BECKLEY, W.Va. — In winning their first state championship in girls soccer, Greenbrier East also ended a 68-match winning streak and back-to-back title run of East Fairmont. The Spartans (21-3-1) defeated the Bees, 1-0 in the WVSSAC Class AAA State Championship.
“It just shows how much grit this team has. They have an intangible that you can’t show on stats. But they have that in their heart. They brought it today and I am real proud of them,” said Greenbrier East head coach Mike Dotson.
After a scoreless first half which saw the Bees fire two shots off the crossbar, the Spartans broke the stalemate in the 42nd minute when Ava Workman followed up a shot that went off the crossbar. The goal was Workman’s 26th of the year.
“Ava is just an athlete. She deserves every bit of this. She works hard at everything she does. I have been coaching her since fifth grade, I think, in basketball and soccer. It is just a pleasure to have somebody like that on the team.”
Staked to a lead, GEHS (21-3-1) goalkeeper Adeline Vickers made six saves in the Spartan net to preserve the shutout.
“Adeline had a great game. She has been a great goalie all year. Sometimes, she doesn’t get many shots. She kind of gets overlooked.”
East Fairmont (23-1-0) had not lost a match since the opening weeks of the 2024 season, winning two consecutive Class AAA state titles.
“We had to believe it. That’s the first thing. Going up to East Fairmont, we knew how good they were. When we came back, as a team, we’ve got this.
“Eric [Wright] is an unbelievable coach. You don’t win 68 in a row without doing that. It was more belief as a team. And when we practiced, we seemed like we were relaxed.”