Girls soccer regionals: Seminole Ridge extends unbeaten season with Martin County win
LOXAHATCHEE — Seminole Ridge extended its 11-game unbeaten streak on Tuesday, beating Martin County 2-0 in the region quarterfinal matchup.
With a rather slow start to the contest, Seminole Ridge (17-0-2) struggled to create chances for the first quarter.
Rather surprised at how difficult their opponent would be, Martin County (10-4-1) closed down the Hawks' attacking threat with a front line that has been deadly all season.
Junior midfielder Olivia Cuenot opened the scoring in the 35th minute after she received the ball from sophomore Roxy Brewer and just let it fly from about 25 yards out, sending it right over the head of Tigers keeper Dakota Moberg.
Late in the second half, the Hawks were awarded a free kick from about 40 yards out. Head coach Felipe Tribin roared from the bench, “Allie! Allie!,” commanding junior Allison Andrade to get behind that kick.
With some doubt about what she could make of this set piece, she just listened to her gut and kicked it with all she could.
It worked out as she scored a screamer to double their lead and secure a semifinal game this Friday back at home.
“I was honestly doubting myself a lot, I wasn’t the most comfortable,” said Andrade about her free kick. “It was all instinct though and it was such a relief that it went in.”
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Unbeaten Hawks are still rolling
The district champs are not done yet.
In 19 games this season they tied against only Park Vista and Wellington, winning the rest, including Tuesday night.
They will head into their regional semifinal game on Friday night on an 11-game unbeaten streak.
Their next challenge?
They’re up against the Dwyer Panthers, district finalists and runners-up to none other than Seminole Ridge.
The Hawks defeated the Panthers earlier in the season 3-1 at home, and then 1-0 in the district finals in overtime.
“They’re going to want redemption,” said Olivia Cuno after the game. “We beat them twice already and we are confident that we are going to come out on top.”
They are ready for a “fight to the death” this Friday.
“It's when we play against the tougher teams that we show our true colors,” Tribin said. “It's going to be a match to the death, and we have to step up to the plate. I'm excited for Friday, the girls are excited, and it's a shot to go into the regional finals.”
Consistency is key
Despite the win, Tribin did not seem totally convinced by the performance of his girls throughout the 80 minutes.
“We definitely had a slower start to this game than what I had hoped,” said Tribin. “We definitely could have done a lot better, but it’s the regional quarterfinal and a win is a win.”
In terms of taking control of the game and not allowing the opponent to get back into it was a huge issue for them.
“That has been the story of our season, we allow the opponent to be in the game. We almost put them in better situations and do more for them. So, it’s the matter of coming out with intensity from the first whistle to the last (whistle).”
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Seminole Ridge girls soccer extends unbeaten streak with regional win
