A bitterly contested match ended on a sour note Friday for the North Fort Myers Red Knights, who fell to Plantation American Heritage on penalty kicks in the FHSAA Class 5A girls soccer championship at Spec Martin Stadium in Deland.

The Patriots (16-3-4) had the advantage in penalty kicks 5-4, to claim the 5A state championship.

In the eccentric scoring system of soccer, American Heritage officially won 2-2.

North (18-4) wound up accepting the honors the Red Knights weren’t playing to earn — the second-place trophies as Class 5A girls soccer state runners-up.

Down 2-0 in the second half, the Red Knights battled back pull even at 2-2 with four minutes left in regulation. Two overtime periods didn’t produce a winner, so the match went to penalty kicks.

This is the second year in a row a local girls soccer team came in second in the 5A Final Four. Mariner, the 2022-23 champion, was runner-up last season. North fell in the semifinals in 2021-22.