Benjamin girls soccer leaves undefeated Edgewood heartbroken on Valentine's Day
PALM BEACH GARDENS — For the second year in a row, Benjamin girls soccer (15-0-1) has clinched a final four appearance, this time with a 3-1 region championship victory against Edgewood, breaking a 17-game winning streak to end the season for the Red Wolves.
The Bucs huddled together for a "Two more!" chant after an unusually cool and collected post-win celebration.
Considering the 3A squad started in the FHSAA rankings at No. 6 overall and finished the regular season in the same slot, it's not like Benjamin didn't expect love in the air on its Valentine's Day meeting.
"We had to be disciplined and you saw some of our lapses in judgment," Bucs coach Hillary Carney said, calling Edgewood a "great" team.
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Playoff tensions saw Benjamin allow only its third goal of the season, a free-kick score in the 69th minute by Red Wolves' Riley Riggenbach. Edgewood's position in the box made getting the save nearly impossible for Buccaneer goalie Emily Simon, only a sophomore.
Carney has seen former field player Simon overcome the growing pains that come with adopting a new role, proving an "integral" part of the season after taking the gloves from Logan McGruder — now playing at the University of Arizona.
"Even as a sophomore, she's a leader because she can back it up and she sees the whole picture," Carney said.
Answering her slip and a string of referee decisions, which rapidly dealt a penalty and two corner kicks, Simon recorded three saves within a minute. Against the Red Wolves, she recorded a career-high nine saves.
Plus, Benjamin's offense gave Simon some room to breathe with three goals already on the scoreboard.
Edgewood 'not a problem' for Lily White and friends
12 minutes into the action, a lengthy boot downfield from sophomore Sam Woods put the ball in front of Lily White, who cleared the goalposts under the pressure of two Red Wolves to put the Bucs on the board.
Recognizing White's impact early, swarms nearing five players chased down the junior leader in goals and assists. A fan in the stands yelled, "That's not a problem for Lily White."
They were right.
In the 67th minute, no number of players could catch White before assisting Sofia Balistreri on Benjamin's final goal of the evening.
Earlier on, Balistreri showed skill beyond her years with a flashy arc spanning the box, perfectly placing the ball to make a scoring opportunity for Woods.
"She was at All Saints and we got her as a freshman this year and clearly she has made an immediate impact," Carney said. "Between her and Lily White, when they're on the ball good things are happening."
Will the Bucs go back-to-back to DeLand?
Three-seed NSU University posted its own 3-1 region title dub upon downing Westminster Christian (14-3-3).
The Sharks will travel to Benjamin on Friday as the Bucs seek to achieve their goal "from the start" of the season: punching a second consecutive ticket to 3A finals in DeLand.
Nine freshmen and six sophomores strong, Carney said the underclassmen-heavy Bucs have a self-instilled "competitive edge."
"They drive it, really. They want to be playing in DeLand at the end of next week," Carney said.
The final two for Class 3A — likely Benjamin and top-seed Montverde Academy (10-2-2) — will meet on Feb. 22 at 4 p.m.
Emilee Smarr is the high school sports reporter for the Palm Beach Post. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Benjamin girls soccer leaves Edgewood heartbroken on Valentine's Day
