- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,170,002
- Reaction score
- 59
You must be registered for see images attach
Celina head coach Alexander Adams, center background, hoists the state championship trophy for the 4th consecutive year as he revels in the moment with his players following their 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Comal Davenport. The two teams played their Class 4A Division l Girls State Soccer Championship match at Birkelbach Field in Georgetown, on April 10, 2025. (Steve Hamm/Special Contributor)
The Dallas Morning News' Ishmael Johnson previews the 2026 girls soccer playoffs for Dallas-area schools that begin on Thursday.
Can anyone stop Celina?
Celina is looking to become just the third girls soccer team in University Interscholastic League state soccer history to win five championships after already becoming the first ever program to four-peat last season.
Cody Moles is looking for his first title as head coach since taking over for Alexander Adams. Last season, the team netted 30 goals through four rounds before the state semifinal. Is that mark on the table again?
The team is led by senior Cate de Moor, the leading goal scorer with 27 this season.
Related:Final Dallas-area soccer rankings (3/18): Jesuit on the rise, Sachse girls move up
District 5-6A dominance
Last season, District 5 captured both 6A titles with Coppell winning Division I and Flower Mound Marcus taking Division II. Could the same happen again?
It's arguably the most talented district in the state, with a team like Flower Mound, which beat Sachse and Waco Midway, missing the playoffs entirely.
Coppell, Hebron, Denton Guyer and Marcus all have cases to be considered state contenders, and don't be surprised to see all four playing each other in both regional finals. Teams like Prosper and Southlake Carroll in Division II and South Grand Prairie and Keller in Division I are looking to spoil the party from within the region, however.
D-FW dominance in Class 5A
Since 2010, the Dallas-Fort Worth area has won all but two state championships in Class 5A. Ironically, last year, the first year with two state champions thanks to the division split, was one of those years the area didn't bring home a 5A crown.
Teams such as last season's runners-up in 5A, Colleyville Heritage and Frisco Wakeland, are back and two of the favorites to emerge from their regions.
Unbeaten Lovejoy in Division II and one-loss Birdville in Division I, on paper, look like two of the other favorites to emerge from this bracket.
Teams to watch
Forney
Last year's Region II champions fell 2-0 to eventual state champions, Flower Mound Marcus. This year's team is 23-1 and is led by a pack of sophomores, including Addison Smith, who leads the team with 25 goals and 16 assists.
Sophomores Brooklynn Sosa and Devyn Gee combined for 21 goals this season. Defender Addison Staats, a youth national team call-up, guides the back line while also adding six goals and nine assists.
Southlake Carroll
After a disappointing end to the season in the area round last year, unbeaten Southlake Carroll ended the campaign as the top team in the area.
The team is led by Peyton Hayes with 33 goals and 21 assists. Caroline Holcombe is the second-leading goal scorer with 18 goals and 13 assists.
Frisco Wakeland
The four-time state champions lost in the championship last season, 3-1 to Cedar Park, and returned to finish this year unbeaten at 21-0.
Audrey Gilbert leads the team with nearly 30 goals (29) and added 18 assists. A convincing 3-0 win over Celina early in the season put the state on notice from the jump that Wakeland was coming back for the crown. The team's defense also kept 13 clean sheets this season.
Life Waxahachie
Last season, Life Waxahachie came just short of the state championship game, losing to eventual 4A Division I champion Celina.
The program responded by going 24-0-1 this season, thanks in part to only allowing six goals all year, and none since Jan. 17 in a draw against Sunnyvale.
A rematch with Celina is in the cards in the semifinals. Can Life make up for last season?
Keller Timber Creek
Former Celina coach Alexander Adams has Timber Creek back in the playoffs after missing out last season. The four-time state champion head coach is still only in the first year of his stint at Timber Creek, but he's also a coach not used to early exits in the playoffs.
How far does Timber Creek go in its first season under Adams?
Predicting the state champions
6A Division I: Southlake Carroll
6A Division II: Forney
5A Division I: Smithson Valley
5A Division II: Frisco Wakeland
4A Division I: Celina
4A Division II: Wimberley
Find more high school sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Sign up for our FREE HS newsletter.
Continue reading...
