The Lincoln Pius X girls soccer team traded silver medals for gold Tuesday.
After losing in the last two state tournament championship games, the top-seeded Thunderbolts scored a pair of first half goals and held off a second-half comeback from Blair to win the Class B state title 2-1 at Morrison Stadium.
“Until you’re there, you don’t realize how big of a step (winning the state title game) is,” Lincoln Pius X coach Steve Andersen said. “This is fun. I’m looking forward to doing this again someday.”
The title is the third for the Thunderbolts, who previously won the state tournament in 2004 and 2005.
Lincoln Pius X (17-1) opened the scoring in the 31st minute off Margaret O’Donnell’s right foot. She dribbled into the middle of the 18-yard box and put a shot from 15 yards out that beat Blair goalkeeper Regan Blattert into the lower-right corner of the goal. The goal was O’Donnell’s second of the season.
“Again, here we are at state and these girls aren’t afraid of the big platform,” Andersen said.
The Thunderbolts doubled their lead 82 seconds after O’Donnell’s goal off of a set piece in the 32nd minute. Brooke Thomsen sent a corner kick into the box and Ava Kolm headed it home into the left side of the goal.
“It just kind of fit into our template of ‘keep shooting,’” Andersen said. “Everybody’s got a shot, Everybody’s got a leg, right foot, left foot. Just keep firing and good things are going to happen, and we definitely proved that (Tuesday).”
Kolm’s goal was her first header of the season after scoring on seven headers in 2025.
“Everyone on corners is like, ‘Ava, go in and get it,’ so I just knew I had to go and get this,” Kolm said.
Cadence Field cut the deficit for Blair (17-1) in half in the early minutes after halftime with a goal in the 44th minute. Kaitlyn O’Neil intercepted a Thunderbolt pass at midfield and fed a through ball to Field, who dribbled past a defender and put her shot under Pius X goalkeeper Emma Miller.
The Bears continued to pressure Miller and the Thunderbolt defense looking for an equalizer, but the Pius X defense was up to the task. Miller made a pair of saves in the final 30 minutes and had three saves in the match.
“They carried our team, honestly,” Miller said of the Thunderbolt defenders. “The scoreboard wouldn’t be what it is without our defenders.”
“Emma Miller has just been a sophomore that plays like a senior,” Andersen said. “Luckily, we get to keep her for two more years, and she’ll be a solid rock back there. She’s got such a great defense on top of her.”
Blair had an 11-9 edge in shots and a 7-2 advantage in corner kicks, but the Thunderbolt defense kept the Bears at bay.
“Just couldn’t get it in the dang goal that last half,” Blair coach Nick Hall said. “(Give) the credit to (Lincoln Pius X), they played incredible defense.”
Blattert made a pair of saves for Blair, including stopping Emily Krings on a penalty kick in the 26th minute to keep the game scoreless. She collided with a Pius X player midway through the second half and had to leave the game, the first minutes this season she had not been in net for the Bears.
Blattert suffered a broken hand in the collision. Midfielder Beau Wendt came in and finished the game in net.
“We got the job done for Pius, so we got one and now we’re going to come back next year, play our all, and hope to get it done again.”
Ava Kolm found the back of the net in the 32’ minute, which helped defeat Blair 2-1 in the Class B girls state championship. #nebpreps pic.twitter.com/dkT5JfB5rG
— nebpreps (@THEnebpreps) May 20, 2026
