It has been more than a decade since the St. Louis Catholic girls soccer team last played for a state championship, and they want to finish the season on top today at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond.

“We have to stay locked in and focus on the goal,” senior midfielder/forward Gracie Savoie said. “We can’t overlook what is in front of us.

“Yes, it is an accomplishment to get to state, but our goal is to win state and be the best.”

The No. 2 Saints will play defending state champion No. 1 Parkview Baptist at 5 p.m. in the Division III state championship game at Strawberry Stadium.

St. Louis (18-4-2) last reached the final in 2010, which ended a string of three consecutive state championships.

“I love being able to finish off a season with a state game, go out with a bang,” senior centerback Charlie Maze said. “It is my last game. I will do anything I can to help this team. No one will get in our way.”

Maze is part of a defensive unit that has limited opponents to 15 goals in 24 games and one in four postseason games. Goalkeeper Caroline Avery has 11 shutouts.

“We are really solid this year,” Maze said about the Saints’ defense. “It is definitely a very good defense this year. Although they (the Eagles) have some really good people playing, some really good shooters and they love to shoot far away, we just need confidence that we can step in front of them and block their shots.”

Defense will be key against the undefeated Eagles, who are led by freshman Ella Kate Johnston, last year’s championship game MVP, plus three others with at least 17 goals in juniors Macey Theriot (18 goals, 17 assists), Sarah Ortlieb (18 goals, 14 assists) and Karis Phillippe (26 goals, 14 assists).

“They have four or five really good players that can hurt you if they are not accounted for,” St. Louis Catholic head coach Alex Kjellsten said of the Eagles. “They can attack you with speed, and they can shoot from far out.

“We have to make sure that any time they are gearing up for a shot we step in front of the shot. We have to be ready for a ball that is played over the top. They have a forward that has a lot of speed, so we have to make sure we don’t let her get in behind us.”

The lone blemish in the Eagles 26-0-1 was a 2-2 tie with Thibodaux on Dec. 8. They have won 15 consecutive games since then.

“Yes, they are (undefeated), but that doesn’t scare us,” Savoie said. “We have scouted them a lot and watched film.

“They are a pretty good team, but I think if we use our outside and stick to our game, we are going to get the result that we want.

“I think our intensity and focus is higher than it has ever been before. Going into high school my freshman year I never would have imagined this program would turn into what it is. It is a really special team to be a part of.”

Kjellsten is using his championship game experience from his playing days to help the Saints prepare for something they have never experienced. He played on four consecutive state championship teams at St. Louis (2010-13).

“I remember each one of them so vividly, what was going through my mind and what I was feeling,” Kjellsten said. “I used my experience as a player to kind of help them understand what it is going to feel like, how to deal with emotions.

“My experience as a player has definitely come in handy for this situation. I think they are very excited. They come every day with a good attitude. I think they are very motivated. It is just an exciting time not only for them but this entire school community. It is something that our whole school community can be a part of. We are very happy to be there, but we want to win too. We are not going there to just play a game. We want to win this game.”

Kjellsten knows the Saints will need to make the most of each scoring opportunity. The Saints have outscored opponents 90-15, led by Emma Roach (20 goals, 14 assists) and Adelaide Flavin (22 goals, 9 assists). No team has scored more than two goals on the Eagles this season.

“Offensively, we just need to finish our opportunities,” Kjellsten said. “We are going to have opportunities, and we just need to put them away.

“They are a great team. They are well-coached. They have some great players. They have had some good results against good opponents. We know that. At the end of the day when the whistle blows it is 0-0, and all those previous games don’t matter. We know what is in front of us and we just have to go out and play our game.”