Carrollton girls’ soccer team falls to Jacksonville Bolles in Class 3A state title game
In the end, the Carrollton School girls’ soccer team still had a great season despite a tough night.
The all-girls school in Coconut Grove was enjoying its watershed moment, playing in a state championship game.
As much as the noisy and vociferous Carrollton crowd that made the four-hour trip north wanted that state title, Jacksonville Bolles had other plans.
Bolles, which came into the game boasting a total of eight state championship banners, including four of the past five, won No. 9 and its fifth in six years as the Bulldogs broke loose from a 2-2 halftime tie to defeat Carrollton 3-2 in the Class 3A state championship game at Spec Martin Stadium.
“I can’t be more proud of the girls for not only how they battled tonight but the entire season as a whole,” Carrollton coach Eric Vasquez. “This team has shown great character and resiliency throughout the year, and you saw that out on the field tonight. We made history at this school this season, but unfortunately we couldn’t quite finish it off.”
Vasquez referred to his team’s start, which could not have been worse. Just one minute into the game, a defensive breakdown allowed Bolles’ Avery Patterson to come free down in front of the net. A no-doubt-about-it foul on Fatima Perez-Hickman gave Bolles a penalty kick that Patterson converted, and just like that the Cyclones were in a 1-0 hole.
Perhaps the shock of falling behind in the first minute threw Carrollton (16-3) completely out of its rhythm as the Cyclones spent the next 20 minutes failing to even get a legitimate shot on goal as Bolles controlled possession.
But two minutes after the first half water break, they took advantage of their first opportunity when Lucia Robledo and Beatrice Stone took advantage of a Bolles defensive break down and got loose down low on a two-on-one.
Robledo waited for Bolles keeper Zoe Lieb to commit and centered a perfect pass to Stone, who tapped it in tying the score.
After Bolles (23-6) took the lead 7:42 before halftime on another goal by Patterson, the Cyclones had an immediate answer. Just over one minute later, Natalia Hoadley found some open space and let go of a shot from at least 30 yards out. Lieb overcommitted and came out too far from the net, and the ball made it over her hands and under the crossbar tying the score at 2 at the break.
“I found some open space and just tried to get something on goal,” Hoadley said. “I noticed their keeper came out a little too far and when I hit it, I knew it had a chance. Maybe it was nerves or whatever, but we just weren’t ready to go when the whistle blew at the start of the game and that first goal definitely threw us off. But I was proud of the way we settled down and battled back.”
Bolles scored what turned out to be the game-winner with 32:31 left in regulation when Olivia Candelino rifled a perfect corner kick in front of the net that Carrollton keeper Margarita Miyares couldn’t handle. Bolles’ Alexi Pitt got to and knocked it in.
With just 13 minutes left, Hoadley was all by herself one-on-one with Lieb from 15 yards out. She rifled a shot with her right foot, but it went too high and just over the crossbar.
“I don’t even know what to say about that honestly,” said Hoadley, shaking her head from side to side. “I was right there in front of the net. and I guess I might’ve gotten a little too anxious and shot it too quick and it went high.”
This story was originally published February 26, 2020 at 8:10 PM.