PHOTO: The Celina Bobcats defeated Boerne 1-0 to win the program’s third straight Class 4A state soccer championship (CREDIT: Ken Murphy)
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Yes, it’s a DYNASTY!
Grace Pritchard scored on a corner kick in the 42nd minute and Celina held on 1-0 vs Boerne in the Class 4A state championship on Thursday at Georgetown ISD Stadium.
The Bobcats make it a three-peat – becoming just the second girls team to accomplish the feat and first since Plano West won three in a row from 2000-02.
Plano High is the only boys team to win three straight in the early 1990s.
Pritchard was voted state champ MVP. The junior had an assist in Wednesday’s semifinal round when Celina defeated Lumberton 3-1.
The Bobcats finish the season with a 26-1-2 record. Last year they went undefeated at 29-0 – becoming the third team to go undefeated in UIL girls soccer history. During this dynasty, the team has posted an astounding 84-2-3 record.
Add in the 2021 season when they lost in the state semis, the Bobcats are 108-4-4 post COVID.
Boerne (23-2-3) was the more controlling team with a corner and three shots in the opening 15 minutes. Just before the 20 mark of the first half, Celina got two back-to-back corners from Sammy Quiroz, who scored two goals against Lumberton.
Ryleigh Stifflemire took a corner in the 22nd minute for the Bobcats, but a header from Brookelyn Babb went high. Celina continued to pressure with a shot and two more corners in the final 10 minutes before the intermission.
Stifflemire kicked another corner attempt in the 42nd minute and found Pritchard in the back of the pack. Her header bounced in near the far post to make it 1-nil.
The Celina D held strong – holding Boerne to one corner and two shots in the final 25 minutes. The Greyhounds got one on the 75th minute by Kailey Stringfellow but it was saved by Celina keeper Kaitlyn Gustafson, who helped the team post its 23rd shutout of the season.
The UIL will release its state all-tournament teams on Sunday.
