Appoquinimink Girls Soccer Wins Second Straight DIAA Division One Girls Soccer State Championship

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The Appoquinimink Girls Soccer team defeated Odessa, 3-0, in the 2026 DIAA Division One Girls Soccer State Championship on June 7.

NEWARK — Appoquinimink senior Avery Holland positioned herself next to the flag on the far corner of the field, left of the goal. The Jaguars and Ducks were locked in a stalemate eight minutes into the second half. That changed when Holland kicked the ball toward the group of players at the front of the net. 

Holland’s pass landed in the middle of the group and somehow found its way to the foot of sophomore Karsyn Hope in the box. Hope reacted and kicked the ball with her left foot, past the Odessa goalkeeper and into the back of the net. The shot gave Appoquinimink the lead and a chance for Hope and her sister — senior Kaylee Hope — to be champions for the second consecutive year.

“Honestly, I just saw the ball at my feet and I was like, this is for my sister,” Karsyn Hope said after the game. “I play with my older sister and she’s always been my biggest inspiration and so just knowing I was doing it for her it’s just like amazing.”

Hope’s goal was the first of three second half scores that helped the Jaguars defeat Odessa, 3-0, and earn the program’s second consecutive DIAA Division One Girls Soccer State Championship.

“It feels amazing,” Hope said. “It makes it so much better to do it with like my best friends like they’re literally my sisters and I couldn’t ask for a better team to do it with.”

The Jaguars scored on a second corner opportunity in the final minutes of the game on a goal from senior Waryn Catania also assisted by Holland in the same corner. It was one of a handful of corner kick opportunities the Jaguars’ generated in the second half following a first half that was closely contested.   

“In the second half, the wind was in our favor so we were just like hey if we’re stuck in the corner there just try and get us something,” Appoquinimink head coach Lance Berry said postgame. “We’ve been dangerous on corner kicks for the past two years now, and just executing on all set pieces has been our motto and we did a great job of it.”

Senior Kelsey Beatie scored Appoquinimink’s second goal of the game in the 18th minute of the second half on a breakaway opportunity set up by a long pass from sophomore Samatha Hayden. Beatie was one of a group of seven seniors on this team — including Catania and Holland — that coach Berry credits for the program’s continued success the last few years. 

“When you get a class like this you have to take advantage of it and those seven seniors we had were very dominant and we’re blessed to have them, so it’s been great,” Berry said. 

The Jaguars finished the season with a 15-1-1 record with their only loss coming against this same Odessa team in April. Appoquinimink ranked in the top-15 of the national ranking for high school spring girls soccer according to United Soccer Coaches.  

The Ducks finished the year 14-2-2 and made the state championship game for the first time in program history.