How the St. Andrew's girls soccer team made school history with dominating playoff win
Last year, the St. Andrew's girls soccer season came to an end in the state quarterfinals as the Lions lost to Trinity Christian in double overtime.
That setback served as motivation this season as the Lions set a goal to make a deep playoff run.
Those dreams came to fruition Wednesday night as the Lions dominated visiting Deerfield-Windsor 5-1 to advance to the GIAA Class 3A state finals. St. Andrew's (8-3-1) improved to 8-3-2 on the season and will face Frederica Academy in the finals at Mercer University Friday, May 12, at a time to be announced.
It's the first time the St. Andrew's girls squad has ever reached the state finals.
Standout sophomore Gray Holmes set the tone by scoring the first goal of the game in the 15th minute, and she continued to shine throughout. She scored in the 66th minute to put the Lions up 4-1, and then played the perfect corner kick to classmate Sydney Berkman, who headed it home in the 73rd minute for the final goal of the match.
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"After we lost in the overtime game in the Elite Eight last year, we felt like we deserved more," said Ben Dombroski, in his 13th year leading the program. "We set some goals and started going through the process to achieve them. We're really happy to be where we are right now. This was a cagey game in the first half, but we made some smart finishes.
"Now we've got Frederica Academy. They've been the pace setter in our region for years, but we beat them 2-0 earlier in the season. We know what it takes to beat them, but know they will be looking for some revenge.
Scarlet Holmes, an eighth grader, scored the second goal of the game in the 54th minute, and senior Stella Bowman cleaned up on a loose ball up front about a minute later for the Lions. Gray finished with two goals and a pair of assists and Morgan Rule also had an assist for St. Andrew's.
"We've really come together as a team and our senior captains, Anna Spitalnick and Ava Stillwagon, have been great leaders," said Dombrowski, affectionately referred to as 'Coach Dombro' by his crew. "Down the stretch, we've been unbelievable. We have a six-match unbeaten streak and have gotten goals from six different players in that stretch. We're scoring with different people from different angles, and playing great defense. I think half the goals we've allowed have come on penalty kicks."
Sophomore Nadia Doscher has been strong in goal for the Lions. In the 3-1 playoff win over Lakeview Academy, senior Sarah Koegler netted a pair of goals, with Holmes also scoring.
After the game, the underclassman Holmes initially turned down a request for a television interview -- saying she would be shaking if she had to appear on camera. But a few minutes later, she got in front of the camera and nailed her interview, just like she nailed her shots on goal in the game.
"It's such an honor to play for this team," Holmes said. "I didn't realize we had never made it to the finals, but right now we're at the peak of our performance. The keys have been practicing with high intensity and the leadership from our seniors. We've got a fantastic team chemistry and want to play our best for Coach Dombro."
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: How St. Andrew's girls soccer punched ticket to state championship game
