AAAA girls soccer final a rematch of 2007, Whitewater vs. Starr’s Mill

The four teams in the Class AAAA girls semifinals were all from region 5-AAAA. The teams are familiar with each other and the results tonight were the same as they were during the regular season, although the scores were a little different.

Whitewater (18-2-1), ranked number one in AAAA and third in the state, jumped out to a 2-0 lead on Northgate behind goals from Erin Emerson and Savannah Jordan. Northgate cut into the lead early in the second half but the Lady Wildcats added one more when freshman Teegan Van Gunst connected on a shot.

The win puts Whitewater in the state final for the third time in the last four seasons. They won it all over Starr’s Mill in 2007 and lost at Marist last year.

“The girls are excited, especially our seniors,” said head coach Heather Allen after the game, discussing making the state final. “It’s phenomenal that all four seeds from our region made the semifinals.” Allen credited the early goals for setting the pace and getting another great game from both Teegan and Annika Van Gunst and Jewelia and Christa Strickland.

At the time of the interview Allen didn’t know who the Lady Wildcats opponent would be on Saturday, but she did say that the game would be a battle, regardless of who it would be.

McIntosh and Starr’s Mill played for 90 scoreless minutes and went to shootout where the Lady Panthers connected on three goals and the Lady Chiefs only connected on two goals. Scoring for the Lady Panthers were Mandy McCalla, Katrina Frost and Stuart Pope, while goal scorers for McIntosh were Laura Higgason and Katie Cameron.

Starr’s Mill (20-2), ranked second in AAAA and fourth in the state, has won 13 games in a row since a 3-0 loss at Whitewater. They have defeated seven teams ranked in the top 10 of their classifications in that span and recorded eight shutouts, including three straight. Whitewater is 4-0-1 since a 3-2 loss to Walton, the top ranked team in the state. The Lady Wildcats have 16 shutouts on the season, scoring 109 goals and allowing nine. Starr’s Mill, which had 14 shutouts this year, has scored 120 goals and allowed 12.

The game time will be 6 p.m. so keep Saturday night open and plan on heading to Whitewater for what should be a excellent encore to the AAAA boys final (McIntosh vs Starr’s Mill, 7:30 p.m. Friday).