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FRISCO — Grapevine goalie Brooke Bereuter said she will remember what happened to her and her teammates on Friday forever. Memories that will last forever for Bereuter were created by some big-time plays that helped Grapevine finally take down its playoff nemesis, not to mention the undefeated.
Paola Granados scored the game’s only goal while Bereuter made six saves for a clean sheet as Grapevine stunned previously undefeated Frisco Wakeland 1-0 in a Class 5A Division II state semifinal Friday at the Ford Center at The Star. Grapevine overcame Wakeland, having control on offense most of the game, with Wakeland holding a 6-3 edge in shots on goal and a whopping 17-1 advantage in additional tries.
Yet while Wakeland had a big advantage in overall shots, Grapevine’s defense limited Wakeland to quality scoring chances. One was in the 77th minute when Missouri signee Audrey Gilbert got a blast off from 30 yards out, but Bereuter jumped high to poke the ball away, which then glanced off the crossbar. Wakeland also had a good scoring chance in the 33rd minute on an 18-yard shot by Dilan Pistorius that Bereuter denied with a diving save.
“The late shot was really good, but I was able to get ahead and get a piece of it,” Bereuter said. “They had a lot of shots, but I think they maybe had two great shots.
“We’re going to enjoy this forever, to be honest. We’ve been waiting for this for a lot of years. I will always remember this. There’s nothing like beating an undefeated team. We put everything on the field, and we’re going to do the same thing next Friday.”
Read more: 2026 UIL girls soccer playoff pairings: Schedule and results for Dallas-area teams
Unranked Grapevine (18-5-6) advances to the play in 5A-II state championship against either Montgomery Lake Creek or San Antonio Pieper at 4 p.m. next Friday at Birkelbach Field in Georgetown. Lake Creek and Pieper played in the other state semifinal late Friday in Bastrop. Grapevine will be playing in its fifth state championship game, winning it all previously in Class 5A in 2023.
It’s the first time Wakeland (25-1-0) — the top-ranked team in The Dallas Morning News’ Class 5A-Others area poll — has lost to Grapevine in the playoffs after four previous wins. This includes a 3-0 decision in the 5A-II state semifinals last year and 5A state championship games in 2018 and 2022. Wakeland was denied its seventh appearance in a state championship game and a shot at its fifth state title.
Granados got the game’s only score with 24:06 remaining. She was set up by Chloe O’Steen, who took advantage of a misplay by the Wakeland defense.
“I just stretched out for the shot. It was a good pass from Chloe. I’ve stretched out like for a shot often,” Granados said. “It was the biggest goal of my life for sure.”
Many of Wakeland’s shots went too high. Strong play by Grapevine defenders such as Brooke Turner and Genesis Alvarenga were helped by midfielders dropping back. Grapevine coach Steve McBride said that Wakeland’s errant shots were caused in part by having at least two defenders on shot attempts. Wakeland had scored at least two goals in every game this season before Friday.
“Our players knew the rivalry with Wakeland and I think that helped us because nobody here was enamored and overwhelmed. It was another game for them and another opportunity,” McBride said. “You have to give this group credit. We came into their house and played them at their place and on their turf. Not many teams would do that. That’s the mindset this group has.”
Wakeland coach Jimmie Lankford said nerves affected his team. Wakeland won the 2024 5A state title and was the 5A-II state runner-up last year.
“We were pressing a little bit. There was a little bit of nerves. I don’t know if it was the turf but a lot of our shots were really high, even in warm-ups,” Lankford said. “We were just off shooting today. It wasn’t that we were off overall. We just couldn’t put the ball in.”
“This is going to hurt, especially the seniors, but they have to look back on what they’ve done the past four years.”
Wakeland had a 3-1 edge in shots on goal and a 10-0 advantage in additional tries in the first half. Wakeland nearly got a fluke goal in the seventh minute when Tulsa signee Kennedy Clark nearly rebounded an errant kick by Bereuter for a goal, but the ball floated over the crossbar.
Friday was the last high-school game for additional Wakeland players who will play at the college level at the Division I level, including Morgan Landry (Texas A&M), Sophie Altien (North Texas), Finley McKnight (Mississippi) and Anna Meyer (Rhode Island).
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