GEORGETOWN — Celina junior Grace Pritchard gave a shoutout to senior teammate Brooklyn Babb and gave her a hug, and was soon joined by other teammates. He was less than three minutes into the second half when Serena found the breakthrough.
Head coach Alexander Adams said moments earlier that the Bobcats executed the planned set-piece plays they had been working on all year. As he had done throughout the first half, Babb timed it perfectly, running towards the back post and meeting Riley Stifflemeyer's corner.
This time Babu looped his header back into the center of the box. Pritchard then fired a header past the Boerne goalkeeper.
“At half-time I was dreaming, no joke, of scoring a header,” Pritchard said. “I thought I was going to get this header. Riley hit the ball and Brooklyn hit it head on. And I thought, this is my chance.”
After 22 years, Plano West women's soccer has a new addition. Celina (26-1-2) on Thursday afternoon became the second team in UIL girls soccer history to win three consecutive state titles. Pritchard's goal proved to be the difference as the Bobcats (23-2-3) defeated Boerne 1-0 in the state championship game at Birkelbach Field in Georgetown.
Over the course of the three-peat, the Bobcats lost just two games and outscored their playoff opponents by 96 goals, setting numerous state and national scoring records in the process.
But this year, Celina's offense slowed as it relied on solid defense and 22 shutouts in 28 games en route to the state finals. The Bobcats turned to that formula again Thursday, as Boerne ramped up immense pressure in the first 10 minutes of the game.
“I told the girls it's not going to be like last year,” Adams said. “We didn't have a team that was willing to light up the scoreboard. … It's another thing for us to get this done and do it in historic fashion.”
The Greyhounds almost took the lead in the 8th minute. Kylie Stringfellow's low shot from the left side of the box beat Bobcats goalie Kaitlin Gustafsson, but it was cleared on the goal line by Sammy Quiroz.
Serena returned to the game herself and created the best chance in a scoreless first half from a corner kick. Boerne twice picked off Babb's runs to the back post, but could not finish either.
Her first header flew over the bar. Babb hit his second one on the ground, but it bounced off the crossbar and reached behind Greyhounds goaltender Kinsley Sawyer for a one-handed save.
Less than three minutes into the second half, Boerne's set-piece defense was finally broken and Pritchard headed home the winning goal.
Adams said surviving Boerne's onslaught in the first 10 minutes of the game was crucial. The Bobcats knew the Greyhounds didn't have the stamina to maintain pressure, he added. Serena held on for the win by allowing just two shots (one on target) in the second half.
Adams is 3-3 for state titles since being named Celina's head coach before the 2021-22 season. During that time, the program has also built up massive support from the community, Pritchard said. Pritchard added that Serena bussed a large group of students to Georgetown for the state finals.
“They're all on board,” Pritchard said. “This year was a little different because we lost so many seniors that it was like they weren't expecting us. And then, well, we had a three-peat. We're going for it, but the community was so uplifting. For Serena, it's not just soccer. They're there for every sport.”
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