Girls soccer regional finals: Bartram Trail, Bolles, Stanton and St. Johns make final four

Carolyn Johnson hadn't initially planned that this play would turn into the goal to banish one year of heartbreak.

"I was just going forward, and then I saw the shot open up and I just hit it," she said. "And it was awesome."

Motivated by the memories of last year's early exit, Bartram Trail rode Johnson's fifth-minute goal and two more by Olivia Bori to defeat Creekside 3-0 on Tuesday night, winning the latest installment of an intense St. Johns County rivalry and sealing the Florida High School Athletic Association Region 1-7A girls soccer title.

Ranked first in the nation by MaxPreps and the United Soccer Coaches, Bartram Trail (19-0-2) advances to a Friday night state semifinal on home turf. The opponent remains to be determined because of a postponement in Region 4-7A.

And after last year's tense and turbulent 3-2 elimination at the hands of the Knights, which derailed a potential national title season and sparked Creekside on the way to their first Class 7A trophy, clearing this hurdle was sweet for the Bears.

"We know that they always bring their best game against us, and so this is probably the game that I'm always the most anxious about," Bartram Trail coach Jen Rodriguez said. "We just played so well."

QUICK START FOR BEARS

In a contrast to last month's wild 4-3 Bears victory in the District 1-7A final, when the teams traded three goals in the final two minutes, Bartram Trail pressed the Knights backward from the start.

The Bears needed 15 seconds for their first corner kick, one minute for their first shot and barely four minutes for their first goal, when junior midfielder Johnson took possession in midfield, steamed upfield and launched a rocket from outside the box.

"To get that early goal to relax a little bit, I felt like they could really get into their rhythm after that," Rodriguez said.

BEARS' BORI STAYS HOT

Creekside keeper Amaya Logan held Bartram Trail at bay through the rest of the half despite near-constant pressure, but the Bears struck 15 seconds into the second period when Grace Ivey set up Bori down the left and the FAU-committed senior finished expertly.

Bori put the game away in the 73rd minute. Bartram Trail broke through the Knights' pressure, and after taking an Ivey pass in the corner of the box, Bori drilled the clincher inside the far post.

The goal was her fifth in the last five games, and she's up to nine goals and six assists since the beginning of the district tournament.

SOLID BARTRAM EYES STATE TROPHY

Creekside (12-6), missing midfield ace Avery Robinson after her selection to the United States Under-17 women's national team in England, mustered only a handful of long-distance shots against Bartram Trail keeper Lily Holden.

"They moved the ball so well… this team's too good to not be your best," Creekside coach Joe Soto said.

Since the 4-3 district final, Bartram Trail has pitched three soccer shutouts against Winter Park, Apopka and now Creekside, with the quartet of Anna Bachman, Emma Revels, Victoria Carstens and Eden Freeman-Warren rock-solid again.

The Bears are now only one game away from another trip to the FHSAA finals at Spec Martin Stadium in DeLand, where they're within sight of a third state title in four years. Two more victories would tie Ponte Vedra for second-most FHSAA titles in St. Johns County history behind Nease (four).

"We knew we had to be disciplined, be bold and play for each other," Revels said.

Boys soccer playoffs: Bishop Kenny, Providence, St. Johns advance to regional finals

Super Bowl LVII's field was a mess. Can NFL learn from these 5 Northeast Florida schools?

First Coast Varsity Weekly: Creekside's Avery Robinson earns U.S. Soccer national call

REGION 1-6A

Fleming Island's run ended five seconds short of the final four, after Meredith Pugh of Gulf Breeze (18-2-1) scored late to edge the Golden Eagles 2-1 in the Panhandle. With time running out in the second overtime, Pugh got a ball and just enough space to square up a perfectly curving left-footed shot into the upper netting of the goal frame.

“Every warmup, I do those kicks from about the same distance and it finally paid off,” said Pugh, signed with Georgia Southern. "I finally got one in. That has to be my best game-winner."

Fleming Island took the lead early after Jenna Moreland headed in Kaitlyn Scherer's corner kick, before Ava Matherne tied the score for the Dolphins (18-2-1) in the 24th minute.

The Golden Eagles (12-5-2), who also went to overtime Sunday in a postponed game against Ponte Vedra, played 200 minutes of playoff soccer in just over 48 hours.

REGION 1-4A

Goalkeeper Savannah Yerger starred in a penalty shootout and Stanton kept its Cinderella charge rolling through the playoffs, winning 4-2 in the tiebreaker over top-seeded South Walton (14-2-2) after a 0-0 end to regulation and overtime.

The Blue Devils (11-7-2), seeded only sixth in the region, now advance to a final four contest Friday at nationally-ranked Bishop Moore in Orlando. Stanton overcame No. 3 seed Beachside, No. 2 seed Tocoi Creek and finally South Walton to qualify.

For Stanton, which exited January's Gateway Conference tournament in the quarterfinals, the run is the program's deepest since reaching the Class 3A final in 2017.

REGION 1-3A

No team with the speed of Annalise Cannada and a season on the line is ever truly out of a match.

Cannada’s third and final goal of the night with 4:17 left in overtime capped a shocking comeback for short-handed Bolles and earned the visitors 3-2 win at top seed P.K. Yonge.

Cannada, Bolles’ star senior committed to Kentucky, continued a dominant postseason tear and brought her total to an astonishing 19 goals since the start of the district tournament stage. She scored on a penalty kick, finished off an Emily Farr assist and completed her hat trick with the 96th-minute break.

“She’s been amazing all through the playoffs,” Bolles coach Matt Tracy said. “The biggest thing is her composure to finish it. You can get behind the defense a lot, but a lot of people don’t always put it in the net.”

P.K. Yonge (14-5-1) got out to a quick two-goal advantage but couldn’t hold on against Cannada, a re-energized second-half Bolles attack and its own fatigue in a long match. The Blue Wave struck in the 23rd minute on a high, looping shot by sophomore Emma Mansfield. Less than 10 minutes later, eighth-grader Lilly Buss won a clash with a Bulldogs defender at midfield and set up sophomore Faith Hardy for the Blue Wave’s second goal.

The victory advances the Bulldogs (15-6-3) to Friday’s Class 3A state semifinals, the program’s ninth in 10 years, to face top-seeded Montverde Academy (13-2-2).

REGION 1-2A

St. Johns Country Day is two games away from 12 titles in a row, after rolling 8-0 past first-time regional finalist Mount Dora Christian (17-3-1).

Freshman Sydney Schmidt netted a hat trick, her sixth consecutive game finding the net, and Sophia Pontieri scored twice for the Spartans (19-1-1). Cece Nowicki, Savannah Berrang and Essie Melicharek also got on the scoresheet to set up a home semifinal on Friday against Miami True North.

The Gainesville Sun and Pensacola News-Journal contributed to this story.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: High school girls soccer 2023: Jacksonville regional final playoff winners