GLEN CARBON – The girls soccer team at Father McGivney Catholic High School was honored and saluted at a reception at the Griffins Gym on Monday night, June 8, 2026, 48 hours after winning the IHSA Class 1A state championship on Saturday, June 6, 2026, in Naperville over previously undefeated Pleasant Plains 3-0.
The Griffins players were introduced and saluted for their achievement on Saturday night in joining the 2024 girls track team as the first two IHSA state team champions in the school’s history. There were also remarks presented by head coach Jason Turkington and school principal Joe Lombardi, along with speeches from some of the players. In addition, a video showing highlights of the state tournament run was shown, along with a display of the regional, sectional and super-sectional plaques, and the state championship trophy.
The Griffins won the state semifinal over Elmhurst Timothy Christian 4-0 on June 4, putting them into the final against a formidable Cardinals team that not only was 26-0-2 going into the championship game, but had also conceded six goals all season with a stifling defense. McGivney flipped the script on Pleasant Plains, holding the Cardinals to only one shot on goal that goalie Peyton Ellis easily saved. At the same time, Kinley Dettmers and Natalie Beck scored in the first half, Beck converting from the penalty spot, and Mira Ahlvers scored in the second half to give the Griffins the championship.
“It was a great year with a great group of girls,” said Turkington in an interview that followed the reception. Turkington, a first-year coach with McGivney who was also a standout at O’Fallon and SIU-Edwardsville as well as a former boys coach with the Panthers, conceded that the fact of winning the title hadn’t sunk in for him yet.
“I don’t know,” Turkington said. “It’s a weird feeling. This was awesome.”
The personalities of the players meshed well all throughout the season, and it helped considerably in the championship run.
“You know, some of the things I talked about, coaching for 25 years, and having so many different teams,” Turkington said. “The personalities, you saw the personalities all season. You saw the personalities tonight. I think I told (my assistant coaches) I’m ready for practice tomorrow. I was ready for another day, because it’s such a good group, and it’s going to be tough to see all the seniors go.”
Those personalities, along with the team’s togetherness, were definitely the biggest key to the season for McGivney.
“Their togetherness, their personalities,” Turkington said. “They all clicked, they all got along. A lot of teams claim to do that, but it was just easy. Coaching was easy this year, because they listened, they all bought in, and they cared for each other.”
Winning the state championship was an incredible feeling, but Turkington again admitted it still hadn’t yet sunk in.
“It really hasn’t set in yet,” Turkington said. “But it’s pretty cool.”
Of course, it’s way too early to think about a possible repeat, but there’s a good core of players returning next spring, and Turkington is looking ahead to the 2027 season.
“Yeah, let’s enjoy this,” Turkington said with a smile. “We have a great group coming back, but we can’t deny the seniors.”
For his part, Lombardi is equally proud of the team and its players, and praised the solid work ethic the team displayed all season.
“It is amazing,” Lombardi said. “It’s amazing to see all the hard work and dedication that this team has put in that way.”
As mentioned, it’s the second team IHSA state championship in the school’s history, and it’s just a reward for the school’s success, both academically and athletically.
“It really is,” Lombardi said. “It’s amazing to have that success match the success of the school overall, but again, it comes down to great coaching, great focus from our players, and making sure they’re dedicated to the team itself.”
The championship will mean a lot to the school itself and the school’s community, with support coming from all over.
“It represents the focus, dedication and support of our community tonight,” Lombardi said. “We had everyone here today. We had people from different programs coming to support these young ladies, and that’s how it was all season long. So that represents the strength of our community.”
Lombardi is an avid soccer fan as well and was exceptionally happy to have won the championship on the eve of the FIFA World Cup, of which the United States is one of the host nations, and begins on Thursday.
“It sure does,” Lombardi said with a smile. “I just love watching great soccer, and I got to watch it all season long. It capped off on Saturday, with these young ladies’ success.”
Lombardi is hopeful of a repeat but is also enjoying the season’s success.
“We’ll let next season play out,” Lombardi said. “I know that they’ve got a strong foundation and great coaching. So we’ll see what happens next year.”
It’s still a great legacy to build on, as the Griffins continue to achieve success on the soccer field.
“Yes, we’ve had a lot of our young players experience this,” Lombardi said. “I’m sure they’ll want to experience this again.”
