This past weekend, the Girls’ Varsity Soccer team traveled to Columbia to compete in the Viking Cup, a statewide tournament that features 32 of the best girls soccer teams in the state.

The Raptors first faced Nation Ford on Friday night in a close game that ended in a tie and went straight to penalty kicks. Super freshman goalie, Maggie Van Thullenar, saved three PKs to bring the win.

Next, the team played Cardinal Newman, winning 3-0 with goals from Sophomore Abby Tickle, Junior Erin Schnell, and Senior Alexis Polcyn.

Saturday afternoon, the team played AAAA powerhouse JL Mann, a team that holds the reigning 4A State Championship and has beaten Wando for the past two years to capture the title. In an exhausting and close game, the girls scraped by with a 1-0 win with another goal from Sophomore Abby Tickle.

In the semi finals, making it to the last four teams still in the tournament, the girls lost to Lexington, the team that went on to win the tournament. Though it was a disappointing end, the team was proud to make it to the final four, after graduating nine seniors in 2015 and not knowing how the new team would be able to perform in the preseason tournament.

The Girls’ soccer team has a long season ahead with games against teams from Georgia and Virginia, as well as Bishop England and strong teams from the upstate such as Dreher, Eastside, and Riverbluff. For the full schedule, see below.