High school career has come full circle for North Oconee's Ava Caldwell

Waiting by the goal in the 2021 soccer state championship, Ava Caldwell received a cross from her teammate. She headed in the ball for the game-winning goal. Caldwell, then a freshman, threw her hands up with joy. Today, she still calls it the happiest moment of her life.

“I’m pretty short, so most people usually beat me to headers,” the 5-foot-4 North Oconee High School midfielder said.

That day, almost three years ago, her height was enough.

Caldwell, now a graduating senior, has one more chance to get that feeling again.

The Titans will play Westminster in the Final Four on Thursday, trying to extend their season one step closer to the 4A state championship.

As a freshman, Caldwell had no idea how big of a deal it was to win a state title, even though she was the athlete to seal it. She thought it was easy since she did it with her first opportunity.

“I was like, ‘OK, I’m going to have four rings by the time I walk out of high school,’” Caldwell said.

However, after the Titans won in 2021, they fell short the two years following. Last season, they were the state runners-up. They made it to the Final Four in 2022.

North Oconee has made playoff appearances every year since 2018.

After winning the championship as a freshman, Caldwell said it was difficult to cope with coming so close but not getting to experience that moment again.

“It became an expectation year after year to get that again,” Caldwell said.

Caldwell’s older sister, Ansley, also played soccer at North Oconee. The sisters’ time overlapped for three years, winning state together in 2021. But it was a different feeling for Ansley, as she was recovering from foot surgery and could not participate in the game.

Although Ansley was injured, she was right there with her sister cheering her on and celebrating.

The sisters had conversations about winning state again. They thought their 2022 and 2023 teams were even better than the 2021 champions. Consequently, Ava, as a leader, took the playoff losses in those following years personally.

“Ava was not happy about that,” Ansley said. “She honestly put a lot of that on herself.”

This season, Ava Caldwell broke North Oconee’s record for most career goals, with 85 and counting.

“I’ve never played with strikers that have the skill level that Ava has before,” Titans junior Aubrey Patterson said. “Being able to get the experience to defend her and play with her is really enlightening.”

Caldwell, a team co-captain, comes to practice early and stays late while also traveling to Atlanta four or more times a week for her club team, Atlanta Fire.

“At points during her soccer journey, she placed a significant amount of importance, occasionally too much, on soccer,” Caldwell’s mom, Cindy, said, “but she has grown to balance her passion with other facets of life.”

Caldwell spent the first 13 years of her life in Auburn, Alabama, and will return to her hometown to further her soccer career at Auburn University. She said she felt like she was back at home when she visited Auburn’s campus.

Ansley, who graduated last year, now plays at Columbus State University, about 40 miles from Auburn. The sisters are ready to be closer to each other and have the opportunity to train together again.

“She is the best training partner and always pushes people to be the best," Ansley said. “Her mentality is second to none and she is always wanting to do more.”

This Thursday in a Final Four match against Westminster, she’s just wanting to take one more step toward getting that winning feeling again.

Kaylin Vidal is a student in the Sports Media Certificate program at the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute. 

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: North Oconee girls soccer led by Ava Caldwell with another title in reach