A successful spring 2014 campaign for the varsity North Atlanta Lady Warrior soccer team was capped by the squad’s capture of the Region 6 AAAAA crown, a first-ever region championship for the team.

The team won in the first round of the playoffs on April 30, beating Flowery Branch by the score of 3 to 0. On May 7, in the second round of the playoffs, the Warriors fell to Northview by the score of 2 to 1.

The region champion team, led by freshman forward Emma Kurtz and sophomore midfielder-forward Claire Shea, ended its regular season with a 16 and 3 record. During the season, the Warriors beat Dunwoody, Lakeside, and perennial rival Grady High School. The Dunwoody victory, a 11-1 drubbing of the Wildcats, was an exceptional illustration of the amped up capabilities of the Warrior offense and the 3 to 2 victory over the Grady Knights showed a lot about the team’s heart.

Coach Robert Bramlett said he was gratified by his squad’s performance this year and is optimistic about the team’s potential for the coming year. The team is only losing three seniors: Teresa Durham and Emma Pettersen, both team captains; and Taylor Samples. Beyond that, the team will have 17 returning players, and there is an expectation that a strong crop of freshman will come and bolster the overall talent level.

“Throughout the season, we showed a lot of continuity and improvement. We improved the physicality of our play, and at times played very flowing, wonderful passing soccer,” Bramlett said. “Toward the end of the season, we got away from those basics, and that may have cost our advancing through the playoffs, but all in all, I was impressed with our play and we have a great foundation for next year.”