The STA Raiders made it to the state final game after coming up just short of it last year. They haven’t made it to the finals in many years. From the beginning, the Lady Raiders and the coaches knew that this year would be different. They played the game at 7 p.m. on Saturday, February 22, 2025, at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex against Bartram Trail. Although the Raiders hadn’t played Bartram Trail before, they were looking forward to a new opponent.

This close game was the most challenging one the Raiders had faced this year. For the first 20 minutes of the match, both teams were trying to find their rhythm. After the first water break, Bartram scored with 18:44 remaining in the first half. But only 35 seconds later, the sophomore forward, Sophie Barnes, scored a goal, tying the game. Then, with 6:48 left of the first half, Claudia Timmer took a long shot from outside the box in front of the goal, and Bianca Raskin kicked  it into the net, making it 2-1. Almost one minute later, Bartram scored, tying the game once again at 2-2. Then, right before the half ended, the Lady Raiders took a 3-2 lead with another goal from  junior midfielder Bianca Raskin.

After coming back from halftime, St. Thomas was up the remainder of the game until the last 10 minutes, when Bartram tied the game 3-3. The game finished as a tie, which led the teams into overtime. Overtime consists of two 10-minute increments. The first 10 minutes remained as a tie, but during the last 19 seconds of the second period, Bartram Trail scored from  a corner kick. This ended the game at 3-4. 

The Raiders put in their best effort, but they were unlucky in the last seconds of the game. Even though the results were devastating, the Raiders are hopeful to come back better and stronger next year and win the state championship. The St. Thomas girls’ soccer team has not won since 2017, but they are optimistic that the 2025-2026 season will be successful!