found themselves down 0-1.  Never ones to panic, the girls went right back to work looking for an equalizer.  And shortly before halftime, they found it on a deflected shot by Addison Eli on a pass from Addie Mathews. Both teams battled and battled looking for a goal, but the score stayed 1-1 until late in the second half. The Lady Cougars won a corner; Elle Durham set the ball down, lofted it into the box, and Cesa Sabillon, mustering every bit of strength she could after two games in 24 hours, lost her mark, jumped up and headed the ball down past goalkeeper and defenders.  From there, the Lady Cougar defense faced everything Woodlands could throw at them and were more than up to the task.  Maggie Gillen, Ella Herrin, Bella Wallace, Elle Durham, Addison Eli, Camille Moser, and Julia Feliciano (who was fighting hard through a knee injury sustained before the Final Four) kept the Woodlands from scoring, the time ran out, and the Lady Cougars were crowned TAAPS Division II State Champions!  

In addition to the great team performance, four of the Lady Cougars were selected for the All-Tournament team: Cesa Sabillon, Addison Eli, Elle Durham, and Maggie Gillen.  It was a beautiful capstone to an incredible season and a special group of young women!  Thank you to everyone who traveled and supported the team throughout the season.  Winning is good, but it wouldn’t mean anything if we didn’t have the love and support of all of our supportive fans!