Nightmare continues: VCHS loses in state finals for third-straight year

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With two-straight years of heartbreak fresh on their minds, the Vandebilt Catholic girls’ soccer team had one goal Friday night – to win the big one.

Unfortunately for the Lady Terriers, they didn’t.


The nightmare continues for another calendar year.


Thanks to a pair of a pair of goals from Teurlings Catholic striker Hannah Savoie, the Lady Rebels jumped out to a 2-0 lead in Friday’s state championship match played at Tad Gormley Stadium in New Orleans.

With it, Teurlings survived a late Vandebilt rally, scoring a 2-1 victory and the Division II state championship.


The loss marks the third-straight year the Lady Terriers finish as the Division II state runners-up – a feeling that has become all-too familiar for the prestigious soccer program, which has now played in the final match for five-straight seasons.


“It’s definitely really difficult to handle, especially being it’s my senior year,” Vandebilt senior and all-time leading goal scorer Meghan Philp said. “In the years past, all I wanted to do was help win it for the seniors, and now it was our seven seniors’ turn. It was a different feeling.”

“It hasn’t really hit me yet that I won’t play high school soccer again,” senior Marcie St. Germaine added. “It feels like [I have] the weekend off and I will be going to practice on Monday. I’m sure it will hit me then, but being a senior, I don’t have any more chances, which is sad.”


Looking for a good start, Vandebilt got the exact opposite in the state championship match.


The Lady Rebels took an early 1-0 lead less than 10 minutes into the action when Savoie struck for the first time on the night.

St. Germaine and Philp said the Lady Terriers had countless chances to record an equalizer in the opening half, but were stifled by both Teurlings Catholic goalie Josie Stiles and also a stiff breeze, which was in Vandebilt’s face for the opening 40 minutes.


“The wind was a key factor in the first half,” Philp said. “They had the wind and we were trying to shoot against it, while also trying to defend against a powerful attack and the shots they fired with the wind. The first goal, I think got into our heads. We felt the pressure rise after that one.”


“It’s not that we weren’t playing well, it’s just that things weren’t falling our way,” St. Germaine agreed. “We were getting unlucky. Both teams had opportunities but Teurlings finished the ball in the back of the net.”

With the teams having switched sides in the second half, the Lady Rebels scored the backbreaker in the match’s 54th minute when Savoie struck again against the wind to give Teurlings a 2-0 lead.


With the scoreboard in their favor, the Lady Rebels neutralized Vandebilt’s wind advantage by pushing extra defenders into the box to protect their lead.


The Lady Terriers combated Teurlings’ approach by pushing its offense forward. That strategy worked in the 66th minute of the match when Kimberly Grasso fired home a shot to cut the deficit to 2-1.

Vandebilt pushed forward following Grasso’s score and had several opportunities to push the match to overtime. But Teurlings’ defense thwarted each chance, ending Vandebilt’s high-powered offense’s chances at redemption.

“Every shot was deflected or saved by their goalie,” Philp said. “I believe we had more shots on goal than them throughout the game.”

The loss ends Vandebilt’s season with a 21-6-2 record.

It also ends the careers of seven seniors within the program.

Seconds after the final whistle blew, Philp said she put her hands above her head and stared into the night sky in disbelief at what had just happened.

The senior standout said she used all of her remaining energy to focus on keeping dry eyes in front of her teammates.

Several of her teammates weren’t able to stay that strong and shed a tear or two in defeat.

Vandebilt coach Philip Amedee gathered the team for one last huddle and was forced to give the speech any coach fears – the infamous “keep your chin up” talk.

St. Germaine and Philp said the coach stressed to his players how difficult it is to be the state runners-up for three-straight seasons.

He added that the team’s graduating players have nothing to hang their heads about, as they will leave the program as success stories.

Philp and St. Germaine agreed with the coach’s thoughts and added that they know their high school careers have been historically successful, despite losing in the big game for three-straight seasons.

“I can look back and say I’m so proud of our accomplishments as a team, and proud of the team we have become,” Philp said. “Because we aren’t just a team, we are a family. We will always have each other’s backs.”

“Even though we lost the last three years, it is truly a blessing to have made it to the finals,” St. Germaine added. “It could have ended better but no matter what, it’s an honor to have been a part of the team for so long. We became a family and even though it’s over, they will forever be in my hearts like little sisters.”

But even while expressing pride in their strong season, there is that doubt – that lingering heartbreak that will never go away until the nightmare has officially ended.

It’s a long time until next season begins, but the Vandebilt soccer team is still searching for the right formula to win the big one.

“It was obvious that coach Phil was upset,” Philp said. “On the bus ride home, I briefly talked to him and he told me that he kept playing it over in his head wondering what he could have done better. That really shows how much he cared about us. He told us that he wanted this group to win it all, and I know he really believed we could.”