Mariner girls soccer team earns spot in state final four
Tritons top rival Seahawks, 2-0, to earn first-ever regional crown
For the first time in school history, a Mariner girls soccer team has reached the Final Four of the FHSAA State Championship Tournament.
The Tritons (20-3) took care of business Tuesday night on home turf defeating Cape Coral (15-5-3), 2-0, in the FHSAA 5A Region 3 Final.
The Seahawks did their best to keep Mariner’s offense at bay, but ultimately conceded two goals – one early and one late.
Tritons standout and team leader in goals scored Ryleigh Acosta broke through in the 7th minute when she niftily settled a pass 12 yards from the net, turned and flicked her shot into the top right corner of the goal, on the keeper’s far side.
Mariner controlled much of the possession and created chances throughout the match. A Cape team playing a clear defensive style and packing the back line survived many near chances and did a good job of clearing the ball from danger in spots.
Late in the match and finding themselves one shot away from an equalizer, the Seahawks started to push forward and paid the price. It was in minute 74 that Acosta made a run down the left side of the pitch towards the flag and with her left boot, centered a pass to Arianna McIntyre, who finished the job and sealed the victory.
“It’s amazing,” said Mariner head coach Jami Hagy of reaching this stage of the season. “No girls team at Mariner has been this far, so we wanted to get past this game tonight, and it’s really special for us.”
Hagy gave credit to a Cape team that showed copious amounts of resilience and had lost two matches to Mariner this year, both 5-0.
“Cape gave a really good fight. They came out battling,” she said. “When you’re in the playoffs, anything can happen. Our mentality is that we have to play hard no matter who it is.”
The Tritons are the definition of a complete team which features potent scorers, pesky midfielders and solid-as-a-rock back line. Acosta is a 20-goal, 20-assist club member and wingers Sarah Paddock and Gloria Quintanilla are as talented as they come. Caroline Pelkofski, as a freshman, is one to watch moving forward, as she creates constantly for the Tritons’ attack from the midfield and stifles any rhythm the opposition may be feeling moving out of its defensive zone.
Speaking of defense, the work of senior captains Brooke Yount and Sarah McMonagle-Hall has been special to watch all season. Contributions from Keyara Blissett, Kira Wilson, Samantha Hamilton and Gigi Gerke have turned the Tritons’ back line into one of the best in the area.
The team wouldn’t be where it is without the play of the keepers, namely Sierra Ingram, who came up with two huge saves down the stretch in Mariner’s last match versus North Fort Myers.
Let’s also not forget they’re incredibly young, as Yount and McMonagle-Hall are the only seniors on the squad.
“We have depth on our team this year,” Hagy said. “We’re really trying to focus on developing our underclassman and they’ve been with us every step of the way. Everyone’s playing hard and it takes the whole team to come out with a win.”
Of the way his team played and fought, Cape head coach Lenny Volberg said, “We had a strategy and the girls executed very well. I think we were doing what we were supposed to do, and we held them.”
Cape senior keeper Destiny Lowe was especially impressive for her team, coming up with eight saves throughout the match.
“Destiny Lowe is the anchor of this team,” Volberg said. “She’s a leader, one of the captains – she won the game the other night for us in penalty kicks. She’s nothing but a joy to coach.”
The Seahawks have little to hang their heads about, as they performed exceptionally well throughout the season and tournament, capturing two wins on the road, including one in PKs, to get to the regional final.
“The girls grew a lot over this postseason,” Volberg said. “They realized how hard it is to move on against top teams. I think we played Mariner well and earned their respect. Since they’re in Cape Coral – they’re my rivals, but I hope they do well.”
Mariner, thanks to a reseeding of the State Championship bracket, will host Lake Minneola (13-4-1) Friday at 7 p.m. with a trip to the State Final on the line.
— Connect with Associate Sports Editor CJ Haddad on Twitter: @haddad_cj