When Mike Freace told some folks of the system he was having the Westminster girls soccer team run this season, he was met with some curious looks.

Westminster would run a 4-5-1 formation, positioning one forward in front of five midfielders and four defenders. It's something of a non-traditional look, because most teams use at least two forwards to try and produce goals.

So did goal-scoring end up being a problem for the Wildcats?

"No," Freace said, laughing. "We scored over 100 goals this season (101 in 21 games)."

Freace is The Augusta Chronicle girls soccer coach of the year after his tinkering paid off in spades: Westminster won the first girls soccer championship in school history this season.

Westminster returned only four starters from its previous season and started two players older than sophomores. Swept in three games at an early season tournament at Macon's Stratford Academy -- during which top players Annie Speese and Cara Smith were not available because of international trips or injuries -- Westminster rebounded to sweep the three top Macon teams in the playoffs. They concluded with a penalty-kick win over First Presbyterian Day in the final.

"It's like a college team: any time you come in as a freshman, by the end of the season you're not a freshman anymore," said Freace, who coached the school's boys team to state titles in 2000 and 2006. "We started to see the team as it was after Masters. It really was a stretch where we started to hit our stride.

"I could do the same coaching job at another school and probably not get the recognition. The difference is there's quality people at this school -- quality student-athletes, quality support -- and that usually makes the difference. I don't like to put so much praise on me."

In the 4-5-1 formation, Smith and Speese combined for 65 goals. Freace said teams struggled to stop his team from scoring for two reasons: Smith, as the lone forward, is a special talent, and opponents were slow to react when five midfielders charged forward.

"Even when we played one striker up top, teams really struggled to deal with (Smith)," he said. "It's a different system. Teams are so used to seeing two forwards, when they see one, they are not sure exactly what to do with it."