Viking Soccer

This year, the Vikings and Lady Vikings had incredible seasons. Both teams had a large group of seniors that helped in the leadership. Coming off of a great season in 2021, they were hungry to have another great year.

BOYS SOCCER

The Vikings completed one of their finest seasons since joining the GHSA 12 years ago, compiling a 15-4-2 record and going 10-0 in region play. “I am very proud of the Vikings this year. The team was hungry to beat their record from last season,” noted Head Coach Josh Trieste. “We had a lot of our key players return from last season, and that played a huge part in our success!”

For the second straight season, the boys won the GHSA Class-A Private Region Championship.

They entered the postseason as the top seed in their bracket and defeated Aquinas and Wesleyan in the opening rounds. Clay Pearson, senior captain, stated, “It was incredible to make it to the Elite 8 my senior year. This is the first time in 7 years since FPD boys soccer was in the Elite 8.” Unfortunately, the boys fell to the State Runner-Up, Athens Academy, but memories and history were made in the 2022 soccer season.

The Vikings had six players make the GHSA 1-A All-Region Team: Clay Pearson, Park Davis, Garyah Fumbah, Ty Pettigrew, Gunner Heath, and Jake Greene.

“I am so proud of the team this year and look forward to rebuilding the team after graduating a lot of seniors,” noted Trieste. The Vikings graduated ten seniors this year from their program: Clay Pearson, Hayden Prady, Brady Roper, Park Davis, Garyah Fumbah, Mathis Fricks, Sheldon Paine, Mason Kelley, Thomas Barfield, and Jordan Tolbert.

Garyah Fumbah

GIRLS SOCCER

The Lady Vikings also had a remarkable year under the leadership of Head Coach Josh Trieste. Finishing with a record of 15-2-1, the Lady Vikings only lost one regular-season match (14-1) and finished second in the highly competitive GHSA Class-A Private School Region. We hosted both rounds of the GHSA state playoffs.

Claire Harrison, senior captain, stated “My favorite thing about this team is that everyone rooted for one another. There was constant encouragement from everyone, and that helped us perform better. We loved having each other as teammates and this encouragement impacted our season by allowing us to go as far as we did, because we knew that everyone was working together.”

After defeating Cavalry Day in Round 1, the Lady Vikings lost a double-overtime thriller 3-2 to Atlanta International. “The team believed in themselves and rose to the occasion this year; they worked hard and played to the best of their ability,” said Trieste. Senior Emmie DeZoort will continue her soccer career in College at SCAD.

Seniors Claire Harrison and Madelyn Davis celebrate.

In reflecting on the season, Senior Captain Madelyn Davis said, “My favorite part of the season was how close the team became. We all had the same goal which brought us closer together. We all wanted to get into the region playoffs, which we did, and that was incredible to be a part of my senior year at FPD.” The Lady Vikings had five players make the GHSA 1-A AllRegion Team: Claire Harrison, Emmie DeZoort, Abbie DeZoort, Madelyn Davis, and Bella Fritz.

Ultimately, the camaraderie and united front from the Lady Vikings helped in their season. Emmie Dezoort, senior captain noted, “My senior year was amazing. The team worked hard, pushed each other to reach our goals, and we accomplished them. I am so proud of this team and these girls. I could not have asked for a better senior season or a better group of girls to complete it with.”

The senior class on this team finished with an incredible 51-6 record over their varsity career and never lost more than two games in a season. They led the way, and FPD is very thankful for their leadership and hard work.

The Lady Vikings graduate seven seniors this year: Claire Harrison, Kate Paulin, Emmie DeZoort, Abbie DeZoort, Cammie Frame, Madelyn Davis, and Anna Hawk.