Post by Scott Crawford on Mar 18, 2013 11:40:16 GMT -6
Permission to use this essay or any of the research information about the championships is granted, so long as it is cited as coming from "Scott Crawford, founder of LAprepSoccer.net" To learn more about the history of soccer in Louisiana, with special interest in the history of girls soccer in the state, be sure to read Scott Crawford's new book A History of Soccer in Louisiana: 1858-2013.
"A History of the Girls State Championships in Louisiana High School Soccer"
By Scott Crawford of LAprepSoccer
Soccer in Louisiana began in the late 1850s, thanks to the arrival of Scottish, English, Irish, and German immigrants who brought the game from Europe. Initially, it was a loosely organized game that took place at church and civic group festivals. In the 1880s, the sport spread to the elite social clubs of New Orleans and Shreveport. By the first decade of the 1900s, New Orleans had a healthy league of club teams. From this league was born Louisiana’s first professional soccer league, a league that produced some of the finest players in America at that time. Several players eventually signed with some of the top club teams in Europe.
While it is reasonable to believe that females took part in the recreational soccer games at the fairs, Louisiana girls soccer is not documented until the 1920s. At that time, several teams linked to the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) began playing. While these teams were loose confederations of players, the teams represent some of the first outdoor female athletic teams in the state.
Scholastic female soccer began at Ursuline Academy and Newcomb College (now part of Tulane University) in the 1930s. These teams played other teams within their own schools. Interscholastic girls soccer would take another forty years to develop. The first four teams to organize this New Orleans league were Country Day, McGehee, O. Perry Walker, and St. Martin's. St. Martin's won the first championship in 1977, in a shortened season that served as a test-run for the sport.
For the first decade of the sport's existence, there were only two districts, District 1 and 2. District 1 consisted of teams from the north shore, dominated by Northshore and Slidell Highs. District 2 consisted of teams from New Orleans and Metairie. Newman and Country Day were the top teams in this district. Most of these players learned the game as children, playing on youth club teams from Lafreniere, SUNS (Carrollton), Plantation Athletic Club (Algiers), and the Slidell Youth Soccer Association, all of which organized within a three-year period from 1974 to 1976.
In 1987, as with the boys, the Louisiana High School Athletics Association (LHSAA), became the governing body of Louisiana girls high school soccer. During these early years, Northshore High in Slidell asserted itself as the team to beat, winning a state record five state championships in a row, which included a 75-game win streak that spanned five years.
Although girls high school soccer spread during the 1980s, it did not achieve as rapid a growth in school participation as the boys game did. Due to the success of the boys game, the schools divided into two divisions in 1990. The first division in girls soccer would not occur until the 1995-1996 season. But even with a smaller number of girls soccer programs, many girls competed in high school soccer. In 1988, Melanie Dube won a case against the LHSAA which allowed her to play on her school's boys team. In the 1990s, LSU students also successfully challenged LSU to expedite its plan to form a varsity women’s team. LSU’s new program highlighted the explosive growth of women’s Division I college soccer in Louisiana. Women’s college club soccer was active from the 1970s onward at LSU and Tulane, but with university funded programs at more than five universities, Louisiana high school and club players now had much more incentive to excel at the sport, and the high school and club game greatly benefitted.
During the 1990s, the girls game became well established in Baton Rouge and Lafayette, and later in Lake Charles and Shreveport. The Northshore-Slidell dominance of the game was over. In 1993, Comeaux High of Lafayette became the first team outside the New Orleans area to win a state championship. Girls soccer continued to grow at the turn of the millennium, requiring that a third division be added beginning in the 2001-2002 season.
The venue of the state championship mirrors the pattern of the boys championships. During the years of the New Orleans Interscholastic Soccer Association days (1979-1982) and the Louisiana Interscholastic Soccer Association (1983-1986), Pan American Stadium, the first soccer-specific stadium in Louisiana, which was built to bring a professional team to New Orleans, served as host. When the LHSAA took control of girls high school soccer in 1986, depending on how one looks at it, offered no leadership or a tremendous amount of freedom. Teams that earned trips to the championship game decided the week of the game its venue. As with the boys championship games, beginning in 2000, Division I received corporate sponsorship and championship game locations went to bid. Division II remained independent from the bidding process until 2012, when it joined Division I and III. So far, Tad Gormley Stadium has hosted the vast majority of these games, save a year at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette due to Hurricane Katrina, followed by a four year run at Independence Stadium in Shreveport.
Below is a list of all the Louisiana girls high school championship games. The first line indicates year and governing body and location of the game. The next line indicates the score and the date of the game. If you click on the hyperlink of the score, you will arrive at either a photo of a Times Picayune article or an article from the LAprepSoccer archives. All research and photos provided by Scott Crawford.
Louisiana High Schools Girls State Championships (1977-2017)
1977Champion: St. Martin's
Runner-Up: McGehee
1977-1978
unknown
1978-1979
unknown
1979-1980 New Orleans Interscholastic Soccer League State Championship
Country Day 1 Warren Easton 0 (at Pan American Stadium) February 16, 1980
1980-1981 New Orleans Interscholastic Soccer League State Championship
Country Day 3 Bonnabel 2 (at Pan American Stadium) February 21, 1981
1981-1982 New Orleans Interscholastic Soccer Association State Championship
unknown (at Pan American Stadium)
1982-1983 Louisiana Interscholastic Soccer Association State Championship
Slidell defeated Country Day (at Pan American Stadium) March 5, 1983
1983-1984 Louisiana Interscholastic Soccer Association State Championship
Northshore 3 Slidell 2 (at Pan American Stadium) March 17, 1984
1984-1985 Louisiana Interscholastic Soccer Association State Championship
Slidell 1 Northshore 0 (at Pan American Stadium) February 16, 1985
1985-1986 Louisiana Interscholastic Soccer Association State Championship
Northshore 1 Slidell 0 (at Pan American Stadium) March 15, 1986
1986-1987 LHSAA Girls State Championship
Northshore 3 Newman 0 (at Lupin Field, Newman) March 21, 1987
1987-1988 LHSAA Girls State Championship
Northshore 5 Slidell 1 (at Lupin Field, Newman) March 19, 1988
1988-1989 LHSAA Girls State Championship
Northshore 1 Slidell 0 (at Slidell High) February 18, 1989
1989-1990 LHSAA Girls State Championship
Northshore 1 Slidell 0 (at Northshore High) February 17, 1990
1990-1991 LHSAA Girls State Championship
Slidell 3 Mandeville 2 (at Slidell High) February 16, 1991
1991-1992 LHSAA Girls State Championship
Slidell 1 Baton Rouge 0 (at Baton Rouge High) February 22, 1992
1992-1993 LHSAA Girls State Championship
Comeaux defeated Baton Rouge (at Comeaux High) February 20, 1993
1993-1994 LHSAA Girls State Championship
Baton Rouge defeated Lafayette (at Lafayette High) February 19, 1994
1994-1995 LHSAA Girls State Championship
Baton Rouge 2 Ben Franklin 0 (at Baton Rouge High) February 18, 1995
1995-1996 LHSAA Girls State Championships
Div I: Byrd 3 Comeaux 2 (at C.E. Byrd) February 24, 1996
Div II: Sacred Heart 3 Vandebilt 1 OT (at Terrier Field, Vandebilt) February 16, 1996
1996-1997 LHSAA Girls State Championships
Div I: Slidell 3 Woodlawn BR 2 (at Slidell High) March 1, 1997
Div II: Sacred Heart 1 Parkview Baptist 0 (at Jefferson Playground, Jefferson) February 21, 1997
1997-1998 LHSAA Girls State Championships
Div I: Ben Franklin 4 Slidell 2 (at NOSA Fields, UNO) February 27, 1998
Div II: University 4 Loyola 3 (at Loyola) February 24, 1998
1998-1999 LHSAA Girls State Championships
Div I: St. Thomas More 2 Mandeville 2. STM wins 5-4 in PKs (at St. Thomas More) February 26, 1999
Div II: Newman 2 Sacred Heart 0 (at Marconi Meadows, City Park) February 23, 1999
1999-2000 LHSAA Girls State Championship Games
Div I: St. Thomas More 2 Mandeville 0 (at Pan American Stadium) February 26, 2000
Div II: Country Day 1 Sacred Heart 0 (at Marconi Meadows, City Park) February 22, 2000
2000-2001 LHSAA Girls State Championship Games
Div I: Mount Carmel 1 Caddo 0 (OT) (at Tad Gormley Stadium) February 28, 2001
Div II: Newman 2 Parkview Baptist 1 (OT) (at Tad Gormley Stadium) March 1, 2001
2001-2002 LHSAA Girls State Championship Games
Div I: Mount Carmel 2 Mandeville 1 (OT) (at Tad Gormley Stadium) February 23, 2002
Div II: McKinley 2 St. Thomas More 2 McKinley wins 5-4 in PKs (Cougar Stadium, St. Thomas More) February 20, 2002
Div III: Newman 4 Country Day 0 (at Tad Gormley Stadium) February 22, 2002
2002-2003 LHSAA Girls State Championship Games
Div I: Dominican 3 Mandeville 2 (at Tad Gormley) March 8, 2003
Div II: Ben Franklin 4 St. Scholastica 0 (at SSA Sports Complex, St. Scholastica) March 5, 2003
Div III: Sacred Heart 2 Newman 0 (at Tad Gormley) March 7, 2003
2003-2004 LHSAA Girls State Championship Games
Div I: Fontainebleau 4 Mandeville 0 (at Tad Gormley Stadium) February 28, 2004
Div II: Ben Franklin 2 St. Thomas More 1 (OT) (Cougar Stadium, St. Thomas More) February 27, 2004
Div III: Newman 4 Episcopal School of Acadiana 0 (at Tad Gormley Stadium) February 27, 2004
2004-2005 LHSAA Girls State Championship Games
Div I: Mount Carmel 1 Lafayette 1. Mt. Carmel wins 3-1 in PKs. (at Tad Gormley Stadium) February 26, 2005
Div II: Sacred Heart 1 St. Scholastica 0 (at Tad Gormley Stadium) February 26, 2005
Div III: Newman 2 St. Martin's 1 (at Tad Gormley Stadium) February 25, 2005
2005-2006 LHSAA Girls State Championship Games
Div I: Lafayette 1 Barbe 0 (at ULL Soccer Complex) March 4, 2006
Div II: St. Thomas More 3 Vandebilt 1 (at Buddy Marcello Stadium, Vandebilt) March 3, 2006
Div III: Newman 2 Sacred Heart 0 (at ULL Soccer Complex) March 3, 2006
2006-2007 LHSAA Girls State Championship Games
Div I: Dominican 0 Lafayette 0. Dominican 6-5 in PKs. (at Independence Stadium) February 24, 2007
Div II: St. Scholastica 5 Neville 0 (at Neville High) February 23, 2007
Div III: Newman 1 Sacred Heart 0 (at Independence Stadium) February 23, 2007
2007-2008 LHSAA Girls State Championship Games
Div I: St. Thomas More 3 Barbe 0 (at Independence Stadium) February 23, 2008
Div II: Vandebilt 3 St. Michael 0 (Spartan Stadium, Gonzales) February 15, 2008
Division III: St. Louis 2 Sacred Heart 1 (2OT) (at Independence Stadium) February 22, 2008
2008-2009 LHSAA Girls State Championship Games
Division I: St. Scholastica 4 Fontainebleau 0 (at Independence Stadium) February 28, 2009
Division II: Vandebilt 5 Teurlings 0 (at Buddy Marcello Stadium, Vandebilt) February 20, 2009
Div III: St. Louis 4 Sacred Heart 0 (at Independence Stadium) February 27, 2009
2009-2010 LHSAA Girls State Championship Games
Div I: St. Scholastica 1 Mount Carmel 1 (SSA 4-3 in PKs) (at Independence Stadium) February 27, 2010
Div II: St. Louis 2 Vandebilt 0 (at McNeese State) February 27, 2010
Div III: Sacred Heart 1 Catholic New Iberia 0 (4OT) (at Independence Stadium) February 26, 2010
2010-2011 LHSAA Girls State Championship Games
Div I: Dominican 2 St. Scholastica 1 (at Tad Gormley Stadium) February 26, 2011
Div II: Teurlings 2 Vandebilt 1 (at Buddy Marcello Stadium, Vandebilt) February 25, 2011
Div III: Sacred Heart 3 Catholic New Iberia 1 (at Tad Gormley Stadium) February 25, 2011
2011-2012 LHSAA Girls State Championship Games
Div I: Mount Carmel 2 St. Scholastica 1 (at Tad Gormley Stadium) February 25, 2012
Div II: Teurlings 2 Vandebilt 1 (at Tad Gormley Stadium) February 24, 2012
Div III: Sacred Heart 2 Episcopal BR 0 (at Tad Gormley Stadium) February 25, 2012
2012-2013 LHSAA Girls State Championship Games
Div I: Lafayette 2 St. Scholastica 1 (at Tad Gormley Stadium) February 23, 2013
Div II: Ben Franklin 2 Vandebilt 0 (at Tad Gormley Stadium) February 23, 2013
Div III: Sacred Heart 3 Loyola 0 (at Tad Gormley Stadium) February 22, 2013
2013-2014 LHSAA Girls State Championship Games
Div I: St. Scholastica 1 Lafayette 0 (OT) (at Tad Gormley Stadium) February 28, 2014
Div II: Ben Franklin 2 St. Thomas More 0 (at Tad Gormley Stadium) February 27, 2014
Div III: Pope John Paul II 2 Newman 1 (at Tad Gormley Stadium) February 26, 2014
2014-2015 LHSAA Girls State Championship Games
Div I: St. Scholastica 3 Mount Carmel 1 (at Tad Gormley Stadium) February 28, 2015
Div II: Ben Franklin 3 Loyola 2 (at Tad Gormley Stadium) February 27, 2015
Div III: University 3 Pope John Paul 1 (at Tad Gormley Stadium) February 26, 2015
2015-2016 LHSAA Girls State Championship Games
Div I: Mount Carmel 2 C.E. Byrd 1 (at Tad Gormley Stadium) February 28, 2016
Div II: Ben Franklin 3 Lakeshore 0 (at Tad Gormley Stadium) February 26, 2016
Div III: Vandebilt 3 Sacred Heart 1 (at Tad Gormley Stadium) February 25, 2016
Div IV: Newman 5 Hannan 1 (at Tad Gormley Stadium) February 24, 2016
2016-2017 LHSAA Girls State Championship Games
Div I: Mount Carmel 2 Fontainebleau 1 (at Tad Gormley Stadium) February 23, 2017
Div II: Lakeshore 0 (5) St. Thomas More 0 (4) (at Tad Gormley Stadium) February 23, 2017
Div III: Vandebilt 2 Loyola 1 (at Tad Gormley Stadium) February 22, 2017
Div IV: Newman 2 Country Day 0 (at Tad Gormley Stadium) February 22, 2017
2017-2018 LHSAA Girls State Championship Games
Div I: St. Scholastica 3 Mandeville 1 (at ULL Ragin' Cajun Soccer Field) February 23, 2018
Div II: St. Thomas More 1 Central Lafourche 0 (at ULL Ragin' Cajun Soccer Field) February 22, 2018
Div III: University 2 Vandebilt Catholic 1 (PKs) (at ULL Ragin' Cajun Soccer Field) February 21, 2018
Div IV: Newman 2 Episcopal School of Acadiana 0 (at ULL Ragin' Cajun Soccer Field) February 23, 2018
2018-2019 LHSAA Girls State Championship Games
Div I: St. Scholastica 2, Northshore 1 (at ULL Ragin' Cajun Soccer Field) February 22, 2019
Div II: St. Thomas More 2, Lakeshore 0 (at ULL Ragin' Cajun Soccer Field) February 21, 2019
Div III: Teurlings Catholic 3, Vandebilt Catholic 0 (at ULL Ragin' Cajun Soccer Field) February 20, 2019
Div IV: Loyola College Prep 3, Episcopal School of Acadiana 0 (at ULL Ragin' Cajun Soccer Field) February 22, 2019
2019-2020 LHSAA Girls State Championship Games
Div I: Northshore 3, Mandeville 2 (OT) (at Strawberry Stadium) February 28, 2020
Div II: St. Thomas More 1, Ben Franklin 0 (PKs) (at Strawberry Stadium) February 27, 2020
Div III: University 1, Loyola College Prep 0 (at Strawberry Stadium) February 26, 2020
Div IV: Newman 1, Christ Episcopal 0 (at Strawberry Stadium) February 28, 2020
2020-2021 LHSAA Girls State Championship Games
Div I: Mount Carmel 1, Dominican 0 (OT) (at Strawberry Stadium) February 27, 2021
Div II: St. Thomas More 4, Lakeshore 2 (at Strawberry Stadium) February 26, 2021
Div III: University 1, Loyola College Prep 0 (PKs) (at Strawberry Stadium) February 25, 2021
Div IV: Newman 1, Academy of the Sacred Heart (NO) 0 (PKs) (at Strawberry Stadium) February 24, 2021
2021-2022 LHSAA Girls State Championship Games
Div I: Dominican 3, St. Joseph's 1 (at Strawberry Stadium) February 19, 2022
Div II: St. Thomas More 4, Lakeshore 2 (at Strawberry Stadium) February 16, 2022
Div III: Loyola College Prep 4, Archbishop Hannan 1 (at Strawberry Stadium) February 15, 2022
Div IV: Academy of the Sacred Heart 3, Ouachita Christian 1 (at Strawberry Stadium) February 14, 2022
To learn more about the history of soccer in Louisiana, with special interest in the history of girls soccer in the state, be sure to read Scott Crawford's new book A History of Soccer in Louisiana: 1858-2013.
