The Mariner High School's girls soccer team poses with the district championship trophy Tuesday night. CJ HADDAD

This year’s FHSAA girls soccer District 5A-11 final needed no extra time, no penalty kicks, as Mariner claimed a decisive 3-0 win at home Tuesday night.

The Tritons (18-3) defeated long-time rival North Fort Myers (14-3) to hoist the district championship for the first time since 2021, and will carry the destination of being the No. 1 team in 5A (sixth in the state overall) into the postseason.

The two teams have now played three consecutive district finals against one another, with North winning the last two in penalty kicks.

“The seniors deserve it, and they know how to win,” said Mariner head coach Jami Hagy. “I think the last couple of years, we walked out of the districts frustrated, and this year, they wanted to prove they deserve it.”

Both squads traded chances over the first 10 minutes, with Mariner having a slight edge in play.

It was in the 22nd minute when Triton standout and Florida commit Ryleigh Acosta opened the scoring. This year, the senior put together her third consecutive 20-goal, 20-assist season.

A free kick just inside midfield glanced off the head of Stephanie Saracione, and Acosta made a run to the North keeper’s right. She calmly played the ball around the keeper, and slotted her shot back across the field and into the back of the net.

“It was really exciting,” Acosta said of breaking the scoreless game. “We really wanted to be up first. We knew it was going to be a tough game, and just came in as hard as we could.”

Of Acosta and her propensity to show up in the big moments, Hagy said, “We really concentrate on strength of schedule every year, and for these players to take that path and buy-in to what we’re doing here — Ryleigh is that player, and she shows up no matter what team it is. She shows she’s a champion and contributes in the big games, and it’s hard to stop her.”

Mariner added another tally to the sheet just 7 minutes later, this time off the boot of Saracione.

Kelsi Longabardi started the play dribbling from near the corner flag to the top of the box, and centering a pass into traffic. The pass glanced off of Acosta, and fell to Saracione, who made no mistake with her left foot and snuck the ball inside the goalpost.

“She’s a dangerous player, and we’re really lucky to have her,” Hagy said of the team’s second-leading goal-scorer. “The combinations and the chemistry we have on our offensive attack, she just really contributes a lot to that. And she proved she’s a leader on this team and has been scoring some pretty great goals in big games against top teams.”

The Red Knights, who will certainly continue to be a formidable foe heading into regionals, could not find a goal to swing momentum, though had chances early in the second half.

North’s Evie McCarthy worked tirelessly to find openings for her teammates, and Cami Nunn was stellar on the back line per usual.

Mariner all but sealed the deal in in minute 78, when Longabardi redirected a hard shot past the Red Knight keeper to push the advantage to 3-0 with little time left in regulation.

Hagy said the bond with this year’s team is unlike in years past. What makes this group different is, “The friendships and the chemistry and the long time that they’ve played together and the training they do outside with their other teams,” Hagy said. “They come here and it’s an outlet from club. This senior class is something else. They’re the winningest team that’s ever been through here, and they love the challenge for sure.”

Acosta backed her coach’s sentiments.

“I think this team, we connect a little bit more (than in previous years),” Acosta said. “We have really good individual players, but our connection off the field is really good.”

Both teams will have a long layoff before regional competition starts Feb. 13. The Mariner girls again looking to claim the region as they have the past two seasons, and hopefully be atop the state as they were in 2021-2022. Last season, the Tritons made it to the state final match and fell in penalty kicks.