Oceanside Collegiate Wins Sixth Straight State Title In Girls AAAA Soccer
Oceanside Collegiate's Girl soccer team caps off another successful year with another state title.
By David Shelton
Senior Writer
Columbia - At some point, but not likely soon, a school will beat Oceanside Collegiate’s girls’ soccer team in a state championship venue.
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For now, the rest of the state, whether it’s Class AA or AAA, can only sit back and marvel at the excellence on display. The latest victim was St. Joseph’s Catholic of Greenville. The team’s met for the AAA state title on May 21 at Memorial Stadium in Columbia.
St. Joseph’s is another highly successful program, and they have won state championships before, so many felt this matchup could be interesting. OCA scored two goals in each half on their way to a 4-0 win, their 17th victory of the season. It was the sixth consecutive state championship under coach Mark Meyer at the school.
“There’s no magic,” he said. “We have very talented players who take the game very seriously. They work hard at it. They condition themselves to be the stronger team. They are a very competitive group, and it just carries over from year to year.
“I’m nervous every year because of the unknown,” said Coach Meyer. “A bad day can end in a loss, and then you live with that for a whole year/ Fortunately, we have good players who put in the work to be good. We don’t win by accident.’
The Landsharks made 1-0 with a goal from freshman Sarah Ligon, who scored 23 minutes into the contest. The Landsharks dominated possession keeping the flow of the match in control. In the 38th minute, Ligon again found the back of the net, off an assist from Ava Klein.
“It was pretty even early on, but I kind of think we handled the heat better,” said Coach Meyer. “And it was hot on that field. We were able to fight through it.”
By halftime, it felt the end result was inevitable, as OCA continued with their possession and took several quality shots. Hailiey Piesner, a junior captain, made it 3-0 in the 54th minute. Senior captain Ella Petry put the finishing touches on her outstanding career with a goal late in the contest.
“This team is so loose,” said Coach Meyer. “Nothing gets to them. “If I walk in the locker room and they’re singing and dancing and having fun, I know we’re ready to play.”
Number seven will be highly possible in 2027 as OCA has only four seniors on the roster.
