Gretna East girls soccer wins state title in program’s first season, DeFini sets season goal record

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Gretna East captured the Class B girls state soccer championship Monday in the program’s first season of existence with a dominant 6-1 win over Omaha Duchesne.

“This is a special night for us at Gretna East,” said head coach Chace Hutchison. “Being able to set that standard and introduce ourselves to the state.”

There was individual history to go with the team history. Griffins junior Sonora DeFini scored two goals in the victory and set the all-class state record for goals in a single-season with 55.

“I had to trust my teammates and know it’s going to come and not force it,” she said.

DeFini entered the championship with 53 goals, needing one to tie Katie Hobbs, who set the record in 1998 with Platteview. That opportunity came in the form of a 14th minute header off a corner kick, which gave the Griffins the early 1-0 lead.

Kendall Dobberstein broke the game open with a pair of goals in the 22nd and 37th minute to hand Gretna East a 3-0 halftime edge. Karli Williams found the back of the net on a 51st minute free kick. Twelve minutes later, Dobberstein provided the assist this time on a cross to Addison LaRock to make it 5-0.

With the game well out of reach, the only suspense remaining at Morrison Stadium was if DeFini could break the record. In the 70th minute, she put it to rest, swatting a Dobberstein feed past the reaching keeper for goal No. 55.

“It was definitely a relief,” she said. “The whole game I was thinking about how it would be such an amazing feeling it would be to get the record.”

“Sonora has worked her entire life for that moment,” Hutchison said. ”She comes from a great soccer family, she has grown up in this environment. We wanted that for her to have that exclamation and have that place in history. So that’s what we were working towards at the end.”

With no seniors on the roster, this is just the beginning for Gretna East girls soccer.

“This was a really successful season,” DeFini said. “We all worked really hard together and next year is going to be the same, if not better.”

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