Cypress Bay girls’ soccer persevere, earn chance to make sixth consecutive trip to state
Sometimes winning in the postseason can just be about surviving.
Cypress Bay’s girls’ soccer team knows all about that.
The Lightning have dealt with injuries to key players in recent weeks and lost two more starters during Friday night’s Region 4-7A semifinal against Doral Academy.
But Cypress Bay, a program that’s advanced to the state semifinals for five consecutive seasons, knows how to stay on course despite adversity.
The Lightning did so again by holding off a fierce Firebirds’ rally in the second half to hang on for a 2-1 victory on their home field.
Cypress Bay (16-0-4), the No. 2 seed in the region, will try to make it six trips to state in a row when it travels to Parkland to take on top-seeded Stoneman Douglas (14-1-2) on Wednesday at 5 p.m. in the regional final. The Lightning played Douglas to a 2-2 draw earlier in the season.
“It was ugly soccer today and it kills me, but we went down two players and we just had a hard time with our depth to handle that,” Cypress Bay coach Kate Dwyer said. “It’s kind of scary with the injuries and we know Douglas well. They’re really talented and they’re a quality team. We’re going to have to come out and be scrappy again.”
The Lightning’s depth has been tested so much they had to call up freshman Daniela Duran recently from the team’s JV squad.
Duran came up with her most clutch performance yet on varsity, scoring both Cypress Bay goals in the first half.
Duran’s first came in the 23rd minute when she was able to tap a high-bouncing ball over the head of Doral’s goalkeeper after she came out to challenge the Lightning on the run of play.
Duran’s second came 11 minutes later when she caught up to a ball that nearly rolled out of bounds and fired a shot across the goal while sliding to find the corner of the net.
Doral Academy (11-7-3), which lost to Cypress Bay in the regional semifinals for the second consecutive season, regrouped and began the second half putting serious pressure on the Lightning’s goal.
After three quality chances were stymied by Cypress Bay’s goalkeeper, freshman Rachel Brown finally fired a shot that went through the keeper’s hands and in to put the Firebirds on the board with 21 minutes left.
But the Lightning defense did not yield another score despite some close calls late as Doral kept the pressure on until the final whistle.
Dwyer credited seniors Antonella Solari and Ploy Nattakara for keeping Cypress Bay’s defense solid in the second half.
“They flew at us for the last 40 minutes and were definitely the better team in the second half,” Dwyer said. “We played kickball for 40 minutes, but we had to. But I give us credit for managing that. My seniors stepped up.”
▪ Region 4-5A semifinal - American Heritage 3, Merritt Island 0: Camila Domine 2 goals; Lily Sargent-Burns 1 goal 2 assists; Samantha Villaverde 1 assist; Jillian Milffe had the shutout as the Patriots (13-3-1) will host Pembroke Pines Charter on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the region final.
MORE GIRLS’ SOCCER
▪ Region 4-7A semifinal - Stoneman Douglas 6, Coral Reef 0
▪ Region 4-6A semifinal - Lourdes 6, Fort Lauderdale 0
▪ Region 4-5A semifinal - Pembroke Pines Charter 1, Archbishop McCarthy 1 (Pines Charter wins 1-0 on PKs)
