PHOTO: From 2024 – Celina beats Boerne in the 4A final
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Celina came into Thursday’s match against Davenport with a 26-game winning streak in the playoffs. The Bobcats had won the last three Class 4A state championships with their last playoff loss coming in 2021 in the 4A semifinals against Midlothian Heritage.
Their streak was in jeopardy as Celina trailed 1-nil at halftime during the 4A Division 1 title game at Birkelbach Field in Georgetown.
Despite the deficit, Celina had enormous pressure all game long.
By the end of the match, the Bobcats had 24 more shot attempts than Davenport (28-4), 17 more on goal (20-3) and 11 more corner kicks (11-0).
Davenport found the back of the net first in the 31st minute.
Logan Strong found Rylee Reisdorph who gave Wolves a 1-0 lead.
Celina added three more shots from Olivia Cotten and two from Ryleigh Stifflemire before the intermission, and two corners in a 23-second span.
Davenport goalkeeper Isabel Templeman made 18 saves while playing a full 80 minutes.
Sammy Quiroz got a shot off in the 40th minute followed by another from Stifflemire in the 41st minute. Both were saved by Templeman.
The pressure continued to build as the Bobcats took six more shots and four corner kicks before finally breaking through. In the 54th minute, Stifflemire assisted on a goal by Grace Pritchard that tied it 1-1. Less than 10 minutes later, Celina took its first lead and never relinquished.
Stifflemire took a ball herself and scored to make it 2-1.
16 different Bobcats saw the field with Emme Norman, Harper Castillo, Stifflemire, Pritchard, Cotten and Ashton Lowry playing all 80 minutes.
Stifflemire, a junior, was named state champ MVP.
She had seven shots and five on goal.
Celina ends the season at 28-1 while Davenport goes 21-3-1. The Bobcats only loss came in January against Argyle 1-0 but they finish with 25 straight wins, a 170-9 goal differential and 20 shutouts.
The program captured its first state title in 2022 after taking down Midlothian Heritage in a shootout. The Bobcats came back in 2023 and set multiple records during an 8-1 thrashing of Stephenville. The 3-peat happened last season after edging out Boerne 1-0.
The Bobcats’ 4-peat is a historic one as they become of the first program – in UIL boys or girls soccer – to win four consecutive state championships (UIL soccer started during the 1982-83 season).
