Roswell’s own Lady Hornets ended their season, going 15-4-2, by making it to the state championship. RHS went up against the Marist High War Eagles, who were 19-1-2 at the end of their season. The Region 6A championship game was held at 5 p.m., May 5, at McEachern High School at McEachern High School ending in a win for the Hornets, with a final score of 2-0.  The path to this victory was paved with challenges and successes for the girls.  

Historically, this was the first year RHS girls’ soccer has made it to the state championship in the school’s 74 year history. The excitement surrounding the girls was aided by a farewell during fifth period as the girls made their way from the locker room down the student and teacher filled-hall to the buses to depart for the game.   

Prior to the state win, senior Reghan Lednik said, “Winning a state championship has been my biggest dream since I stepped foot into high school. So being one of the final two teams left makes it feel very surreal.”  

Getting this far in playoffs gave hope to some of the girls who are not graduating this year and will be returning next season.  

Sophomore Lilli Suarez’s first year as starting goalkeeper on varsity said that the state playoffs didn’t feel real to her. “It makes me very hopeful for the years to come that I could help my team get to this point as a sophomore.”  

Suarez and Lednik agreed that the team had a very deep and caring bond that helped push them towards this win. Suarez says that the interconnected relationship the team had all together was the most important factor in getting them to this victory.  

Lednik said, “Our entire team has such a close-knit relationship and so much support for each other.”  

However, the tight knit bond Lednik and Suarez cited didn’t eliminate all obstacles.  

Lednik said, “This year altogether has been extremely different than past years. Our team runs more and cares more than any other team. Our coaches have stressed the importance of that throughout the whole season, and even more during playoffs. Those two factors alone will destroy any competition no matter their skill level.”  

Suarez affirms that the coaching staff, led by Coaches Desing, Dalhouser, and Jason, had a winning mindset since the beginning. Suarez said, “They brought a champion’s mindset from the start and kept pushing us, even through the tough losses and injuries we had to face. All we had to do was trust the process, and that’s exactly what we did.”