St. Thomas Aquinas has another girls soccer trophy to put on the shelf. The Saints won their third straight and 18^th overall Saturday, downing Bishop Carroll 2-0 at the Class 5A State Championship in Topeka. 
 
Prior to Saturday, Bishop Carroll had permitted just one goal to an opponent from within the borders of the state of Kansas all season. Aquinas equaled that total in a flash. Vanderbilt-commit Sydney Watts took a pass from the left side from Maggie O’Keefe and split the defense for a goal just two minutes into the contest. 
 
“We saw the stats, so we knew immediately that they were strong in the back and they were going to make it tough on us,” said first-year Aquinas coach Dan Brown. “So, we made it our goal to try to get on the board early. And we got one two minutes in, which really set the tone for the rest of the game.” 
 
Late in the first period, Watts struck again off a short pass from midfielder Anisten Cabantac. It was Watts’ 23^rd goal of the season. 
 
“Sydney Watts is a once-in-a-career type of player,” Brown said. “She’s on the youth national team. She’s a great senior leader. Getting to coach her this year and getting to know her as a kid, it’s the small things that make her who she is. She’s a great player, but she’s also a great teammate, a great leader.”  
 
Aquinas reached the finals by means of a 4-0 defeat of Maize South. Bishop Carroll’s path was much more taxing. They survived two overtimes and a penalty kick shootout to defeat St. James Academy Friday night.  
 
In Saturday’s consolation game, St. James took down Maize South 3-0. 
 
The lingering effect of the Golden Eagles’ epic battle with St. James might have been a factor in the championship game, Bishop Carroll Greg Rauch said. 
 
“The ladies couldn’t have battled any harder last night,” Rauch said. “We saw it the consolation match. St. James had heavy legs as well. When you play three halves of soccer against a quality opponent, you get spent. We did everything we could today. We battled. You tip your hat to St. Thomas Aquinas rather than find some reason for why we didn’t win.” 
 
Brown credited Rauch with rotating players and accommodating for the fatigue and heat Saturday.  
 
“As long as that game went last night, he did a great job of keeping his girls fresh,” Brown said. “They caught a second wind in the second half and really made us fight to finish it off. If things go our way a little more early in the second half, maybe it doesn’t feel as close at the end.” 
 

Brown was referring to two near misses by Aquinas that would have iced the game. Early in the second half, the Saints failed to knock home a penalty kick. They also had a second-half goal wiped out by penalty.  
 
A long-time assistant as Shawnee Mission South, Brown reflected on his whirlwind path to the 5A podium.  
 
“I was happy (at Shawnee Mission South),” Brown said. “I wasn’t looking to leave. But when the Aquinas opportunity came up, with the culture and the history there, why wouldn’t that be a job you’d be interested in?” 
 
Brown kept the Aquinas coaching staff intact and praised his assistants for helping continue the culture.  
 
“I got hired relatively late,” Brown said. “It was mid-January before I could sit down with the girls. I felt kind of underwater all season long just trying to get my feet under me.” 
 
Aquinas didn’t miss a beat under Brown, finishing the season 18-2-1. The Saints’ lone loss in the state of Kansas was to 6A Blue Valley Northwest. Along the way they defeated eventual 6A champion Mill Valley and eventual 4A champion Bishop Miege.  
 
For Watts, the last victory was the most important. 
 
“Being seniors, this means everything,” Watts said. “State means a lot your first three years, but when it’s your last year playing for your school, you want to go out with a bang. You want to be able to look back and say you won a state championship as a senior.” 
 

 Watts reflected on the legacy Aquinas has built.  
 
“We all want the best and we strive for that yearly,” Watts said. “Everyone wants it just as bad year after year. While you’re here, you’re working for the girls who will be in your spot someday, and you’re working for the girls who went before you. We try to make the people before us and the people who will come after us proud.”  
 
Bishop Carroll’s remarkable 19-2-0 season ended on a disappointing note. But Rauch praised the group whose only previous defeat was a 2-0 loss to Oklahoma City’s Bishop McGuinness High School. 
 
“I love this team,” Rauch said. “Prior to today, three goals conceded all season. That’s ridiculous, honestly. After all my years of soccer, to see that was just awesome. I couldn’t be more proud of these girls, how they played all season and how they fought today.”