FCS Team Details

2-Peat: Lady Paladins Beat Mount Paran to Capture Second Straight State Championship

It’s been said and written almost as many times that defense wins championships.

Well, a powerful offense doesn’t hurt either.

The Fellowship Christian School girls soccer team cruised through the GHSA Class AA Girls Soccer Championships outscoring its opponents, 41-1, and allowed just five shots in five post-season matches.

The Lady Paladins successfully defended their state crown with a 5-0 win over Mount Paran Christian School at Mercer University’s Five Star Stadium on May 8.

Senior Avery Paulson was the offense’s war horse for FCS having a leg in all five goals. She scored twice and assisted three other goals, including two by senior Cade Leach. Junior Lily Kate Elphick scored one goal for FCS.

This was Fellowship’s sixth trip to the state title contest, and third title overall. All three team state championships in FCS history are in girls soccer.

On May 3, 2023, the Lady Paladins defeated Athens Academy, 5-1, and outshot the Lady Spartans 13-10 in the title game of the GHSA Class AA Girls Soccer Championships played at McEachern High School in Powder Springs. The first state championship for any FCS varsity team came on the same field at Mercer in 2016 as Fellowship won the Class A Private Girls Soccer Championship.

With the win on May 8, Fellowship (No.1 seed Region 8) wrapped up a 13-3-2 season. The Lady Eagles finished 19-4. They were the No. 1 seed for Region 6.

FCS opened a 4-0 halftime lead over Mount Paran.

Paulson and Leach teamed up for the first two goals.

“Fellowship started the game with incredible energy and intensity, and immediately applied pressure to the Mount Paran goal,” head coach Andy Trevers said. “The girls controlled possession and their technical efficiency was of the highest caliber, and this was reflected in their finishing as the first two shots of the game were converted for goals.”

Leach broke in towards the net In the box at 33:48 of the first half and put home a beautiful pass from Paulson to get FCS on the board first.

Sophomore Ally Hardin received a short free kick from sophomore Ansley Richards in the midfield, Hardin turned beautifully and threaded a perfect pass into Paulson’s run. Paulson attacked the defender and dropped her shoulder and beat her into the 18-yard box, and unselfishly picked out the dynamic back post run of Leach with a perfectly paced angled pass for Leach to tap into the empty net.

Less than two minutes later the senior duo connected again. Paulson’s pass reached Leach near net, and she put the ball home into the left side of the net at 31:55.

“We challenged the girls to come out flying in this game and make a statement early,” Trevers said. “We expected Mount Paran to play in a low block and we worked for the last week on breaking that down. This group of young women could not have executed the plan any better. We told them that there is nothing like scoring goals to force a team who wants to sit in to have to come out and attack and we challenged them to score two goals in the first 10 minutes. As always, these girls deliver and they accomplished that goal in 8 minutes and 5 seconds, absolutely phenomenal.

“Fellowship continued to have the lion’s share of possession as the game unfolded creating good opportunities, then at the 17:36 mark Paulson added the third for Fellowship with some majestic skill and touch, on a flowing move that started with a goal kick. The ball was played beautifully around the back when [Kayla] Clark found Cade wide on the right. Leach received on the half turn and found Kelly Rodman making a wonderful diagonal run into the final third. Rodman received the ball and drew in the defender while Paulson made an overlapping run from midfield, Rodman then delivered a cheeky back heel into Paulson’s path which left the Paran defender completely unaware. Paulson then drove into the Paran 18-yard box shimmied to her left to beat the defender and finished with a bending ball inside the back post for a wonderful third goal.”

Elphick kicked in Paulson’s pass from deep in the box with 2:40 left in the half.

“Lily Kate, who missed most of the season because of a broken foot, has been playing about 20 minutes a game for the past three games,” Trevers said. “She got on the scorecard with a nicely taken goal.”

The lone goal of the second half was another unassisted goal by Paulson who kept the ball on a three-on-one break in. Sophomore Kelly Rodman picked up an assist on that goal.

“Again, Paulson was involved in the buildup,” Trevers said. “She received the ball from a throw in on the right side of the field, with her first touch swiveled inside and lost the pressuring defender. She dribbled inside and saw Elphick’s run on the back post and delivered the perfect pass that Elphick received on the bounce the ball popped up in the air in her path and as it came down hit a first time right footed low shot into the corner of the net that left the Paran keeper rooted to the spot, just another clinical finish.

“Going into halftime with a 4-0 lead is more than we had hoped but the team had been flawless in their performance. Yet we needed to be cautious knowing that Mount Paran had come from a 2-0 deficit in the Final Four to beat Model, so the next goal was vital. In addition, we needed to see what adjustments Mount Paran would make to open up the game as they were trailing by four.”

The Lady Paladins outshot the Lady Eagles, 17-0. Fellowship held a 6-0 advantage in corner kicks.

Senior Alden Hays started and finished in goal. Sophomore Campbell Brown substituted Hays for 10 minutes until the 4:35 mark.

Paulson was named the Uberteen Player of the Match on the NFHS Network broadcast by the commentators.

“The second half was a mirror of the first as it related to possession for Fellowship and Mount Paran being unable to threaten the Fellowship goal,” Trevers said. “The back four were impenetrable and the team defending was immaculate. The only difference in the game was Fellowship added only one more goal. Again, it was a thing of beauty as Avery once again added to her tally at the 7:50 mark. Hardin started the play with some strong recovery defending in midfield chasing back to win a ball and then finding Rodman making a fabulous diagonal run to the wing. Rodman then does a tricky little quick move with the ball to lose the pressuring defender and drove into the 18-yard box. Rodman finds the most perfect pass into Paulson’s run into the box. Paulson finished into the back of the net with authority.”

The title game victory was the Lady Paladins’ 12th shutout win this season, including four in the playoffs. In two seasons in Class AA, the Lady Paladins have allowed just two goals in Region matches.

(Photos by GHSA photographer, Charlotte Choate and Al Thompson)