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On Friday, after another highly competitive season, the Wildcats lost to Ezekiel Academy in the state finals 2-1 in Montgomery.  Springwood ends their 2025 season 13-3-2.

The Wildcats were close to three-peating, having won the championship in 2024 and 2023. The team had a solid second half. However, it was not to be.

Ezekiel struck first. With 22 minutes to go in the first half, a defensive miscommunication put the Knights up a goal.

Springwood looked poised to tie it up right before the halfway point, pushing forward. Then, Ezekiel came down and scored, despite the best efforts of Goalkeeper Linus Wanninger, who got fingertips on the ball.

The Wildcats looked determined after halftime. Lucas Albani was all over the field for Springwood, taking some hard penalties. Ten minutes into the second half, Albani scored when his penalty kick took a deflection in the box. The junior would have a few chances, but Ezekiel’s defenders swarmed him in the final minutes.

“Two games in two days, really hot weather during the day, so I mean, it’s just tough,” said John Lanier, Springwood’s head coach. The Wildcats beat Fort Dale 5-0 on Thursday to make it to the finals.

“The boys played really well,” he continued. “After halftime, they responded to what we asked them to do, played extremely hard, gave it everything they had.”

Having been a regular in the state finals, Springwood Soccer has become something of a dynasty. However, they will lose some seniors next year. Captains Wanninger and Brennan Plank played their last game on Friday, as did Caue Silva and Aiden Carey.

“These guys have been part of several championships here. So I just appreciate what they’ve done, getting [in] their practice, motivating people, leading on the field… I just really appreciate everything they’ve given to the team and the program.”