Paideia Girls Advance to Class A Soccer State Title Game

ATHENS - Playing for its first chance at a state championship since 2001, the visiting (16-3) cruised to a 5-0 victory at Athens Academy in the Class A girls' Final Four Tuesday to advance to the title game.

Paideia will play at First Presbyterian Day (20-1) in Savannah on Friday for the coveted state crown.

"It means a lot," coach Carl Rosenbaum said. “Now that we’re getting there, it’s fantastic; it’s great to be there. This group is jacked. The seniors have never really gotten this far. A high school final is special." 

Paideia, which has won 12 in a row and 14 of its last 15, needed nearly 32 minutes to get on the scoreboard, but the Lady Pythons led 2-0 at halftime.

The Lady Pythons had an offensive explosion in the second half and netted five goals to put them in the championship game.

Paideia continued its strong defensive showing versus Athens Academy and extended its scoreless streak to 10 games, dating back to March 21. The Lady Pythons beat their previous playoff opponents (Our Lady of Mercy and Savannah Day) both 7-0.

Yet while this stat speaks volumes, Rosenbaum wants to keep a secret.

"Shhhh," he said. "We scrap, and we've kind of changed up a little bit how we play in the playoffs. I decided to 'Let's go for it, and play more of an attack.' The good news with that is we have the ball more, so you’re not under as much pressure. But they really help each other, they look for each other."

Paideia's opponent in the Class A championship, First Presbyterian (20-1), clinched a spot in the title game after blanking Fellowship Christian in the semifinals on Tuesday, 2-0.