Advertisement

District girls soccer: Undefeated Seminole Ridge survives Miami commit, West Boca

alex peterman
·5 min read

PALM BEACH GARDENS – Palm Beach and Martin County girls soccer teams clashed for district semifinals matches on Monday night at Dwyer.

Seminole Ridge edged out West Boca in a 4-3 nail-biter, while Dwyer defeated Martin County, 4-1, in the nightcap.

In the early game, Miami commit Giovana Canali assisted West Boca’s opener and scored twice, an announcement both loud and clear that the Bulls (9-8-1) were not going to fall to the Hawks without a fight.

But between four goals from four different players, Seminole Ridge (15-0-2) was able to protect an undefeated record.

Later, both Dwyer (9-3-2) and Martin County (10-3-1) exchanged early goals, but it was the Panthers that controlled the pace of the second half as things got chippy between the two squads.

As it stands, Seminole Ridge and Dwyer will prepare to face off in the district championship, set to take place on Wednesday.

Seminole Ridge's Alexa Hernandez fires a shot toward net, scoring the Hawks' go-ahead goal to help the team stay unbeaten and advance to the district championship on Jan. 30, 2023.
Seminole Ridge's Alexa Hernandez fires a shot toward net, scoring the Hawks' go-ahead goal to help the team stay unbeaten and advance to the district championship on Jan. 30, 2023.

Recent:Cash's miracle goal, Balzano's penalty save lift Benjamin over King's Academy

Athlete of the Week winner:Seminole Ridge soccer star Raheem Binns

Here are three takeaways from the district semifinals matches on Monday.

1. Hawks stay perfect, survive West Boca

Seminole Ridge remained undefeated with their 4-3 win over West Boca, but it was not without its scares against the Bulls.

Canali lifted West Boca to new heights during Monday’s comeback attempt, and the upset bid almost bore fruit against one of the best teams in Palm Beach County.

“A lot of things go through your mind,” head coach Felipe Tribin said of the game being so close. “We dropped a lead, this is it, [Giovana Canali] is on a hot streak. But I just told my girls before we went into the fourth quarter, ‘Right now, keeping your cool, keeping your mentality is going to keep you in this game.’”

Alexa Hernandez certainly kept her cool when she sent a missile into the top right corner for the go-ahead score just inside of ten minutes left in the game.

Her goal was Seminole Ridge’s fourth of the game following scoring efforts by Lucy Single, Allison Andrade, and Lola Agosto.

Although West Boca’s success forced Tribin and his staff into a few personnel shifts that they ”really hadn’t made all year,” and one important change they made going into the final quarter of play was to stick Anaya Thomas on Canali.

With the man-marking, the Bulls offense struggled to get anything going as they pushed for an equalizer.

“It takes a special player to shut a special player like that down,” Tribin said.

After Monday’s win, Seminole Ridge will prepare to face Dwyer in the district championship after defeating them 3-1 earlier this season.

2. Dwyer takes down Martin County in physical contest

Dwyer's Kaitlin Gablemen lets loose a shot on target, scoring her second goal of the night against Martin County in the Panthers' 4-1 district semifinals victory on Jan. 30, 2023.
Dwyer's Kaitlin Gablemen lets loose a shot on target, scoring her second goal of the night against Martin County in the Panthers' 4-1 district semifinals victory on Jan. 30, 2023.

It wasn’t the start Dwyer was hoping for, but the finish certainly fit the bill.

After Martin County opened the scoring in the first few minutes of the contest, the Panthers amassed four straight goals, including a brace from Kaitlin Gablemen before Samantha Long and Rylee Ober got involved in the goal-scoring action.

With the Tigers fighting to get back into the match, Monday’s contest became an increasingly more physical one, with a multitude of fouls that led to a red card when a punch was thrown by a Martin County player.

“We got through it,” Dwyer head coach Dave Luna said. “There were no injuries. A little bit of over-physicality with the red card. I understand the heat of the moment, but we got through it. We’re safe and off to the finals, and this team is going to show their heart and their desire to win every game.”

The win catapulted the Panthers into a district championship date against unbeaten Seminole Ridge, a matchup that Long is relishing after the Hawks got the better of them back in early December.

“We definitely want to beat Seminole Ridge after we had a rough game against them in the regular season,” Long said. “We didn’t think we played as well as we should, so this definitely gives us the momentum to go into the final with something to fight for.”

3. Martin County excited to return full roster next season

The Tigers may have lost out on a chance at a district championship with Monday’s loss, but they will not lose out on any part of their roster going into next season.

Facing off against a team that fielded eight seniors, Martin County has none this year, a fact that has head coach Loree Lingis excited about future prospects.

“We’re a very young team, so I’m very proud of them,” Lingis said. “Next year, I feel like we’ve even going to be stronger because we’ll be still going against the same competition and still have the same girls with us, luckily.”

Among those returning will be current junior Mia Calderon, who led the Tigers with 10 goals and 14 assists this year.

As for Monday’s defeat, Lingis doesn’t want her players to let the disappointment get to them.

“I can’t complain. Our season, I mean – 10-2-1, so great season. I’m very proud of the girls. Just try to keep encouraging them to keep their heads up even when you’re down.”

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Undefeated Seminole Ridge girls soccer survives Miami commit, West Boca