The North Hall Lady Trojans soccer team’s playoff run came to a close with a 9-0 loss against top-ranked Marist in Atlanta on Saturday.

The Lady War Eagles (20-0-1) put North Hall (11-8) on its heels early and kept it there for most of the game.

“They’re ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 10 in the nation,” Lady Trojans coach Gary Gaddy said. “A lot of their girls play high-level club. We knew coming in it was going to be a challenge.”

The first shot of the game was also the first goal for Marist, coming in the second minute as Katie MacGinnitie put a ball through the Lady Trojans’ defense to Haley Lawson. Lawson ripped a shot on goal, which deflected off the keeper’s mitts and struck the post before crossing the goal line.

The next shot the Lady War Eagles got off also found its way into the net just a minute after the first one.

Lexy Aronson headed the ball high into the net off a short cross from Caroline Chipman to secure a comfortable.

Marist added three more goals before the half as MacGinnitie scored twice with assists from Chipman and Aronson.

Sophie Lung netted the fifth goal on a through ball from Anna Greco.

No matter how high the goal or shot count climbed for Marist, the Lady Trojans never quit fighting.

“That’s been our piece all year,” Gaddy said. “Our M.O. has been being able to compete, being able to play all 80 minutes. A lot of what we’ve been able to accomplish this year has been because of that drive, that effort.”

MacGinnitie secured her hat trick in the 50th minute, a left-footed rip from the top of the box, to notch the sixth goal for the Lady War Eagles.

Greco would finish with a pair of goals as she too ripped a left-footer hard into the netting.

The final two goals were scored by Mae Mae Utsch and Katie Scarborough.

“Coming in, we thought we had a good strategy,” Gaddy said. “They just, from one to 11, they just have good players that can make plays. Some of the stuff they were able to do was just them making great goals, it wasn’t a breakdown on our part. They just made great plays and great teams make great plays.”

The last bit of fight for the Lady Trojans in the season was shown late in the second half when Katie Estrada got of the first shot of the game off for North Hall and forced the keeper to make a save.

Friday was the first quarterfinal game for North Hall since 2009, when they advanced to play for the state title. Regardless of the outcome against Marist, Gaddy said he told the girls it doesn’t define what they were able to do this season.

“This game doesn’t define our season,” he said. “We had a great season. First time in seven years of getting to this point. Understanding that we’ve taken a huge step as a program. Our seniors have really put a standard out there and left a legacy for the younger kids to follow.”