The Rapids, coached by Jeff LaBarbera, won a total of four games last weekend to win The Georgia Academy Cup, sponsored by Georgia Soccer Association and Publix. In the past year, the Rapids played 25 games against teams in their age division, going 21-2-2 overall. The girls won the Athens Invitational Tournament back in the fall of 2015 as well.
On the level of the girls’ excitement on winning the championship, LaBarbera exclaimed “Absolute ecstatic!”
“When the final whistle blew, the girls charged the field and celebrated with each other. It was a magical weekend for sure.”
In the undefeated run for the Georgia Academy Cup, the Rapids were placed in ‘Group B’ and had to win three games before facing the winner of ‘Group A’ in the championship game.
The girls took down Tophat White on Saturday, May 7, beating them 5-2. Clodagh O’Bryant, Abby Hotard, and Meg LaBarbera all notched goals for the Rapids. The second ‘Group B’ game on Saturday was against Tophat Silver, and saw the Rapids win 5-0. Hotard, Tessa Foor, and Meg LaBarbera found the back of the net in the win.
On Sunday, May 8, the third group game featured a matchup with the Dekalb/Decatur Wolves. A tie or loss would have eliminated the Rapids. After falling behind 2-0 in the first ten minutes of play, the girls fought back and won 4-2 to advance to the finals. The Rapids were led offensively by O’Bryant and Paisley Cathey.
“It was a magical weekend for sure!” -Coach Jeff LaBarbera
The ‘Group A’ winners, Tophat Blue were the only thing keeping the Rapids from the Georgia Academy Cup. Cathey scored a flurry of goals in the opening half, which proved pivotal as the game moved on. Tophat Blue’s strong second half saw them almost come back, but the Rapids held on for a 6-4 win, securing the state championship. Cathey, LaBarbera, and Emma Windham all scored in the win. Goal keeper Blair Huddleston played tremendous between the posts, while Abby and Audrey Hotard, two of the toughest defenders in the state, had a solid weekend.
Tophat was arguably one of the top teams in the state, ranked seventh in the nation for girls club soccer by soccerlist.com. Still, the Rapids, winners of 21 games in the season, had won 12 straight at one point in the fall. [U9 Rapids Girls Soccer Club]
The Rapids team is comprised of:
- Zoe Anderson – Habersham
- Emma Barron – Habersham
- Olivia Brumbaugh – Habersham
- Paisley Cathey – White
- Annabelle Clark – Habersham
- Tessa Foor – White
- Abigail Hotard – Habersham
- Audrey Hotard – Habersham
- Blair Huddleston – Stephens
- Meg LaBarbera – Habersham
- Loren Mazarky – Rabun
- Clodagh O’Bryant – White
- Emma Windham – White
All of the Rapids girls play year-around in both the fall and spring season.
“This is a special group of girls who are like family,” states LaBarbera. “They play hard and stick together no matter what. It is so much fun to watch them play!”
