MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - The Girls Preparatory School soccer team followed the motto "One Goal: One Ring, One Team" throughout the course of the 2014 season.
Saturday evening, the Bruisers achieved their goal, and it was because of a lot of players making some key shots and goalkeeper Savannah Williams fittingly making one crucial stop.
GPS went the limit in achieving the school's first-ever soccer state championship, ending a scoreless draw against Briarcrest Christian by edging the Memphis-area team 7-6 in a penalty-kick shootout at the Richard Siegel complex.
Williams was issued a red card during the 2012 final against Father Ryan, therefore helplessly watching the ensuing penalty kick pierce the net in a 1-0 loss to the Lady Irish. Saturday evening, though, she had two saves -- including getting her hand on a Kaley Smithmier shot in the eighth set of PKs, knocking it off the bar for the winning save.
"I knew it was going to probably end up like that," Williams said while holding the championship plaque. "Penalty kicks are a lot of mental; each round I'm telling myself to just save the next shot, to stop the next. I wouldn't have been able to do it if I didn't know the other girls on the field believed in me and thought I could do it."
GPS coach Patrick Winecoff praised the play of his defense, which despite being on its heels at points in the match held off a dangerous Lady Saints attack led by all-state midfielder Alyssa Neuberger.
"I didn't think it was our best effort. That was last night," Winecoff said of the 3-0 semifinal win over Brentwood Academy. "But the thing was that we got it done mentally. There were bumps in the road and we handled them, and I'm excited to see everybody come together and finish strong."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.