Girl's Lacrosse | 5/2/2025 8:03:00 AM

Mt. Pleasant, SC – The South Carolina High School League first began offering girls lacrosse as a championship sport in 2011 and, during the first six years, all the participating schools across the state played for one championship.
 
For the 2017 season, one year before the opening of Oceanside Collegiate Academy, the SCHSL split the girls' lacrosse championship into two divisions. It has stayed in that format for the last nine years, with a third division added this year.
 
The championships in those three divisions, along with the titles for the three divisions for boys' lacrosse, will be determined this weekend at Irmo High in Columbia.
 
Both Landsharks teams will play on Friday evening, with the girls Class AAAA title game against Bishop England set for 6 p.m. and the boys' Class AAAA championship match to follow a half hour after the completion of the girls' game. The OCA boys will face May River High for their third lacrosse title, and first since 2019.
 
But, before the boys take to the field, two of the most decorated programs in South Carolina will square off for the girls' title. Oceanside comes into the game with a 14-4 record on the season. The Landsharks are ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 27 in the country according to Max Preps.
 
Rival Bishop England comes into the game with a record of 16-2 this year. The Battling Bishops are the No. 2 ranked team in the state and are ranked 51^st in the nation.
 
Clearly, the two teams are the best in the state. It is the third time in the last four years they will meet with a title on the line. BE has won state titles in seven of the last years (no championship was played in 2020) going back to 2016. In five of those championship runs, the Bishops defeated OCA on the road to winning the title. The Landsharks won their only title in 2023.
 
"Bishop England and OCA have become perennial powers because we're not just good teams—we're great programs," OCA coach Ashley McCulloch said. "I think both programs have a really strong foundation built on high expectations and success, which becomes part of the culture.
 
"There are a lot of incredibly talented players at both schools and overall, in Charleston the lacrosse is continuing to grow and develop the top talent in the State."
 
Only 13 miles and the Wando River separates the two lacrosse powers, who have developed a rivalry rooted in the excellence of their play. Wando High, which lies halfway between the two, has also won three state titles in girls' lacrosse and appeared in the title game six times.
 
For McCulloch and the 2025 Landsharks, the history of the rivalry and the success of the programs is just that – history. Few of the players who will play this year have any part of those past matchups and, the one who do, won't be thinking about the past on Friday night.
 
For the record, Bishop England defeated Oceanside 12-2 last year to capture its seventh state title.
 
"I think we use the loss last year as fuel but not as our focus," McCulloch said. "These are two very different teams from last year and we are keeping the focus on this team and this game. We can only control so much, but our mental mindset is important. We are not here to relive the past but prove who we are this year."
 
Who the Landsharks are is a team that has dominated opponents from inside the state of South Carolina. The four losses for the Landsharks all came against out-of-state competition, part of a 4-4 mark against foes from outside the state. Against in-state competition, OCA is a perfect 10-0 while averaging 18.7 goals per game and allowing just 4.3 goals per contest.
 
The run through the playoffs has been even more lopsided as OCA outscored Westside, Aiken and Christ Church Episcopal by a combined score of 61-7.
 
"We did have a really tough schedule, and it's only made us a stronger team," McCulloch said. "Competing against talented teams pushed our squad to adapt to different playing styles and built resilience and teamwork under pressure - key qualities for a successful playoff run. My goal is never to go undefeated, but to prepare our team for the playoffs and playing at the next level."
 
Senior Teagan Scott has certainly lived up to her status as an All-American with 85 goals and 60 assists in 18 games, but others, like junior Kaitlyn Boerst, and seniors Cayden Clark and Lila-Jane Finlayson, have also had big offensive years.
 
"It's been really fun to watch our offense come together and it's really starting to click," McCulloch said. "A lot of these girls have now been playing together for the past few years and have such strong chemistry, they understand each other's strengths.
 
"Teagan Scott, I believe, is the best player to come out of South Carolina and has had an amazing four years at Oceanside. She's an incredibly hard worker, she's skilled and she's so incredibly smart and unselfish that it makes her hard to stop. Add in the likes of Kaitlyn, Cadyn and LJ, who have all had incredibly strong years, and our offense is very dynamic and hard to defend."
 
Defensively, the Landsharks have allowed just 12.3 goals per game this year. Junior keeper Sadie Belle Small and her freshman backup, Avery Clark, have both been very good protecting the net, but the defensive for the Landsharks starts well away from the goal.
 
"Our defense has continued to grow all season into a cohesive and disciplined unit," McCulloch said. "They have been challenged in those tough games and we've learned the biggest key is that we play together and communicate. We like to play an aggressive, controlled pressure that forces turnovers, allowing us to take advantage on the offensive end.
 
"We want to disrupt BE's rhythm early, limit second-chances, stay disciplined and successfully transition that ball up the field."
 
Of course, the veteran players for the Battling Bishops will have a say in how the game is played as well. Bishop England comes into the championship riding a 16-game win streak and allowing just 2.25 goals per game.
 
"Bishop England runs a high-pressure backer zone, that forces a ton of turnovers and makes you rush your offense," McCulloch said. "They are very disciplined and play fundamentally sound defense. The key to beating them is to limit our mistakes, move the ball and hit our shots when we have them. They are physical and fast, and we'll have to match that on the offensive end."
 
McCulloch said disciplined play will be the key if the Landsharks are to win their second state title.
 
"If we continue to do the little things and trust the preparation that got us here, if we stay disciplined on defense, win the ground balls and possession battles, and if we capitalize on transition opportunities, we'll have a good chance," McCulloch said. "If we limit Bishop England's early runs, we clear the ball cleanly under pressure, and stay patient yet aggressive on offense, those will all be keys to put us in the best position to finish the job." 
 
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 OceansideCollegiate.Academy and by following us on social media on Facebook, Instagram and X. For video content, visit our YouTube channel.