ITG Next’s April 2026 Georgia Female Athlete of the Month is Northside High School soccer player Sophia Oyster, a freshman.
In her first season of varsity soccer for the Columbus school, Oyster made quite the impact with the Patriots, helping lead them to a 13-4 record, including a 4-2 mark in Region 3-4A.
According to Northside head soccer coach Karissa Branch, Oyster showed her athletic flexibility this year, consistently playing forward but also rotating through left defender, center midfield, and right midfield.
“Her talent and soccer IQ gave us a lot of flexibility, which was due to our small roster,” Branch said. “Despite this being her first season with us, Sophia immediately made an impact for our team. She not only found her way into our starting lineup, but she turned into a consistent offensive weapon for us.”
A look at Oyster’s stats shows just how much of an offensive weapon she was this season.
She played in all 17 games this season, logging 1,215 minutes while scoring 28 goals. She had 45 shots, including 36 on goal.
Oyster showed off her offensive strength with five hat tricks this season, which is three or more goals in a single game. That is quite a feat in soccer. The hat tricks came against Central (Phenix City), Mundy’s Mill, Griffin, Glenwood, and Troup County.
Oyster also scored the game-winning goal against in-town rival Columbus High.
She had 11 assists and 47 steals this year.
She was named to the 2026 First-Team All-Region squad for Region 3-4A, one of only two freshmen to make the list, and was named the DiVarsity Class 4A Player of the Year for 2026.
Oyster was selected to the 2026 DiVarsity All-Star Game and was voted the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer Girls Athlete of the Week for March 27, 2026.
That’s not bad for a freshman playing her first season of varsity soccer.
“Her stats alone merited the nomination for Athlete of the Year, but she’s also a great teammate and a good kid,” Branch said.
