Sioux Falls Christian can now add a girl’s state soccer championship to their trophy case. The Chargers defeated Groton Area 1-0 in the ‘A’ title match on Saturday in Yankton at Crane-Youngworth Field.
These two teams met in the first game of the regular season, which resulted in a 1-1 tie. In this second meeting, still a very even matchup, it was the Chargers who came out on top.
Sioux Falls Christian head coach Ethan Poulter also gave props to the Groton Tigers program.
“Super, super talented team. Obviously it’s sad to see so many seniors on their roster, because those girls have worked so hard,” he said. “We look forward to our game against Groton every year. The competition is what makes this game so fun, and so, teams like that can come out and compete – those are the teams we’re most thankful for.”
The games lone goal came off the foot of Makinli Reitsma midway through the second half.
GOAL! Makinli Reitsma gives Sioux Falls Christian a 1-0 lead over Groton Area with 18:05 to play in the contest. #SDPreps #SDSoccer24 pic.twitter.com/i6iomyADgm
— SDPB Sports (@SDPBSports) October 19, 2024
For the Chargers, their boys soccer team has seen a lot of success in recent years – six titles since the sport was sanctioned in 2012. And now, the girls program adds their first.
“Ultimately, the girls are the ones who won this game. They went out there, they did exactly what they needed to. All around the board, best game they played this season, and that’s what we needed,” said coach Poulter. “We knew we had a chance if we played our best. Obviously, some people have great games, some people have poor games, but this game everything clicked. They played their best. It feels great, to see all the work and time pay off. We’re hoping to build off this into future years and future seasons and build off this culture.
Megan Aukes, who received offensive player of the game honors for the Chargers, mentioned it being the perfect end to her prep soccer career.
“It feels great. It’s even better than expected. Just winning as a team, a hard-fought game, getting that goal, it was the best feeling in the entire world,” exclaimed Aukes. “It means everything. As a senior, we’ve never made it to he state championship. I couldn’t really fathom what it meant to really win a state championship, and now, it just feels amazing.”
The Chargers have six seniors on this year’s team. It’s the first title for the program, coach Poulter, and the players.
