The Northgate Lady Vikings soccer team wrapped up a championship season May 18 with a 4-1 victory over Whitewater.
The win gave the school its first AAAAA state title, the cap to a quite outstanding season that featured 11 shutouts and six more games in which they gave up just one goal.
Northgate went into the half up 1-0, but Whitewater briefly tied the game before the Lady Vikings scored three more times to seal the game.
Head Coach Bryan Hicks credited the defense for standing strong against Whitewater, with backfielders Hayli Verbanic, Katie Salha, Ashley Keller and Brittany DeLoach along with goalkeeper Mattea Lewis.
“Our back four was outstanding,” Hicks said, citing the 11 shutouts and six additional games where only one goal was allowed. “They played an outstanding match on Saturday and obviously throughout the season.”
Lily Barron and Micayla Crenshaw scored more than 25 goals each this season to lead the offensive attack for Northgate, Hicks noted.
Hicks also said Hannah Murray deserved credit for taking a leadership role in helping younger players as Northgate had a lot of sophomores and a couple of freshman as well.
Northgate entered the championship final on a high note after beating a strong McIntosh team in the semi-final in what Hicks called “the biggest win in Northgate history.”
The Lady Vikings were also able to turn the tables on Whitewater, who had won the previous regular-season match between the two teams.
“It was a pretty amazing season,” Hicks said.
