The 2023 season officially came to a close for all Lexington County girls soccer teams after River Bluff’s 3-2 loss against St. James in the 5A quarterfinal. 

5A

River Bluff

The River Bluff Gators were the final Lexington County team in action this season. Unfortunately for the Gators, they fell just short of the state semifinals after losing a tight game with St. James Saturday night. 

St. James struck quickly, scoring the opening goal 15 minutes in. River Bluff couldn’t counter the goal for the rest of the half and went into the halftime break down 1-0.

Like in the first half, St. James scored the first goal of the second to give them a 2-0 lead. It seemed as if they were about to cruise to the 5A semifinals. The Gators, however, were not ready to surrender.

River Bluff scored their first goal with 13 minutes remaining to cut the deficit to one goal. With only three minutes remaining, the Gators got the equalizer, tying the game at two with overtime looming.

In the final minute, some late game heroics by St. James found the ball in the back of the net, giving them a game-winning goal and sending them to the state semifinals with a 3-2 win. 

The Gators got goals from Alanna Colbert and Ella Yarborough with assists recorded by Colbert and Maliha Brown.

River Bluff’s season ends with a final record of 13-6-1 and a second place finish in Region IV-5A with playoff wins over Stratford (5-0) and Ashley Ridge (2-1). 

Chapin

The Chapin Eagles got their playoff run started with a 2-0 shutout win over Woodmont on May 2. The shutout was their 16th of the season and their eighth in a row.

Chapin’s season ended two days later with a close 1-0 home defeat to Blythewood in the second round. The lone goal scored by Blythewood was only the seventh given up by Chapin all season long, as they relied on their dominant defense and goaltending (led by goalies Olivia Bradley and Addison Bagnal) to propel them to a 17-3 record and a Region IV-5A title.

Lila Bowers and Darcy Ahern tied for the team lead in goals with 12. Ahern led the team in assists with 13.

Lexington 

The Lexington Wildcats' playoff run started with a bang on May 2. The Region IV-5A third place squad had to travel to Socastee for their opening round match-up and proved that the travel had no impact on their play as they blew out their opponent by a score of 7-1.

Maggie Heffernan and Adriana Dunat both scored two goals in the impressive 7-1 victory. Lily Brandenburg, Alyssa Frazier and Jaylynn Kemmerlin all contributed with single goals of their own. Frazier led the team in assists with two for the game while Ava Brown, Sam Dunn, Dunat and Heffernan all recorded a single assist of their own.

The Wildcats couldn’t recreate the road magic against Wando two days later. The 2-0 loss to the Region VI-5A champs put an end to Lexington’s season. They conclude the season with a final record of 18-6-1. Dunat led the team in goals with 13 on the season while Frazier led the team in assists with 13. 

White Knoll

The White Knoll Timberwolves dropped their first round playoff matchup 6-1 to J.L. Mann to end their 2023 season. 

White Knoll’s season ends with a final record of 6-12-2 and a fourth place finish in Region IV-5A.

Rylee King led the team in goals with 11 and was tied with Taylor Laursen with the team lead in assists with five.

Dutch Fork

The Silver Foxes of Dutch Fork battled and gave Region VII-5A champs West Ashley all they could handle in the first round of the playoffs but it wasn’t enough, ultimately losing 1-0.

The loss sets the final 2023 Dutch Fork record to 9-8 on the season.

Shannon Wright led the way in goal scoring with eight in 2023. Maya Leach and Savannah DuBois led the team in assists with three each and goaltender Gracie Morris stopped a total of 150 shots from reaching the back of the net. 

4A

Airport

In their first round game, the Airport Eagles shut out Berea 2-0 to advance to round number two.

The Eagles got goals from Victoria and Vanessa Coleman and the clean sheet was credited to goalie Caitlyn Miller, who stopped all five shots sent her way.

Airport’s playoff run didn’t go any further. The Eagles traveled to play Indian Land in the second round and this time, was on the undesirable end of a shutout (4-0). 

The loss to Indian Land gives the Eagles a final record of 15-6 on the season with a second place finish in Region IV-4A.

Victoria Coleman led the team in both goals (26) and assists (20).

Irmo

The Yellow Jackets’ season ended in the first round of the 4A playoffs with a 5-0 loss to West Florence.

Irmo ends the season with a 6-9 overall record and a 5-5 region record (finishing fourth in Region V-4A).

The Yellow Jackets will lose five seniors with three of them playing college soccer next season.

All-Region player Evelyn Garcia has committed to playing for Spartanburg Methodist College, Keara Hardenbrook has committed to USC Sumter and All-Region player Mackenzie Kirk is uncommitted but according to Irmo Head Coach Christian Villi, has received multiple offers to play collegiately.

3A

Gilbert

After a second place finish in Region V-3A, the Gilbert Indians opened the playoffs with a home tilt against Hanahan. Gilbert took care of business and won with ease by a lopsided score of 7-0.

In the blowout win, Gilbert got a huge performance from Kinlee Mozley, who scored four goals in the afternoon. The Indians also got scores from Olivia Pitillo, Brisa Greene and Alyssa Aleman. Aleman also recorded three assists while Lauren Ansell, Ainsley Bryan, Mackenzie Tate and Pitillo all recorded an assist of their own.

In the second round, the roles were reversed. Gilbert was eliminated on the road by Region VII-3A champion Waccamaw by a score of 7-0. 

Gilbert ends their season with a winning 17-7 record. Mosley finished the season with the team lead in goals (38) and assists (18). 

Brookland-Cayce

The Bearcats’ season ended in the opening round of the 3A playoffs after losing to Beaufort on the road 3-1. 

The Bearcats finished the season in third place in Region V-3A and with an overall record of 12-12-1.

Senior Kim Neely led the way this season with 40 goals and 15 assists. She also scored her 100th career goal this season and ended her Bearcat career with 105 goals. Neely also was named to the All-Region team for the third time in her career.

Sophomore Layne Powers chipped in 16 goals and 20 assists this season. Defender Sydney Artlip was named the team’s defensive player of the year. Other notable players this season were Hailey Cortez (five goals and five assists) and Natalie Nunez (four goals and 12 assists).

Swansea

The Swansea Tigers also lost in the opening round of the 3A playoffs. The Tigers’ season ending loss came against Region VIII-3A champion Phillip Simmons by a score of 7-0.

The Tigers finished this season with a 6-9 overall record and a fourth place finish in Region V-3A.

Chapel-anne Farris led the team in goals with six and Diana Chigo-Acevedo led the team in assists with three.

2A

Gray Collegiate Academy

Gray Collegiate Academy began their playoff run with a 2-1 win over Wade Hampton. The run didn’t go any further than that, however, after they fell to Oceanside Collegiate Academy 9-0. 

The Eagles 2023 season ends with a 12-12-1 record, a perfect 8-0 region record and a Region IV-2A title. 

Za’Niya Boyles led the Eagles in goals with ten while Sarah Kate Kodes led the team in assists with five. 

Batesburg-Leesville

The Panthers’ season concluded following a 3-1 loss on the road to Brashier Middle College Charter. 

Their final 2023 record stands at 5-14 with a fourth place finish in Region III-2A.