One of Athens Academy’s best girls soccer seasons came to a heartbreaking end last week.
Last Wednesday, the Lady Spartans hosted The Paideia School in the Elite Eight round of the Class A-Private state tournament. Unfortunately for Athens Academy, Paideia took the game 1-0 thanks to a score in overtime.
That loss brought to an end one of the Lady Spartans’ best seasons ever.
The Lady Spartans finished with a 18-3 overall record. They went 10-0 in Region 8-A-Private to clinch their seventh region championship in a row.
Throughout the season, Athens Academy flexed its dominance.
Week one saw the Lady Spartans earn a 10-0 win over Westminster Christian Academy. The next game, a region bout with Tallulah Falls High School, ended 12-2.
The Lady Spartans shellacked Franklin County High School 15-0 on Feb. 12.
Though Athens Academy’s season-opening winning streak ended at three games, its loss to Pinecrest Academy came by a score of just 3-1.
The Lady Spartans were back to their dominant ways the next time out, topping Cedar Shoals High School 10-0.
That win over Cedar Shoals sparked an incredible run for Athens Academy.
Including that game, the Lady Spartans enjoyed a stretch of 10-straight games where they shut out their opponents.
Five of those victories came via the mercy rule. In addition to the win over Cedar Shoals, Athens Academy beat Athens Christian School 10-0, Tallulah Falls 10-0, Athens Christian 12-0 in their second matchup and Prince Avenue Christian School 10-0.
The least amount of goals scored by the Lady Spartans during those 10 games was six against Morgan County High School, a Class AAA team that reached the second round of the playoffs.
Following the 10 consecutive shutouts, Athens Academy still earned a win – the Lady Spartans went on the road and beat The Lovett School 2-1 on March 30.
They beat Mt. De Sales Academy 7-0 and Loganville Christian School 8-0 before playing at North Oconee High School to close out the regular season.
That regular season finale resulted in a 3-0 loss for the Lady Spartans. They had no trouble shaking off the tough result, though.
Athens Academy hosted Wesleyan School in the first round of the Class A-Private state tournament and won 2-0.
In round two, the Lady Spartans beat Fellowship Christian School 7-1.
With the end of the 2021 season also comes the end of the high school careers of several talented Lady Spartans.
Seniors Riley Friesen, Hayden Wood, Mia Dugas, Kate Kleiber, Meg Williams, Lucy Waugh and Adeline Sinkwich will all soon graduate from Athens Academy.
Fortunately for the Lady Spartans, other key contributors are set to return next season.
ClaraJane Williams, who scored 51 goals this season to finish just shy of the program’s all-time scoring record for a single season, will be back for her junior campaign.
Other integral players who are expected back include Lauren Clementz, Kate Garth, McKenna Friesen and Madeline Ransom, among several others.
