Pinga.us
The Christ the King Crusaders celebrate their second goal against Franklin Academy during the first half. The Christ the King Crusaders and the Franklin Academy Patriots met in the NCHSAA 2A Girls Soccer Championship Game in in Durham, N.C. on May 29, 2026. (Photos Steven Worthy/High School OT)
×

Christ the King wins fourth title in five years, stops Franklin Academy in 2A girls soccer championship

Posted: 5/29/2026, 8:00:50 PM

DURHAM, N.C. — Addison Peirce has this whole championship thing down pat.

The Christ the King junior scored three times in Friday's N.C. High School Athletic Association 2A girls soccer championship game at Durham County Memorial Stadium, giving her team a 3-0 victory over Franklin Academy.

Her hat trick was nothing new for her or the Crusaders.

Peirce had four goals two years ago in the 1A championship game, now giving her seven goals in two title games with another year left to see if she can make it back.

She wasn't MVP two years ago (somehow), but she was this time.

"It's less the stage and more the team. They always motivate me to throughout the game to keep doing my best," Peirce said.

Live 2026 NCHSAA girls soccer playoff brackets

Peirce wasted no time in getting the scoring going on Friday.

With space to work with, she cut through the Franklin Academy back line and zipped her way into the box before slotting in the 1-v-1 goal to take a 1-0 lead in just the third minute. In the 29th, she got on the end of a long clear from Erin Reyes and raced behind the line to beat the keeper for a 2-0 lead.

That 2-0 lead lasted into halftime.

With 9 minutes and 47 seconds left, Peirce struck one more time, this time carrying it down the right side of the goal, getting past three defenders and striking a low shot for her third tally.

"We had an unfortunate situation ... that kind of shifted some things," Franklin Academy coach Josh Curley said.

Start times revealed for NCHSAA baseball, softball, lacrosse, & girls soccer state championships

Franklin Academy had better scoring opportunities in the second half, including forcing several corner kicks and had a header go just over the bar with 15 minutes left.

However, the finishing touch eluded them.

The Crusaders' back line, led by Reyes and Lindsay O'Donnell — who have played together since middle school — didn't allow much of a window in the run of play.

"We communicate and stay positive," Reyes said.

NCHSAA girls soccer conference standings for the 2026 season

Franklin Academy (25-1), the East regional champ, was making its seventh appearance in a state championship match, and second consecutively, but has only the 2017 title to show for it. Christ the King (18-4-1), the West regional champ, won had a run of three straight titles (2022, 2023, 2024), now has four championships in the last five years.

Before the game, each team named a Sportsmanship Award winner. For Franklin Academy it was Cierra Cole and for Christ the King it was Libby Ryan.

Box Score

1 2 F
Franklin Academy 0 0 0
Christ the King 2 1 3
  • Scoring
    • Addison Peirce (Christ the King) '3
    • Addison Peirce (Christ the King) '29
    • Addison Peirce (Christ the King) '71

Want to get your high school sports news faster? Download the new and improved HighSchoolOT app! You'll be able to find the content you want faster and have access to breaking news alerts.

Download the all-new HighSchoolOT App today