MACON — In a match that marked the end of the Lake Oconee Academy girls soccer team’s historic postseason run, the Lady Titans faced off against their region rival, Aquinas, on Tuesday night.
LOA came up short in the Class A Division II state title game, losing 2-1 to the defending champion Lady Fighting Irish, who got revenge for an early season loss to the Lady Titans.
Lake Oconee Academy girls’ head coach, Kourtney Kelley, was proud of her team’s effort this year.
“Right now, it’s sad,” Kelley said. “Nobody wants to go out losing this game, but when the girls have time to look back on this season, and what they accomplished, I think they’ll be proud of how this program has turned around in the last two years. I hate it for our seniors because we have four great kids going out like this. I think we’ll be able to use this as motivation for next year.”
Lake Oconee Academy’s players left everything they had on the pitch at Mercer University’s Five Star Stadium; however, it just wasn’t enough, as Aquinas claimed its second consecutive state title.
The Lady Fighting Irish jumped out to a 1-0 lead as freshman Mary Jane Knight scored in the ninth minute. The Lady Titans responded a few minutes later as senior Jane Monachello scored a goal on a free kick. The senior forward’s effort tied the game at 1-1, giving her team back some life.
Late in the first half, Aquinas junior Elle Morris found success by hitting a shot from outside the box into the back left corner of the net, scoring what would eventually be considered the game-winner.
In the second half, Lake Oconee Academy had a few chances to tie the game but couldn’t get a shot past Aquinas’ keeper. The Lady Fighting Irish didn’t give the Lady Titans many chances to score.
Despite the loss, LOA has a lot to be proud of. The Lady Titans won the Class A Division II Area 8 championship and advanced to the state title game for the first time in the program’s short history.
“Our girls remember making the Final Four last season and overcame that this year by taking the next step,” Kelley said. “I can see us using this loss to fuel our fire as we try to win it all next year.”
Lake Oconee Academy battled adversity this year as it dealt with several injuries. The Lady Titans made their historic postseason run without junior Lauren Glass, one of the team’s leading scorers.
Glass suffered a season-ending injury toward the end of the regular season, but her team didn’t give up. The Lady Titans dug deep and relied on a few others to help lead throughout their playoff run.
“All season long, we haven’t played with a 100 percent healthy roster,” Kelley said. “It’s been the next-man-up mentality. Lauren was a great kid and a captain for us. She definitely wanted to be out there, but did a great job of encouraging her teammates to step into her role while she was out.”
LOA (10-5-2) will lose Monachello, Anika Imhof, Keerti Ahluwalia, and Helen Schleiden to graduation later this month, but the Lady Titans will return a strong core next season, led by Glass.
Next year’s LOA squad will try to take the next step and win the program’s first-ever state title.
“Overall, I am proud of the girls and their resiliency,” Kelley said. “Hopefully, we will have an opportunity to be back here next year playing for a state championship.”