Editor's Note: The Lady Spartans beat Fellowship Christian 7-1 in the second round after this story was submitted for publication.
Athens Academy’s girls soccer team overcame a strong challenge in the first round of the state playoffs.
The Lady Spartans hosted Wesleyan School last Tuesday in the first round of the Class A-Private state tournament. After a tight battle, the Lady Spartans scored two goals late in the second half to secure a 2-0 victory.
They did so without their top scorer and with their primary goalkeeper sidelined due to injury.
“The great thing about this group is we don't have 10 or 11, we've got 15 or 16 that can play,” Athens Academy head coach Steve Stewart said. “I've got more kids on the bench that can play, too. ... We used our parts. That was all, 'Next man up, come and support each other.’”
Leading scorer ClaraJane Williams was suspended from the game after receiving two yellow cards in the regular season finale against North Oconee High School.
Meg Williams, the team’s senior goalkeeper, has missed time the last few weeks due to an ankle injury. Williams’ absence forced Madeline Ransom into the goal, which took away another weapon from the team’s offense.
“We had a good scheme to try to band-aid the kids we were missing,” Stewart said. “We changed the way we played a little bit. Charlotte Stokes came in. She's not started all year long and she gave us some really good minutes. Kate Garth normally plays on the outside midfield and I stuck her up front because she's got pace; she is fast. I wanted to put that much pressure on [Wesleyan] and then I wanted to also make them give us some corner kicks.”
It took time for the Lady Spartans to adjust to those changes – and a good Wesleyan defense – but they eventually got things rolling.
“It was definitely different than how we usually play with ClaraJane (active) and Meg in goal,” Garth said. “We'll have Madeline out in the field, which can help us in the midfield because she's physical. We definitely can overcome a couple of players missing since we have such a strong team.”
McKenna Friesen scored the first goal on a free kick with 18:59 left in the game. With just 33.3 seconds left, Lauren Clementz sank a shot to give Athens Academy its 2-0 edge.
Friesen said there was a feeling-out process early in the contest. Ultimately, the Lady Spartans knew they needed to settle in.
“We just had to realize that this was either the end of it or we were gonna keep going,” Friesen said. “We put it all on the field and tried our best.”
Clementz, who also assisted on the first goal, said that first score sparked a renewed energy in the team.
“After the first goal, it got us going a little more,” Clementz said. “We just started to fight back more.”
As Stewart said, he is confident in his team’s ability because of the depth on the Lady Spartans’ roster.
That depth was put to the test last week.
Though he had some doubts entering the game against Wesleyan, Stewart said he was pleased with how many players turned in big-time performances with the season on the line.
“Riley Friesen had a great game,” Stewart said. “The two center backs did well. I think Lauren had the assist on the first goal and then she had the last one. We were pleased with the outcome [last Tuesday]. I was not feeling 100 percent at kickoff.”
With their victory against Wesleyan, the Lady Spartans advanced to the second round of the playoffs. Their second-round game against Fellowship Christian School was held this past Tuesday after press time.
Stewart said he felt good about his team’s chances of advancing further if for no other reason than the fact they held home field advantage.
“We're good here,” Stewart said, referring to Athens Academy’s Slaughter Field. “Our field's big, it's wide, we're fast. It's much better playing here than on somebody's turf field in Atlanta somewhere. That's the biggest thing. Effort will carry us, but home field definitely helps us a lot.”
