Natalie Heckathorn, Greenbrier senior and girls’ soccer captain, scored the game-winning goal late in the second half Monday, May 5, to defeat Lassiter 1-0 and secure the Wolfpack a spot in the Final Four.
When it seemed like neither defense and goalie was going to give up anything, the senior captain saw her opportunity and took advantage.
“I remember a few years ago I had that shot and I made it. I saw the vision and just knew I had to execute,” Heckathorn said.
Assistant Coach Dallas Dickerson was proud of Heckathorn after the game and said she has been and is very important to the Wolfpack success.
“She is the heart and soul of this team,” said Dickerson. “When she is on, the team is on. When she is down, we get a little sluggish but she brings us back up and you saw that tonight. She is waiting for that moment, and she will take care of it when it happens.”
Heckathorn is not the only senior on the team as she is teammates with seven other seniors, including another captain in Jayliah Neff.
“Our two captains drive this team,” said Greenbrier Head Coach Rob Husted. “Natalie finds a way. An intense hard-fought game like that, she puts the ball in, and it was beautiful. It wasn’t an accidental goal; it was amazing, and she had done that for four years.”
The Wolfpack defeated a Lassiter team that only has three losses this season and has won state titles in 2016 and 2022.
Greenbrier girls’ soccer team has also been successful the last few seasons but has come up just short.
After being an undefeated 16-0 last year, the Wolfpack lost 4-0 to Cambridge in the AAAAA quarterfinals. The girls were also an undefeated 19-0 in 2023 before losing in the AAAAA State Championship to Chamblee 9-0.
“I told them back in October when we started meeting that this your team, you got a lot of baggage to get rid of and a lot of things to make up for in the last couple of years and this team goes as far as you want to put it,” Husted said.
While the Wolfpack has come up short the last couple of seasons, the senior captain believes they have momentum and can finish the job.
“I do believe we are capable of a little bit more and we can keep going,” Heckathorn said.
Greenbrier girls soccer team will now head to the Final Four where they will play the
winner of Villa Rica and River Ridge.
The time and day of the game is to be announced.
Christopher Rickerson, an Augusta University graduate, has covered area sports for publications including Augusta University‘s Bell Ringer and Augusta Good News. Subscribe to the Augusta Good News’ free weekly newsletter here.
