The girls are one of only two Final Four teams not currently ranked in the state’s top 10.
DOTHAN, Ala. - They were unranked all season. Nobody expected them to be here. But the Dothan High School girls soccer team is making history.
The Wolves punched their ticket to the Class 7A state Final Four Thursday night in Fairhope, defeating the Fairhope Pirates 1-0 in a second-round playoff match — the first Final Four appearance in Dothan High School girls soccer history. One Shot. One Goal. One Historic Night.
The only score of the night came with 14:28 left in the first half. Ellisia Rambo, positioned about 10 yards from the 18 box, sent a pass from the right side across to Catherine Farmer, who unleashed a high left-footed shot that sailed over the Fairhope goalkeeper and into the upper-left corner of the net.
“Catherine Farmer received the ball outside the 18 box, probably 20-25 yards out, took two touches and just let one fly,” said head coach Haley Williams. “It was upper 90 top corner, a beautiful shot, something we have encouraged her to do more this season. She took her opportunity and it made history. ”“I think all the time I love to shoot the ball,” Farmer said.
“So when I saw Alicia and I saw open space, I called for it, and I knew that was an opportunity that I had to take. ”Goalkeeper Briannah Crews was a wall between the pipes, recording nine saves to preserve the shutout. Williams credited her entire back line for the performance.
“Our defense played huge,” Williams said. “Our back line of June Haynie, Ava Bell, Bhavi Shah, Olivia Stewart and Jurnee McElderry all played outstanding as did Briannah Crews in goal. Our two midfielders played well, and Aowyn Jenkins, an eighth grader who I started and played most of the game, was big too. It was an all-around effort from everybody.
”Dothan entered the postseason unranked — and stayed that way even after a historic playoff run. They are one of only two Final Four teams not currently ranked in the state’s top 10.
“Nobody expected us to be here. We have been unranked all season,” Williams said.
“We just go up there and prove that we belong. I think these girls can do that. ”“You got to have underdogs in sports,” Williams said.
“You don’t have the 1980 U.S. Olympic team without them being the underdog. They don’t have anything to lose. And so they can play more free. ” Senior Lauren Yu, who has been sidelined this season after signing to play college soccer at South Alabama, said the team’s growth has been undeniable.
“I think I’ve seen a lot of growth within everybody,” Yu said. “Everyone’s grown personally and mentally, and we’re a much stronger team than we started. ” Senior Shelby Kirkland echoed that sentiment — and made clear the team’s mindset heading into Thursday.
“We definitely had to be resilient,” Kirkland said. “And our word is ‘dominate’. That’s just been a big key thing — we want to dominate every game that we play. And we want to dominate on Thursday, too.
”The path to the Final Four was anything but smooth. Dothan played a demanding schedule, faced tough opponents, and navigated an up-and-down regular season. Williams said she intentionally scheduled difficult competition to prepare her team for moments exactly like this.
“It has taken a lot of challenging moments,” Williams said. “There were times that I had to question their commitment. I had to question their character. And they’ve responded each time.
”“I want to say it was our second Enterprise game, when we beat them,” Kirkland said.
“Because I feel like after that, everything clicked into place. Like, we just played great games on great games. Everything was just good after that. ”“The last few games, they’ve really shown their resiliency and their grit,” Williams said.
“We’ve been the more physical team the last few games, which I think is going to be important, especially at a Final Four, especially against a team like Auburn. ”Williams described her team’s off-field personality with a laugh — and a lot of pride.
“Goofballs,” she said. “They’re just goofy. They’re silly. They love life.
They love what they’re doing. They love coming to practice. They don’t want it to be over. But when it’s time to play, they’re serious.
”“As we’ve gotten past COVID and kids go outside less, and they sit in front of a screen now more than ever, this group has managed to stay focused on what they love, which is playing this sport, playing this game,” Williams said.
“They’re great role models. We have kids that love watching them, that love being around them. They’ve set an incredible example for younger kids. And I think that sets them apart.
”“Getting here was tough. Staying up there is going to be even tougher,” Williams said.
“But they have the capacity to do it. They can do some incredible things if they stay together and they stay disciplined and they stay supportive of each other. ”“Finish what we started,” Yu said.
“We’ve had so much growth this year and so much improvement, and there’s no reason why we can’t keep that going. ”The Wolves won’t be making the nearly four-and-a-half-hour trip to Huntsville alone. Parents organized a decorating party ahead of the game, arriving with signs and shakers. Students are expected to make the trip as well.
“Our goal is to represent Dothan with a lot of pride and to play hard for them,” Williams said. “It would mean a lot to have our school there, our kids there. ”“When your community cares about you and your school cares about you, they really do want what’s best for you, and they’re always going to support you,” Kirkland said.
The Dothan Wolves kick off against Auburn Thursday at 1 p.m. at John Hunt Park in Huntsville in the Class 7A state semifinals. It marks the first appearance at the state tournament by a Dothan public school team since 2023, when the Dothan boys soccer team made the trip to Huntsville.
“It was historic, just the resilience,” Williams said. “These girls deserve this, and they deserve to be up there. ” Download the WTVY News4 app to get alerts and stories the moment they are published.
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