It’s another ‘four-peat’ for girls’ soccer powerhouse American Heritage
They all stood up off the bench and screamed it out as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
“FOUR-PEAT, FOUR-PEAT, FOUR-PEAT,” was the battle cry from players on the Plantation American Heritage girls’ soccer team. When the clock hit zeroes, they rushed out to the field to join their teammates in a mass celebration.
This program wins a lot of state championships. But for the Patriots, it still never gets old.
Heritage notched another one for an already-crowded trophy case on Saturday when they turned in an efficient 2-0 shutout of Jacksonville Bishop Kenny in the 4A state championship game at Spec Martin Stadium.
It marked the program’s 15th state title and ninth in the last 14 years, leaving them one short of St. Thomas Aquinas which notched No. 16 on Wednesday. It also marked the fourth consecutive state championship for the Patriots who also turned in the feat from 2013-2016. With that the Heritage girls, ranked No. 3 in the nation (MaxPreps) became the first team in state history (boys or girls) to win four consecutive state titles on two separate occasions.
Heritage finished with a near-perfect 18-0-1 record, the only blotch being a season-opening 2-2 tie against Boynton Beach Somerset Canyons and an unbeaten streak that has now reached 31 games. The last time they came up on the losing end of a score was Dec. 4, 2024 to Cape Coral Mariner.
It also marked the 20th consecutive postseason victory dating back to a 2022 regional semifinal defeat in Naples.
Heritage coach Cindy Marcial thought her team delivered a lackluster effort in a 1-0 win over Orlando Bishop Moore in Thursday’s semifinal. Marcial, who took over the program right before the original four-peat, got the girls together on Friday to let them know they had to pick up the energy.
Perhaps sensing that her own players needed to hear a different voice rather than hers, she called her former player, Natalia Dorn who plays at nearby Stetson University, and was part of the last three title-winning teams.
“I definitely think Natalia coming out to the hotel to talk to them helped because the energy today was a lot better than Thursday for sure,” Marcial said. “Maybe every once in awhile, hearing it come from another voice rather than your coach who says that stuff everyday can be effective, and I think it worked.
“They hear from somebody who’s living the college experience and that at the next level you can’t afford to come out flat and not talking. You have to come together as a team. I would’ve like to have seen perhaps a few more shots on goal today, but ultimately the effort was there, and we got back to playing Heritage-style soccer.”
After a relatively nondescript first half that saw neither team dominate, Heritage found the back of the net just four minutes before halftime when Bishop Kenny goalkeeper Addelyn Cano moved in to make a save on a high ball coming at her. Sophomore forward Ariana Doles collapsed on the box and did a nice job of avoiding a collision with Cano (which would have been a foul) and took advantage when Cano lost the handle on the ball. Doles knocked the loose ball into the net.
“Usually we score most goals off of tap-ins, so I knew the goalie was going to drop and saw I might have a 50-50 chance,” Doles said. “I tried to avoid colliding with her but at the same be in a position that if she didn’t handle the ball and it came loose, I would be in position to knock it in and that’s what I was able to do.”
While one goal leads are rarely safe for most teams, the Patriots’ defense has locked down teams all season long. Led by the back line of Victoria Burns, Ella Horwitz and Zahira Freeman along with goalkeeper Marlee Mills, the Patriots only gave up three goals the rest of the season after that opening draw with Canyons.
Sure enough, Bishop Kenny, which was making only its third-ever state final four appearance having won its only state title when it beat Cardinal Gibbons in 2020, could not effectively penetrate the Heritage defense. When the game was over, the Crusaders (18-4) had just three official shots on goal and none of those would’ve been considered quality chances.
Not that they needed it, but the Patriots added an insurance goal with just 3:19 left when Mae Collins sent a corner kick in that freshman Julianna Soto headed toward the net. The ball trickled around before Emma Torres tapped it in with her right foot.
“Everyone was really communicating much better today from the start,” Collins said. “We definitely knew that we needed to pick that end of things up because that didn’t happen the other day and it could’ve been costly.”
Soon after, the clock ran out, and the Heritage party was under way.
“Being a senior now, we always make sure to tell these younger girls to always play with their heart,” said co-captain Allison Alleman who closed out her high school career with state titles every season. “We’ve made it our priority to make sure that they always feel welcome and that we know what it feels like to win a state championship.
“A bunch of these girls are incoming freshmen that have never felt that and we want them to experience it because once upon a time I was an incoming freshman looking up to the seniors for guidance and leadership. It’s all about passing the baton along around here.”
Marcial was asked the same question.
“I think just coming to this school, knowing the tradition and knowing who you’re playing for – when you put that Heritage jersey on, it’s different than other schools, we’re a program that’s won I think 14 state titles. You just look at so many professional athletes out there who have come through here including somebody like Malachi Toney and it’s a tradition that – when you come to Heritage you’re bringing greatness both on the athletic field and the classroom. It’s not just somebody walking on who goes out and plays sports because they have nothing better to do.”