LAKE WORTH — Boca Raton girls soccer is district champion for a fourth year in a row after defeating fierce rivals Spanish River 2-0 on Wednesday night.

No. 2 seed Spanish River took No.1 Boca to overtime.

The opening goal was scored by junior midfielder Sarah Coelho from a free kick way outside the 18-yard box. She tucked it right over the wall and in the bottom right corner with just two minutes left in the first overtime period.

Senior captain Madison Villanti doubled the Bobcats' lead in the second period after Coelho chipped the ball into the danger zone, bounced off the keeper, and Villanti was there to tuck it away.

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This win guarantees Boca (16-3) a place in the regional tournament on Tuesday night on their home turf.

New squad, same routine

The Bobcats are known for having quality players.

They are the No.1 seed for a reason.

But about half of the players this season were stepping onto the pitch for the first time, representing their school.

“This is the first time a lot of these girls have been on the field and I'm just really proud of them and really excited that we won,” said head coach Rachael Grimes.

At least 10 players are playing for the school team for the first time, but they built their chemistry playing at the club level.

A lot of their success comes from the training ground where Coelho had been for long periods practicing to take the perfect free kick.

“She worked hard on practicing that (free kick), so for her to step up when we needed that goal was huge,” said Grimes.

Coelho scored this using a free kick before, and it was against the Sharks in the regular season.

“It means a lot, I've been working hard all season and now all the hard work pays off,” said Coelho.

“I feel like the pressure makes me want to do it more, especially since we are playing a rival, it made me want to score it. I did it before against Spanish River and it’s great, I feel amazing.”

Senior captain Villanti is one of two seniors on the squad and has the most experience.

She’s been with the Bobcats since her freshman year and helped them become district champs for their fourth year in a row as well as a regional championship in the 2021-22 season.

She showed leadership and determination on the pitch for the full duration and guided her youthful squad to victory.

“It was a hard-fought game," Villanti said. "We had to go into overtime and really fight to the end. This is my fourth district win in a row, so it’s a big deal for me and for us, and I know all the girls worked hard and we have a lot of young players that will carry the team moving forward.”

Ready for regionals, in their own backyard

With the district tournament wrapped up, the preparations begin for the regional tournament.

Boca’s win gets them an automatic bid into the quarterfinals, along with the other district winners: Harmony (District 9) and Jupiter (District 10) with Wellington and Palm Beach Central to be decided Thursday.

The Bobcats will have their regional games at home with their first being on Tuesday at 7 p.m. where they will have not just the home advantage but a well-kept turf field to play on.

“I’m very excited that regionals will now be home,” Grimes said. “So as long as we're playing at home, it is very nice. We play soccer and it's nice to be on the turf without the bumps.”

“I'm really excited about celebrating this (district final) and then getting ready for the regional tournament next week because I think the experience we got this week is really invaluable.”

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Boca Raton girls soccer extends district dynasty with fourth title