Girl's Soccer | 5/15/2024 6:29:00 PM

Columbia, SC – Winning a state championship is one of the most difficult things for any team to do. Winning four consecutive state titles is, well, something only Oceanside Collegiate Academy can claim in the state of South Carolina.
 
The Landsharks' girls' soccer team joined that exclusive club, founded just last week by the OCA boys tennis squad, by winning its fourth straight class AA state crown on Saturday, defeating Christ Church 3-0 at Memorial Stadium.
 
The victory for Oceanside (17-2-1) closed out the careers for the Landsharks' seniors with a fourth consecutive ring.
 
"I can't imagine going through four years of high school and winning four straight state championships, but they have done it," OCA head coach and Athletics Director Mark Meyer said. "They have made such a big impact on our program from the first day they got here. They are more than just great soccer players; they are great kids.
 
"Almost all of them have signed to go play in college. They are going to be great leaders for our society. This is just another level for a senior class."
 
Winning their fourth title didn't come easily, however. The Landsharks were in a scoreless game until the second half. Meyer made an adjustment to his offensive attack that paid dividends in the 55^th minute when sophomore Ella Petry hammered home a free kick to break the scoring ice.
 
Another sophomore, Kate Schmidler, pushed the lead to 2-0 10 minutes later when scored on a roundhouse kick for a 2-0 lead. Senior Ella Stief capped the scoring in the 74^th minute to secure the final margin of victory.
 
The shutout win was Oceanside's 14^th of the year. The Landsharks allowed just seven goals all season, with just one of those coming in five postseason matches. Oceanside outscored its opposition 31-1 enroute to the championship.
 
"Our defense, they are lockdown players," Meyer said. When you get a two-goal lead, you feel pretty good with those girls."
 
The Landsharks' defense is led by senior goalkeeper Ainsley Chunn, who earned All-State honors and will play collegiately at the College of Charleston next year. Other standouts on the defense were senior Julia Cosgrove, junior Emma Gesser and sophomore Izzy Pessilio.
 
"We are so close as a team, and that shows on the field," Chunn told the Post & Courier. "Our chemistry is really strong. We're not afraid to tell each other when we do something wrong. We put in so much hard work."
 
Stief, who scored the final goal, said the work ethic for the team is what makes them a better team.
 
"It is crazy, you just don't understand," Stief said. "This team has worked so hard. We complain sometimes about not running enough in practice. We all care about each other so much and I am so happy to have been able to do this with my best friends."
 
Even with the large group of 10 seniors, Meyer said the cupboard is not bare for next year, even with OCA moving up a level to Class AAA.
 
"The first two goals we scored today were by sophomores, so we hope to keep this going," Meyer said.
 
Chunn was joined on the South Carolina High School Soccer Coaches Association All-State team by Cosgrove, senior midfielder Hannah Denton, Petry and senior forward Ellisyn Poland. Others headed to play college soccer are Cosgrove (North Florida), Denton (Coker), Poland (Lander), Stief (Palm Beach Atlantic) as well as Lily Lyman and Lang Ives (Converse).

The rest of the OCA seniors for 2024 are Georgia Noding, Sarah Thompson, Mary Claire Smith and Maddie Hines.
 
About Oceanside Collegiate Academy: Oceanside Collegiate Academy (OCA), located in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., serves high school students in a safe, small and family-centered setting. Our students seek the opportunity and challenge of rigorous curriculum, high academic standards and elite athletics while earning up to two years of college credit. OCA serves students in grades 9-12 using an honors curriculum in 9th and 10 grades with a dual enrollment curriculum in 11th and 12th grades Learn more about OCA by visiting our website at OceansideCollegiateAcademy.org and by following us on social media on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For video content, visit our YouTube channel.