PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — The Kings Academy girls' soccer team has won the school's first state championship, finishing the season with only one loss and allowing just six goals all season.
The team started the season 15-0 before suffering a nail-biting 1-0 loss to Wellington High School. They won every game after that, dominating through the playoffs and ultimately claiming the state title.
WATCH BELOW: The Kings Academy girls' soccer team wins first state title
Striker Mia Mackrey said the undefeated streak came with its own pressure.
"Every time you go into a game, you feel more pressure because you want to keep that streak going," Mackrey said.
The loss to Wellington, she said, ultimately brought the team together.
"It could've gone either way. We had some big saves, they had some big saves. It brought us closer together as a team. Because we had been riding our high horses," center back Deionce Storey said.
The road to the championship included a semifinal matchup against Lakeland Christian, a state powerhouse. Lola Hathorne said the team's earlier loss helped steady their nerves heading into that high-stakes game.
"Honestly, I wasn't terrified because I think our previous loss helped our nerves knowing it's OK to be down 1-0," Hathorne said.
The championship game came down to penalty kicks, where goalkeeper Sabrina Callejas — regarded as Palm Beach County's top goalie — was a key factor. The team had full confidence with Callejas in goal.
"I have Sabrina Callejas behind me, that's the best goalkeeper in probably the state behind me. I felt completely confident the whole game," Storey said.
Callejas started every game this season and allowed only six goals. She blocked every penalty kick in two straight playoff games. In the state championship, it was midfielder Sophia Cueto who scored the decisive kick to secure the title.
Storey said the championship carried special meaning for the program. The school had won 12 state championships before this season, and the number 13 became a symbol of the team's goal.
"Our school had 12 state championships before this. We put a 13 there to symbolize every day we walk by, this is going to be us, so we can be reminded of the goal," Storey said.
"The emotion was so overwhelming, it was kind of like, did we just do this?" coach Bri Mackrey said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
