On May 4, Chamblee’s girl varsity soccer team won their match against Greenbrier High School 9-0, to claim the state championship. The victory comes one year after becoming the first DeKalb County girls soccer team to play for – and win – a state title in soccer. Ansley Harrison, Cameron Pfau, Kara Croone, Alessenda Washington, and Solai Washington scored for Chamblee in the championship game. 

There was a lot riding on the line to win this year. Last year’s championship title, in which the Bulldogs blanked the team from Midtown High School 8-0, was stripped from the school due to a violation of a GHSA coaching rule.

“We had to show people that last year was not a fluke, so we had to prove ourselves even more,” said Kara Croone (‘25). 

The practices leading up to the game were the most intense of the year, as it was important for the team to prepare. 

“Four weeks before the playoffs, we started training really hard in practice, and we really keyed in on those last weeks,” said Alessendra Washington (‘24).

However, the team made sure to keep some of the same traditions as other games.

“We were really hyped on the bus ride as always. We usually listen to music, and then we always listen to Eminem before we play. We also had some of the same good warmups,” said Mary Entrekin (‘25). 

The team is close, as they do a lot of team dinners and hangouts, which played a crucial role in ensuring that everyone performed to their fullest potential.

“So, I think that because we build chemistry off the field, it helps on the field because we are able to play more as a team rather than just individually. I think this is our main strength in winning. Of course, we have a bunch of natural talent because our players play on other clubs and train on their own too,” said Solai Washington (‘25). 

This strong team dynamic was apparent in last year’s championship, but skills have certainly improved since then.

“This year, I think we played better together as a team, and our defense was better. We had a shutout this year, which did not happen last year. I think we played similarly in terms of team chemistry, but mainly our defense has improved,” said Solai.

With the development in defense, Entrekin, starting goalie, only had two saves in the championship match.

“It was not really a tough game, but usually I am just playing in the back. One save I went up and collected the ball, while the other was a diving save,” said Entrekin.

Croone scored the opening goal, a personal highlight of hers, but it was a memorable game for the whole team. 

“When we started getting our mojo and scoring more, it became really fun to play as our last game together,” said Alessandra. 

While there were many high points to the game, some players did experience lows of their own.

“When I was about to kick the ball, a girl pushed me and messed my knee up. So, I would change myself to not getting hurt,” said Alessendra.

The girl’s soccer team ended the season with 21 wins, zero losses, and one tie, which is a commendable statistic. 

“The overall season was fun. It was very different from last year with new coaches and all of that,” said Croone. “We had a good time.”