McCarthy girls soccer edges Pines Charter in regional semifinals; Cypress Bay advances
Two girls soccer rivals, as evenly matched as it gets and separated by only five miles, went at it again on Friday night.
Like a couple of prize fighters in the ring, Pembroke Pines Charter and Archbishop McCarthy, meeting for the sixth consecutive year in the same round of the regional playoffs, went back and forth trying to land a punch.
It was the Mavericks that finally landed it with a goal in the game's 56th minute that they made stand up, prevailing over Pines Charter 1-0 in a Region 4-5A semifinal at McCarthy High School.
McCarthy advances to the Region 4-5A final on Wednesday where the No. 2 seed Mavericks (12-5-3) will travel to Miami-Dade to take on top-seeded Lourdes Academy at 7 p.m. at a site yet to be determined.
The lone score came from sophomore reserve Gianna Vazquez, who had come into the game only two minutes earlier when teammate Mia Siplak went down injured. Vazquez took a pass and found herself in the middle of the field, 30 yards out from the goal.
She turned on the ball and rocketed a shot toward the goal and Pines Charter goalkeeper Maddison Casanova. Casanova leaped up and got a piece of the ball trying to deflect it over the crossbar. But the ball deflected off her right hand and just under the crossbar with 24:07 left in regulation. It was only her fourth goal of the season.
'When I got the ball, I didn't really have much time to think about it,' Vazquez said. 'I didn't have any defenders around me so I just turned on the ball, opened up my hips, took a touch forward and let it go. I knew it would be close when it was on the way and fortunately it was just high enough to get over her (Casanova) hands and low enough to get under the crossbar.'
The goal was big news. It marked the first time either team had scored a goal against the other over the previous 255 minutes of regulation and overtime play dating back to last year's district championship game. The two teams had since played scoreless overtime penalty kick games in their 2024 regional semifinal and their district championship game two weeks ago, Pines Charter winning both contests on PKs.
'Gianna is so valuable because she can play anywhere on the field,' McCarthy coach Mike Sica said. 'You can put her in the center, out wide, up top, very skillful and very versatile and she showed that out there tonight.'
Sica then watched his defense limit the Jaguars (11-6) to just one true quality chance, and ratchet things up as Pines Charter never legitimately scared McCarthy keeper London Phoenix over those final 24 minutes.
'We lost our top two goal scorers to graduation last year so we've really been challenged offensively all season,' said Sica. 'As a result, it's been all about trying to play solid defense and we've managed to do that. Other than a loss to Jupiter, which scored twice, we haven't given up more than one goal in any game all season.'
Asked about how even his and Pines Charter's programs are, (going into the game, the two teams had gone to overtime/penalty kicks seven of the previous nine meetings dating back to 2021), Sica could only grin.
'One of my parents mentioned to me during the week that they would be late getting to the game tonight but that they weren't worried because it always takes so long to finish our games,' Sica said. 'We really are two programs that kind of mirror each other. A lot of these girls went to middle school together and play club ball together. They got us last year, we got'em this year and back and forth it goes. I'm sure next year will probably be more of the same.'
▪ Region 4-5A semifinal - Lourdes 6, Stuart South Fork 0: Sienna Alves scored twice and Jessica Lee added two assists to lead the Bobcats (14-1-2). Veronica Aguilar had a goal and an assist. Antonella Monsalve, Gianna Gray and Valentina Kalka each had one goal. Nicole Lee, Mia Roca and Cecilia Martinez each had one assist.
▪ Region 4-7A semifinal - Cypress Bay 1, Palmetto 0: Daniela Duran scored the lone goal in the first half off an assist by Gaby Sussman to provide all the scoring the Lightning (16-1-1) would need to advance. Cypress Bay will next host Stoneman Douglas on Wednesday night in the regional finals. It will be the fifth consecutive season the two teams will meet in the postseason. The Eagles beat Cypress Bay last season in the regional final and the Lightning won the previous three.
▪ Region 4-4A semifinal - Somerset Academy 3, TERRA 0: Ella Provost-Heron scored two goals to lead the Panthers (16-5), who will next travel to Plantation to face top-seed American Heritage on Wednesday. Juliana Cortes also had a goal and an assist while Ericka Peck and Angelie Carrasco each had an assist.
▪ Region 4-4A semifinal - American Heritage 8, St. Brendan 0: Freshman Mattie Hall scored three goals and had an assist to lead the Patriots (16-1). Freshman Ariana Doles had two goals. Freshman Mia Sommers and seniors Courtney Caruso and Jordyn Norwood each had a goal and an assist.
▪ Region 4-3A quarterfinal - NSU University School d. Pine Crest (forfeit)
MORE SCORES
▪ Region 4-7A - Douglas 2, Wellington 0; 4-6A: Cooper City 4, Loxahatchee Seminole Ridge 3; St. Thomas Aquinas 4, Palm Beach Gardens Dwyer 0;
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