Bishop Carroll girls soccer becomes Wichita’s first to win Kansas 5A state title
For the first time in the history of girls high school soccer in Kansas, the Class 5A state champions are from Wichita.
After knocking on the door for the better part of the last 15 years, Bishop Carroll finally broke through against Kansas City with a 2-1 win over St. James Academy at Scheels Stryker Complex on Saturday afternoon.
In fitting fashion, Carroll concluded a perfect 21-0 season with its unprecedented championship run.
The Golden Eagles have long dominated the Wichita area, but run into a KC buzz saw time and time again at the state tournament. The closest the team had previously been to a title was in 2023, when many of the current players were talented underclassmen on the roster. That 2-0 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas in the 5A final marked the program’s only previous title appearance.
But this season had always felt different to Carroll coach Greg Rauch, armed with a dynamic attack led by Leah Henke, Darby Howard, Avery McCorry and Itzelle Lumbreras and an organized defense orchestrated by Maddie Weed, Liza Dugan, Rachel Hawkins, Lauren Suellentrop and Olivia Hermann.
On Saturday, Carroll struck first when Henke used her head to finish a corner taken by Andrea Vielmas in the 15th minute. But the lead didn’t last long, as St. James equalized less than 10 minutes later to tie the game heading into halftime.
The game-winning goal once again came on a set piece, again taken by Vielmas, this time aided by a mistake on a failed clearance by St. James. Vielmas’ kick was curving in the box and a St. James defender accidentally kicked it backwards into goal on the attempted clearance with 18 minutes left in the game.
When Kansas only had two state tournaments and it was the 5-1A title, the Kansas City area won 10 of the 12 championships with Topeka claiming the other two. Since 5A split off on its own tournament in 2011, Aquinas, Blue Valley Southwest and St. James took turns trading off the trophy for the past 13 years.
But now, Wichita has a place in the state history books.
Carroll joins Wichita Trinity, which won the 4-1A title in 2014, as the only other team from Wichita to win a girls soccer state title in Kansas.
KSHSAA girls soccer state scores
Note: All games played at Scheels Stryker Soccer Complex in Wichita.
Class 6A
First: Washburn Rural (18-2) vs. Mill Valley (17-2-1), 4:30 p.m.
Third: Blue Valley (11-9) vs. Maize (14-6), 4 p.m.
Class 5A
First: Bishop Carroll 2, St. James 1
Third: Kapaun Mt. Carmel 2, De Soto 1
Class 4-1A
First: Bishop Miege 2, Topeka Hayden 1 (2 OT)
Third: Rose Hill 2, Louisburg 1
This story was originally published May 31, 2025 at 3:18 PM.
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