Porter-Gaud denies Hammond girls chance at first soccer state championship
The Hammond girls soccer team didn’t get the storybook ending it was hoping for Saturday.
Porter-Gaud used a second-half flurry to defeat the Skyhawks, 6-0, in the SCISA Class 4A Girls Soccer championship game at St. Sebastian Stadium.
The loss denied Hammond its first state championship in program history under interim coach Ryan Brewer. The former South Carolina running back took over coaching duties two weeks before the season started and got the Skyhawks a win away from the state championship game.
Brewer wasn’t ready to reflect on the team’s journey during the season, but rather a questionable call against Hammond goalkeeper Maxine Palisin in the 45th minute. The senior was given a red card following what was deemed intentional use of her hands touching the ball A red card means Palisin was ejected and the Skyhawks had to play a person down for the rest of the match.
“It’s crap. It really is,” Brewer said. “You got a senior keeper who comes out and hits her chest. It is a handball call, maybe. He could have given her a yellow card but the ref wants it to make it about him. These young ladies are fighting their (butts) off here. … My girls fought their tails off. I don’t have a backup keeper and that is on me but at same time there is nothing worse than having a ref decide a game like that and he knows it. He could say whatever he wants. You know me, I have every fiber in my being ready to explode right now.”
The match totally changed after Palisin, the all-region keeper, left the game. Brewer tried a pair of different players in goal for the rest of the game but admitted they didn’t have a plan for a backup goalkeeper. The Cyclones were leading 1-0 at the time of the red card but scored three goals in the next seven minutes to take a 4-0 lead.
Gracie McCabe, Spencer Hostetter and Zoe Molten each had goals for the Cyclones during the stretch. McCabe and Molten each had two goals in the game for P-G.
Hammond didn’t have many scoring chances in the second half once P-G got going. The Skyhawks had a few opportunities in the first half but couldn’t convert.
Hammond finished the season at 11-7-1, which included a region championship. The Skyhawks will lose six seniors from the squad, including Brewer’s oldest daughter Elle, Paulsin, leading scorer Logan Rivers and Kate Weston.
Brewer gathered his team near the middle of the field and told the players how appreciative he was of their effort during the season.
Brewer was asked if he would be willing to return as coach next season. At this point, he is leaning toward it, especially after the sting of Saturday’s loss.
“I’m thinking about it,” he said. “This puts a bitter taste in my mouth and puts something that I want a revenge factor. I’m one of those that doesn’t want to end something like this.”
This story was originally published May 10, 2025 at 6:01 PM.
