High school girls soccer: Santa Fe wins district title, punches ticket to the state playoffs

ALACHUA — Santa Fe girls soccer head coach Ricardo Morales wants his respect.

Morales took the helm of the Raiders' program two seasons ago when he was 21.

"It's been a long year simply because at that age I am. It's always been a knock on my career and my ability to do my job," said Morales.

But on Monday night, Morales, now 22, stood on the soccer pitch at Santa Fe High School after having led the Raiders to their second district championship in three seasons with a 2-1 win over Suwannee.

"At the end of the day, I always say they make my job easy," Morales said, gesturing to his team. "The only thing I'll say for myself is that I want my respect no matter the age."

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Here are takeaways from Monday's District 2-4A title match.

Kinsy Ruth, Grace Miranda and the Raiders' midfield pace Santa Fe

One of Santa Fe's focuses was to control the midfield − something Suwannee freshman Alaira Handy would challenge.

Handy, a speedy player with a strong leg and solid ball-handling skills, would pressure the Raider's midfield all 80 minutes.

"We knew it would have to be a fine balance between giving her the respect that she deserves because she is a wonderful player," Morales said of Handy. "As soon as she was on the move, we knew we needed to be on the move. We knew she was going to get on the ball a lot and drive through the space to get her shots."

Fortunately for Santa Fe, the Raiders' midfield countered Handy well, while also creating offensive opportunities.

The Raiders were the first to find the scoreboard, thanks to a goal from senior Kinsy Ruth, which was assisted by sophomore Cassy Rehe with 10:30 to play in the opening period.

Santa Fe would allow Suwannee to knot the game at 1-1 early in the second half, but the Raiders would score the game-winning goal as sophomore Grace Miranda would receive a pass from Madison LaLonde and push it into the lower left corner of the goal.

"Basically every player that went into the midfield did what they're supposed to do," Morales said. "That was something key that we wanted to get done. We felt there was a lot of space there to take up. And as soon as we were able to lock down that midfield, we were able to create a lot and take off a lot of pressure from our defense."

Suwannee comes out with solid defensive gameplan

Earlier in the month, Santa Fe beat Suwannee 7-0.

Santa Fe sophomore Haidyn Smith scored four goals on Jan. 10, while three others notching goals against Suwannee.

But come Monday's district title bout, Suwannee was prepared.

"They planted a very good defensive game plan," Morales said of the Bulldogs. "They definitely knew our weaknesses and they knew our strengths and how to nullify them. They came out with something to prove."

After falling behind early, the Bulldogs would tie the match early in the second half thanks to a goal from freshman Samantha Hanssen.

Hanssen's goal would ricochet off the hands of Santa Fe's sophomore goal keeper, MK Gilliam, tying the game at 1-1 with 32 minutes to play.

Gilliam slides into starting keeper role after Riley Baker's injury

At the start of the season, it was junior Riley Baker who got the nod as Santa Fe's starting goalkeeper. Through the course of 13 games, Baker tallied 31 saves.

But on Jan. 17 against Lake City Columbia, an injury struck. Baker was seen on the sideline in a sling during Monday night's district title battle, while Gilliam stood inside the Raiders' goal.

Gilliam, who was the Raiders' back-up goalie last season, hasn't been Santa Fe's second-string keeper this year.

"This year she was able to step up as a field player and halfway through the season she earned a starting position in the field," Morales said of Gilliam.

Instead, it's been Santa Fe sophomore Morgan Applebee who has served as the Raiders' backup. But Applebee wasn't available Monday either.

"Once we looked at (Gilliam) and said, 'Will you do it?' she says, 'You count on me,' " Morales said. "And through the nerves and through the anxiety and every challenge that comes with being a starting keeper at the midseason, she took it with a lot of bravery and a lot of confidence."

Looking ahead

With Monday night's win, the Raiders punched their ticket to the Class 4A state playoffs.

While Santa Fe has to wait to see who it'll draw in the opening round of the state tournament, Morales is sure of one thing.

"We take it one game at a time," Morales said. "Tonight we're going to celebrate. We're going to enjoy this win, tomorrow we're going to rest and the day after that, I promise you we're going to be training and preparing."

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Santa Fe girls high school soccer beats Suwannee 2-1 for district crown