The 3A Girls State Championship was set to start at noon. Intermittent rain endured for the entire afternoon. Immediately, I ran to the sidelines to photograph the game. 

St. Andrew’s was already up 1-0 after an early Madeleine Halford goal. With just a small edge over the St. Patrick Fighting Irish, the Saints struggled to stay focused and to secure the championship from early on.

“When Madeleine scored, I knew we were going to be able to control the game from then on,” Senior Mary Reagan Barnett said. “Whenever we score, we become more confident on the ball and work better together, and that’s exactly what happened. We moved the ball around them the whole game and had many opportunities on goal.”

I watched and snapped pictures anxiously as the Saints continued to commit several unforced errors such as unnecessary long shots and risky deep passes. At half time the seniors on the team got together and talked with concerned looks on their faces. 

“We are the better team. We are so much better than this team guys,” Barnett said. “This game should not be this close. Stop taking shots from forty yards out and get in the box.”

The rest of the girls agreed and chimed in with their own input.

The whistle blew and the Fighting Irish kicked off. Possession changed rapidly and opportunities were given away left and right. For twenty minutes, the St. Andrew’s side pushed for a second goal. Finally, after SeniorMary Reagan Barnett crossed the ball from a corner kick, Sophomore Kira LeFlore put the ball in the back of the net to seal the game. As the final whistle blew, the team rushed the field.

“And then finally, we got our second goal with five minutes remaining in the game,” Barnett said. “We all ran and hugged each other from excitement because we knew we had won after that.”

I excitedly watched along the sidelines with my camera filming and capturing the amazing moment in time.

As the girls lined up for pictures, sparkling eyes and bright smiles shined bright on every St. Andrew Saint watching.