5 Columbus high school soccer teams reach state final. And 2 rivals will play each other

Five high school soccer teams in Columbus have reached the state championship game in their classification this season — and two of them are arch rivals who will play each other for the title.

The Brookstone and Pacelli girls soccer teams will compete for the Georgia Independent Athletic Association Class AAAA final 5:30 p.m. ,May 10, at Stratford Academy in Macon.

Also on that date and at that place, Pacelli’s boys will play for a GIAA Class AAAA state soccer championship, facing Stratford at 8 p.m.

Those games will be streamed live on the GIAA website.

In the Georgia High School Association Class AAA boys final May 8 at 7:30 p.m., Columbus High plays for the Muscogee County School District’s first state soccer title against Hebron Christian at McEachern High in Powder Springs.

That game will be streamed live on the National Federation of High Schools website.

The Calvary Christian girls played in the Georgia Association of Private and Parochial Schools Class AA state championship game May 4. They lost 3-0 to Lanier Christian Academy.

Brookstone vs. Pacelli preview

Pacelli (18-0) is undefeated, while Brookstone is 14-3. They played each other twice during the regular season. Pacelli won 3-2 in double overtime March 12 and 4-1 March 26.

The Brookstone and Pacelli team members the Ledger-Enquirer interviewed before this championship game clash acknowledged having their school’s archrival as the opponent to beat for a state title adds to the intensity.

“It makes me want to beat them even more so they will not be able to say they are state champions,” said Brookstone junior defender Claire Alexander.

Pacelli junior centerback and midfielder Elsie Berreth said, “It means so much more. One of our goals at the beginning of the season was to beat Brookstone. Yes, we beat them twice in region play, but those games mean nothing now.”

Pacelli head coach Zach Corcoran agrees.

“You would think there can’t be more pressure than a state championship game, but playing our rival definitely makes the storyline bigger and makes our whole season come down to this one game,” Corcoran said. “At the end of the day, I think it is a great representation of the talent in our area. I have a lot of respect for the coaching staff and players at Brookstone.”

Brookstone head coach Lucille Pound called playing Pacelli for a state championship “wild.”

“It will definitely be a tense game, but we are ready to play,” she said. “It just goes to show the talent of girl’s soccer players in our city.”

The key to Brookstone’s success this season, Alexander said, has been “playing together as a team and communication with each other to help us play well.”

Pound added, “This season, the girls have really worked together to make each other better and build each other up. We have a good group of seniors who are good leaders on and off the field.”

Teamwork also has been key to Pacelli’s success this season.

“It’s a special bond,” Berreth said. “We all want to win but know how to have fun. Everyone holds everyone accountable while also lifting them up as players.”

This is the farthest both programs have advanced in the state playoffs. Brookstone and Pacelli lost in the state semifinals last season. In 2022, when both teams were in GHSA Class A, Brookstone lost in the state semifinals, and Pacelli lost in the first round.

Now, they seek their program’s first state championship.

“The girls are ready to play,” Pound said. “They have been working all season for this chance.”

Corcoran concluded, “Beyond the talent of the players, our success is a culmination of the previous two years’ playoff runs and then expertise we gained throughout the regular season. Our team is battle tested and has proven themselves in every challenge; we need to prove it one more time.”