Stratford Falls Short in State Title Rematch
The 16-4 Stratford Eagles lost the GIAA AAAA State Championship at home in a Rematch of 2024's Championship Game to St. Anne Pacelli 2-1
MACON, Georgia – (41NBC/WMGT) – For any team, making it to a state championship is no easy task. Doing it in back-to-back seasons is even harder. However, Stratford Academy’s boys soccer team nearly did just that — returning to the GIAA Class 4A state title match with hopes of repeating last year’s triumph over familiar foe St. Anne-Pacelli.
The Eagles hosted the championship rematch Wednesday night at Hays Field, the same venue where they captured their first title in 11 years just last season. However, the fourth-seeded Vikings flipped the script this time, edging No. 2 Stratford 2-1 to claim the crown.
St. Anne-Pacelli struck first, scoring in the fourth minute to take an early 1-0 lead. The Vikings controlled much of the possession throughout the first half, putting the Stratford defense to the test.
Despite an honest effort from the Eagles’ back line, St. Anne Pacelli doubled its lead just before halftime with a free-kick goal in the 40th minute, sending Stratford into the break trailing 2-0.
But the Eagles came out with renewed energy in the second half.
In the 58th minute, James Biesterfeld found space in the box after a well-placed lead pass and calmly slotted the ball past the keeper, cutting the deficit to 2-1 with 22 minutes remaining.
Stratford continued to press for an equalizer in the final minutes, generating a few promising chances — including a late strike on goal that was turned away by a crucial save from the Pacelli keeper. Despite their push, the Eagles couldn’t find the back of the net again, ending their season as state runner-up with a 16-4 record.
After the match, Eagles head coach Iain Jones reflected on the emotional loss and the heart shown by his players.
“Yeah, I mean, obviously we’re disappointed,” Jones said. “But you see the emotions on these guys’ faces — these guys mean a lot. They’re a good group of guys, and it means a lot to them. Hats off to Pacelli. They had a good side. That’s a rivalry. We’ve been playing them for a while now — obviously a rematch from last year. They had the revenge factor coming into the day, and they played well. But our guys fought in the second half, and I’m really proud of their efforts. Just couldn’t find that equalizer. That’s the difference — the team that stays composed and controls their emotions is usually going to come out on top. That gave [Pacelli] the edge in the first half.”
Jones also spoke about the pride he has in his senior class and the future of Stratford soccer.
“A lot of love and respect for those guys, those guys who stuck with me,” he said. “We’ve been together for a while now — I played soccer with some of their dads — and that’s a special bond. I just love them.”
“This game is not all about wins and losses. It’s about the life lessons we learn — about ourselves, about our teammates, how we deal with adversity, how we pull together. And tonight, they showed that in the second half. They pulled together and decided they were going to compete, and they did. I’m proud of them for that.”
“We’ll regroup. We’ll rebuild. We’ve graduated a lot in the last two years — around 17 or 18 players — but we have good young talent that’s hungry. We’ve got some players who are going to have to put in the work this offseason. Today’s too early to say who’s going to play where and what, but we’ll sit down, regroup, and I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
Despite the loss, Stratford’s season remains one to remember. Congratulations to the Eagles on a stellar 16-4 campaign.
