The Girls' Varsity Soccer team won the Class 6A  Area 15 Championship with a 2-1 victory over Athens on Senior Night. The Raiders will once again make an appearance in the AHSAA State Playoffs as they look to host Buckhorn in the First Round next week at SportsMed Field.

It was a total team effort Friday night, cheered on by a great Raider student-section, but the play of the seniors stood out in the victory.  Goalkeeper Chelsea McFarland made some key stops to deny Athens and Lily Robinson, who normally plays offense, entered the game late to provide a physical presence to seal the game. And then there were the goals from Kelis Massey. Her poise and execution in front of the goal guaranteed that the Raiders would go into the playoffs with home-field advantage.

When asked about this team and his first year at the helm, Coach Kevin Shivers had this to say, “In January, the team sat down to set their team goals and winning the Area was the first item on their list.  We knew it would be Athens that represented the biggest hurdle to overcome in achieving that mission.  Now, having beaten them twice this season in close matches, we can only credit the players’ execution of our game plan and staying disciplined and committed throughout the season as we built up to those games.”

Looking ahead to the playoffs, the Raiders will host Buckhorn. Coach Shivers gave a quick preview of what to expect in Round 1. “We look forward to the playoffs and our team has a great deal of confidence and momentum.  We will need it.  Buckhorn is having a great season, has some very talented players, and only narrowly missed out on winning their Area.  The players and coaches hope we can get the same great turnout in the stands when we host them late next week.”