After a two-year drought, Plantation American Heritage claims another state title

After winning four state titles in a row from 2013 to 2016 and another six before that, waiting three whole years for another one probably seemed like an eternity for coach Cindy Marcial and her Plantation American Heritage Patriots.

But there they were on Friday night, back where they’ve been so many times – mobbing each other at the center of the field with another state title following a 2-1 victory over Gulf Breeze in the Class 3A state championship game at Spec Martin Stadium.

After a couple of “lean” years by Heritage standards having lost to Merritt Island twice in the state semifinals, the Patriots, on the strength of a Taylor Dobles goal with 9:24 left snapping a 1-1 tie, were back in that familiar role of accepting a state championship trophy and the medals that go with it.

It also marked the program’s 11th state championship, tying the Patriots for second place on the all-time list with Orange Park St. John’s Country Day (which won its 11th on Wednesday) and leaving them four behind the all-time leader St. Thomas Aquinas with 15.

“I think there were a little bit of nerves early on,” said Marcial, who now owns five of those 11 titles. “But when we talked to the girls, we told them you have to trust each other. A lot of these girls have been playing together since they were 8 years old and once they settled down it was all good. Eleven state titles is really something and a credit to a lot of people over the years at this school.”

Dobles’ game winner came off a set piece when a foul was committed just outside the box, giving Emily Thompson a direct kick from right side.

Thompson left footed one into the wall but when the ball rebounded off the wall, it came right back to Dobles at the top of the box. Dobles twisted to her left and managed to get just enough foot on the ball to knock it into the bottom left corner of the net past diving Gulf Breeze goalkeeper Nicole Manderson.

“Emily’s a left footed kicker so I knew the ball was going to be curling in,” said Dobles, who will now take her soccer talents to LSU. “I was expecting her to get that shot on free but their wall was in the way. I saw the ball ricochet and come back out to me and moments like that, you have no time to think about where you want to go with it. You just have to find a way to get some foot on it and put it towards the goal and fortunately I got it where the keeper wasn’t.”

Gulf Breeze, which was looking for its third state title and first since 2001, then put a lot of pressure on the Heritage defense but managed to hold on thanks to a couple of nice saves from keeper Elizabeth Matei.

After a scoreless first half, Heritage took the lead when Olivia Roth was fouled inside the box and Chloe Laureano converted a penalty kick early in the second half. Gulf Breeze (22-3-2) which lost a state title game heartbreaker a year ago to Merritt Island in penalty kicks, tied the game with 18 minutes left when Alia Swinton headed in a ball sent to the box by her sister Mya Swinton after a foul.

“I won a state title my freshman year but these last two years were tough,” said Dobles. “We lost to Merritt Island my sophomore year and I tore my ACL as a junior. Now finish up with a state title in my last game, what a way to close my career out.”