Cardinal Gibbons girls’ soccer team suffers another defeat in a state title game

One year after a disappointing loss to Jacksonville Bolles in the state championship game, it was more of the same for the Cardinal Gibbons girls’ soccer team on Wednesday night.

Only this time it was a different team from Jacksonville as Bishop Kenny broke free from a halftime tie and defeated the Chiefs 2-1 in the Class 4A state championship game at Spec Martin Stadium.

It marked the third time Gibbons and coach Margo Flack have had to settle for the runner-up trophy as they also dropped a state title game in 2009 and are still in pursuit of that elusive first championship. Bishop Kenny was making its debut in a state championship game and now will have a banner to put up in its gym.

The worst part for Chiefs players is that the game-deciding goal will always be a difficult pill to swallow for them, especially goalkeeper Alexis Deveaux.

After playing to a 1-1 tie in the first half, Bishop Kenny’s Haynes Grant, just three minutes into the second half, did nothing more than turn on a shot from open space from 25 yards out. It was an easy save for Deveaux. But on a rainy night that meant a wet ball, Deveaux lost the handle on the ball, and it trickled into the net.

“I don’t know what to say, I’m just so heartbroken for our girls because after dropping the championship game last year, they worked so darn hard to get all the way back here,” said a bitterly disappointed Flac,k who struggled to find words and who spent a private moment embracing a distraught Deveaux after the game.

“To come up short again is really difficult. In games like this it comes down to who makes the fewest mistakes and unfortunately we made one more than they did.”

The Chiefs (18-4-4) could not have asked for a better start as they took an early lead in the game’s sixth minute when Sydney Polivka, thanks to a nice centering pass from Madison Rivard, got behind the Bishop Kenny defense and was met by Bishop Kenny keeper Sophi Hefner. Polivka put a nice move on Hefner and one-timed it into the bottom right corner of the net for a 1-0 lead.

Gibbons controlled most of the remainder of the first half and enjoyed a few quality scoring chances but couldn’t get that second goal. Then, just two minutes away from halftime and after playing solid defense the entire half, the Chiefs defensive line broke down and paid the price.

Mackenzie Gregory managed to beat a Gibbons defender to the ball and get it to Sophia Hayag, who got the ball down in front and beat Deveaux to the ball and knocked it in 1:58 before the half.

Gibbons’ best chance to tie it came with 21 minutes left when midfielder Deborah Bien-Aime got to a ball down low on the left hand side and sent a soft shot toward goal that Hefner couldn’t get to. The ball bounced off the right post before being cleared out.

The Chiefs pressed hard in desperation over the final 10 minutes but just could not penetrate a Bishop Kenny defense that did a good job of dropping defenders back and clearing the ball.

“We really had the momentum going in the first half, and I think that goal they got just before halftime really swung everything back in their direction,” Polivka said. “All we could do was just play our hearts out and leave everything on the field and that’s what we did. I’m proud of my teammates. It’s hard to make it to the final game, especially two years in a row, so you never apologize for that. But that doesn’t mean it still really hurts right now.”