Ashley Ridge tops James Island to claim Lower State soccer title
James Island goal keeper Jackson Crawford comes out of goal to defend an attack by Ashley Ridge midfielder Joshua DeSouza May 17 during the 5A, Division 1 Boys Soccer Lower State Championship.
By Roger Lee
Contributing Writer
Charleston – Just when it looked like a match between a pair of highly-ranked Lowcountry soccer teams would be a one-sided affair it became a dog fight.
Ashley Ridge, ranked third among 5A teams in the state, hosted fifth-ranked James Island May 17 for the 2025 South Carolina 5A, Division 1 Boys Soccer Lower State Championship. The teams had met twice before this season with the Swamp Foxes edging out a victory in both meetings. However, James Island was coming off a penalty-kick shootout victory over Wando, 5A’s top-ranked team that is also ranked nationally.
While Ashley Ridge had a fast start in the Lower State match, it had to fend off a fierce James Island rally to claim a 5-3 victory and advance to the state finals.
“Our first game with them went to PKs,” said Ashley Ridge coach Nate Harris. “The second we scored with five minutes left so it has always been very close with them. Coach Todd Robinson does a great job with them and they are very talented so we knew it was going to be a battle coming in but I had a good feeling about our chances especially considering we have Joshua DeSouza back.”
DeSouza, a junior who missed much of the season due to an injury, returned just in time for the playoffs. During Saturday’s playoff victory, he scored two goals, senior Beckham Harris scored two goals and sophomore Austin Fuller scored a goal to lead the Swamp Foxes past the Trojans. Fuller also had two assists while seniors Jett Buelna and Bennett Boomershine also had an assist.
Ashley Ridge improved to 22-3 on the season while James Island fell to 16-7.
“These guys have shown grit all year,” said James Island coach Todd Robinson. “The win against Wando and the way we came back here, it really shows the character of the players and hopefully the culture they helped produce will continue into the future. We have five seniors who played a major role but we have thrown some young guys out there with them so I think we will be alright moving forward.”
Only six minutes into the match, Fuller had a good look at the goal. However, he had a defender on him so he passed to DeSouza who sent the ball into the net for the opening score.
Thanks in part to multiple saves by Ashley Ridge goal keeper Keith McCune and James Island keeper Jackson Crawford, the 1-0 score held until the second half.
In the first five minutes of the second half, Ashley Ridge was awarded a free kick. The kick was on mark, allowing Harris to head the ball into the net for his first score.
With just under 18 minutes remaining, James Island junior Owen McCabe sailed a beautiful kick in from outside the box that found the net to put the Trojans on the board. Approximately three minutes later, the Trojans took a hard shot that McCune managed to deflect. However, junior Charlie Adams was there for the deflection and quickly sent another shot into the net for a 2-2 tie.
“We weren’t surprised they scored two quick ones,” Harris said. “They are a very talented team so they can score anytime and anywhere. The thing I was most grateful for was our response. Other teams would have kind of folded. They had their fans in the game and our kids, some of them freshmen and sophomores, had to come out and steady the ship. To answer two goals like that with three goals was very impressive. I’m so proud of the boys.”
Ashley Ridge picked things up in the final 10 minutes, scoring three goals for a 5-2 lead. Boomershine spotted Fuller in front of the James Island goal and passed to him for a shot that broke the tie. Fuller acted in kind in stoppage time, finding DeSouza in front of the net and passing to him for a goal and a 4-2 Swamp Foxes’ lead. Then Harris lined up for a free kick and instead of making a pass toward the goal, the expected move, drove in and slipped by a defender to land a shot in the back-right corner of the net for a 5-2 lead.
James Island senior Sahil Jivan hit a penalty kick late in the match for the 5-3 final. While it wasn’t the outcome the Trojans were hoping for, the team went down fighting.
“This is one of the hardest working teams I’ve coached in 22 years,” Robinson said. “They bust their butts in every single practice and every game. Maybe in part to the PK shootout on Wednesday it looked like we had heavy legs at first, but then we got momentum and capitalized on it. There was a lot of self belief but we just ran out of gas.”
Ashley Ridge will face JL Mann in the South Carolina 5A, Division 1 Boys Soccer Championship match at 6 p.m. Friday, May 23 in Columbia. JL Mann defeated Lexington 2-1 in the Upper State Championship.
