The girls soccer team (15–2–1) took home the state championship against previously undefeated Broadneck (17–0–1) 2–1 on Saturday night at Loyola University of Maryland.

The Vikes got going early in the seventh minute when sophomore Gemma Davitian capitalized off of a perfect pass from freshman Evelyn Javers. 

“I just took one touch, I didn’t even look at the goal,” Davitian said. “I had no idea where the goalkeeper was. I just kicked it and looked away, and then everyone went crazy.”

The Vikes kept the game at 1–0 through the remainder of the first half with exceptional defensive effort. Junior Charlotte Shapiro had multiple phenomenal tackles when it seemed like Broadneck was knocking on the door.

In the 53rd minute, Shapiro booted a free kick, which landed in the middle of a heap of bodies inside the goalie box. After a struggle in the box with multiple ricochets, freshman Evelyn Javers was able to navigate the ruckus; she snuck a shot inside the far post, extending Whitman’s lead 2–0. 

The game wasn’t over, though. With just five minutes remaining, Broadneck finally got on the board to cut the Vikes’ lead to 2–1. However, the defense stood tall in the final minutes to ice the game and bring home Whitman’s first state title since 2014.   

With the state championship victory, the Vikes capped off an absolutely late season run. Since their last loss against Walter Johnson on October 7, they’ve outscored their opponents 55–2 .

Coach Greg Herbert attributed the squad’s success to the plethora of talent the Vikes had on offense. 

“We were just such a dangerous offensive team,” Herbert said.  “It’s impossible to prepare for. We had three forwards who are all-state forwards that have the ability to score at any time.” 

The Vikes had a full section of buzzing supporters behind them, and that played a huge factor not just in the state championship, but throughout the playoffs, Davitian said. 

“The crowd was like our twelfth person on the field,” Davitian said.  “They were always loud, always supportive and you would always hear them.” 

In 2018, the girls soccer team got state runner-up.

Like all of the Whitman faithful at the game on Saturday night, Coach Herbert was beyond elated by the victory, he said.

“It feels amazing,” Herbert said. “It’s a culmination of an amazing season and an amazing group, especially the senior class. This is such a special group that I’m so proud of.”