After early struggles as players adapted to new roles, Cypress Bay peaking in soccer playoffs
Kate Dwyer was almost at a loss for words.
Her Cypress Bay girls’ soccer team had just blown out Stoneman Douglas 6-0 in a Region 4-7A semifinal. They controlled possession from the opening whistle, built a two-goal lead in the first three minutes, had four goals before 20 minutes had elapsed and kept the intensity up for the final 60 minutes.
A complete effort.
“I’m speechless,” Dwyer said. “We have not played like that all year. For us to show up at the most important time against the best public team in Broward County, I couldn’t ask for more.”
She also doesn’t want her team to slow down.
Even though this can be considered a rebuilding year for Cypress Bay, the Lightning still has high standards for itself after finishing as state runner-up each of the last three seasons.
For this team to make another run to DeLand for another chance to break through for a state championship, Cypress Bay will have to continue being a team in which the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
The playoff run continues Tuesday with a regional final against Miami Palmetto.
Two of their top forwards from last season’s state runner-up team are playing collegiately now — Megan Morgan at Florida State, Camila Jimenez at Alabama State. Their third, Mila Erceg, transferred to Archbishop McCarthy.
Dwyer’s one-two punch at the top are seniors Madalyn Brouse and Hannah Mason, neither of whom had played forward until this year. Brouse was a midfielder. Mason played center back.
Together, the two have combined for 25 goals this season.
“The team leads and feeds off [Brouse] and Hannah up top,” Dwyer said.
That was apparent Friday.
Brouse scored twice and added an assist on Friday. She tapped in the opening goal just 2:12 into regulation after Stoneman Douglas’ goalkeeper failed to properly play the ball and then added her second goal 17 minutes into the second half after receiving a pass from Barbie Garcia.
Mason added a goal of her own in the 17th minute, also taking advantage of sloppy play from Stoneman Douglas’ goalkeeper to give Cypress Bay a 3-0 lead.
Antonella Solari, Sarah Rubio and Garcia rounded out Cypress Bay’s scoring on Friday.
“We definitely had momentum,” Brouse said. “We had four goals in the first quarter, and I think that’s really what helped us get to the 6-0 finish.”
But while Cypress Bay was in command and is peaking during its playoff run, Dwyer was unsure how — or if — they would get to this level this season.
The Lightning started the season 3-4-1 as players — Brouse and Mason specifically — adjusted to new roles. That early rut included a 1-0 loss to Stoneman Douglas three games into the season.
But since that eight-game start, Cypress Bay is 11-0 and has posted 10 consecutive shutouts.
“People don’t understand,” Dwyer said. “They think ‘It’s Cypress Bay,’ so we’re always going to be that good. This year, we had to work at it. The last couple years, we had Megan Morgan and we didn’t have to work as hard. This year, we had to work at it.”
It has gotten Cypress Bay this far.
Why not keep pushing forward?
“We can’t fall off this high,” Dwyer said.
.JPG)