CHAMPS: Martin, Tipon lift Tolton past Villa Duchesne to win Class 1 title
The 'Blazers are on top.
Father Tolton girls soccer won the Class 1 MSHSAA state championship with a timely goal and stingy defense Saturday afternoon at Soccer Park in St. Louis County, holding off Villa Duchesne 1-0. It's the program's first-ever state title.
A team led by 10 seniors sits atop Class 1 with an 18-8-1 record. However, a sophomore and a junior made the most important and championship-winning plays Saturday.
Sophomore Ava Martin scored the 'Blazers' title-clinching goal near the halfway point of the second half. Junior goalie Rachel Tipton made multiple second-half saves to preserve the 1-0 lead and the title.
After the game went final and the championship became a part of the record books, senior Macie Parmer was handed the MSHSAA championship trophy and began the official celebration.
Villa almost struck first in the first half. Duchesne got a shot past Tipton late in the first half, but the referees waved off the goal. That preserved the game at a 0-0 stalemate going into halftime.
Tolton had chances to connect in the first half, too. But the 'Blazers never found the back of the net until the second half.
Martin, who also made stout defensive plays in the title game, was credited for the game's only goal on a set play. She sank a free kick in the 58th minute to put Tolton up.
It was the second-straight game where Tolton advanced with a second-half goal and tough defense. In the state semifinals, Parmer was the hero in the 52nd minute. She scored on a strike from about 20 yards out to lift Tolton in the semis.
Parmer's heroics put Tolton ahead Friday, and stout defense closed out the semifinals. Tolton did the same Saturday to clinch its first-ever title.
Duchesne won its semifinal game 4-0, meaning Tolton's defense would need to stand firm. Martin, Tipton, Claire Condict, Zoey Martinez, Sarah Steevens and others combined as a team to hold a Saints team that averaged 2.2 goals per game to a shutout.
Tolton came close in 2015 and 2016, placing second in state in 2015. In 2016, the 12-15 underdog team advanced to the final four. That 2016 squad earned a fourth-place finish.
Seven years later, the 2023 team claimed a championship.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Martin, Tipon lift Father Tolton to the Class 1 title
