In a year of firsts, Seaforth’s first senior class added another on Saturday.

The girls soccer team has its first state title — and they did it in dramatic fashion.

The Hawks defeated Pine Lake Prep 0-0 (6-5 in PKs) on Saturday in the N.C. High School Athletic Association 2A girls soccer state championship, hosted for the first time at the Mecklenburg County SportsPlex in Matthews.

Seaforth opened in 2021 but now has state title appearances in three sports and titles in three — the other being boys’ tournament wrestling and boys golf.

Seaforth (25-1-1), the fourth seed from the East, is also the first team from Chatham County to have won a girls soccer title.

Neither team managed a goal during regulation or in overtime, and when it came down to penalty kicks, the teams went nine rounds.

Seaforth took a 3-2 lead in penalty kicks after the fourth attempt by Katherine Leonard went in, but Pine Lake Prep tied it at 3-3 on a goal by Kendall Love.

Both teams made their next two attempts, then missed their eighth penalty kick shots. The game was decided in the ninth round of penalty kicks though. After the Pride missed their attempt, Ellizabeth Platt scored for Seaforth to give the Hawks a 6-5 win in penalty kicks.

Leonard was named the most valuable player of the state championship for the Hawks.

Pine Lake Prep (20-2-1), the top seed in the West, had hoped that this was its breakthrough year after reaching the regional final a year ago. The Pride had reached the fourth round of the NCHSAA playoffs in each of the two seasons prior, but had never reached the title game.

Before the game, each team honored one player as its NCHSAA sportsmanship award winner. For Seaforth, it was Tillie Wilson. For Pine Lake Prep, it was Elizabeth Perri.

Source: highschoolot.com