The Randolph Raider girls’ soccer team finished their season with a record of 8-7-2.  Despite falling to Buckhorn in the first round of the 6A state playoffs, players, parents, and coaches agree that the season should be regarded as a success.

Prior to the start of the season, concerns about how to replace key players lost to graduation and how the team would transition under Coach Shivers’ leadership were on the minds of some observers.  An encouraging and spirited showing in the Golden Goal Tournament in Albertville answered some doubts as the team finished with two wins out of three games played.

The Raiders next faced a gauntlet of defending state champions with Westminster and Sparkman on the schedule.  Having faced Springville in the previous weekend, by mid-February, the team had faced three defending state champions in one week but came away with respectable showings against all three.  As players settled into new positions and teammates became more comfortable, the team started to show signs of improvement.

With only three seniors and no freshmen on the varsity squad, the core of the team lay in the 10th and 11th-grade classes.  Ever present in the team’s lineup were juniors Ella Minton, Ellie Heilman, and Halle Skinner who all featured prominently in the team’s defense in front of senior goalkeeper Chelsea McFarland.  The Raiders attack was dominated by sophomores Asha Arora, Anne Fowlkes Schreeder, and Mary Bea Harris.  Senior attackers Kelis Massey and Lily Robinson also began to show promising signs of their skill and speed by early March.

After a narrow victory over rival Madison Academy, the girls’ team tested their team tactics and their determination in the River City Shootout against 7A opponent Grissom followed by a tie against East Limestone and a blowout of Mars Hill in which sophomore Mary Bea Harris scored a memorable hat-trick.  Going into Spring Break, the Raiders had leveled their record at 4-4-1 and seemed poised to transform spirited losses into deserved victories.

Following Spring Break, the team tallied four wins and two losses and began to find their scoring groove.  By early April, no less than thirteen players had tallied at least one goal and the team had secured an Area championship by sweeping all its opponents in area play.  This run included a rain-soaked victory over Athens away from home (undoubtedly the turning point of the girls’ season) and two 10-0 thrashings of Columbia before securing home-field advantage in the playoffs at home in a 2-1 win over Athens.

Heartbreak struck at home in the playoffs against Buckhorn.  Despite dominating the game at home against the Bucks, the Raiders fell by a score of 1-2 and seniors McFarland, Robinson, and Massey were left wondering how far their final season could have gone.  But along with the disappointment in the loss came the attitude that a young Raider girls’ team would be ready and eager to set things right going into the 2025 season.  With those robust classes of rising seniors and juniors, the prospect of even greater success and a deeper playoff run next year will be top of the expectations of both the team and the staff.