Stunned St. Thomas Aquinas falls 1-0 to Viera in girls’ soccer semifinal
The St. Thomas Aquinas girls’ soccer team learned a hard lesson on Thursday night.
The soccer ball and the net for that matter don’t care if you’re the No. 1 nationally ranked team in two polls, that you’re the runaway leader in state titles with 14 or that you’re looking for your third state title in a row and fifth in the past six years.
None of that mattered when the Raiders took the field in a Class 4A state semifinal against defending 4A champion Viera at Melbourne High School.
Even though St. Thomas dominated most of the game and had numerous scoring opportunities, the Raiders never could find the back of the net all night long and wound up losing 1-0 to Viera and dreams of a three-peat and possible national championship went with it.
Viera (21-1-1), which is just 15 miles up the road and had a big home crowd in the stands, will take on Niceville, which topped Tarpon Springs East Lake 4-2 in an earlier semifinal, at 9 p.m. Friday for the 4A championship.
“We worked all year round and have not had a problem scoring goals but you have to finish your opportunities and we didn’t do that,” said Aquinas coach Carlos Giron, who has seen his share of triumphs and defeats during his 36 years at the helm. “We created the chances but just didn’t finish them. Nothing was going in and you could see it was frustrating for the girls.”
Even more frustrating was that the St. Thomas defense was pretty solid all night, limiting the Hawks to virtually no scoring chances. Their only legitimate chance in the first half wound up being the only score of the night.
After a corner kick rebounded right back to Brooke Walsh, she centered a perfect ball in front of the net that St. Thomas goalkeeper Abigail Pangallo overcommitted on, found the head of Hollyn Knight and the back of the net for the 1-0 lead 14 minutes 22 seconds before the half.
The Raiders’ frustrations began in the first half when, even though they were into a stiff breeze, dominated time of possession and created numerous quality scoring chances.
In the 16th minute, a corner kick from Chloe O’Neil to Isabella Dorosy netted nothing when Dorosy’s header went just over the crossbar.
Eight minutes later, after a wild scramble for a loose ball in front of the net in which Viera keeper Sydney Lau couldn’t locate the ball, St. Thomas’ Sara Davis did but kicked it just to the right of the post.
Eight minutes before the half, more frustration for the Raiders when O’Neil tracked down another loose ball in front of the net and bounced one off the right post.
“We worked so hard out there tonight and nothing seemed to go our way,” said Dorosy, a junior who will join older sister Dallas at Florida State in two years. “We had so many chances but just couldn’t finish. But I’m really proud of my team and I think we worked really hard all season, it’s just a shame it had to end like this.”
Even though they enjoyed the wind in the second half, the chances were fewer and far between as Viera played lock-down defense trying to protect its precious one-goal lead.
Nevertheless, with just under 15 minutes left, it looked like the equalizer was on the way when O’Neil centered a pass to Dorosy, who was one-on-one with Lau. But Lau made the save of the night when she dove horizontally to her right to stop Dorosy’s shot.
St. Thomas’ last decent shot to tie it came with less than a minute left when Haley Mallion had a clean shot from the top of the box from about 20 yards out that went just a couple of feet to the right of the post.
“We definitely started pushing after we fell behind probably because we’re not used to falling behind in a game,” said O’Neil. “It doesn’t matter though. I’m very proud of my team. Those girls over there are my family and I’m very proud of everyone. No matter what the final score said on the scoreboard, we left everything we had on that field [Thursday night].”
▪ 3A girls’ soccer state title game: A late start followed by a lightning delay pushed the game between Plantation American Heritage and Ponte Vedra at Melbourne High School deep into the night.
The Patriots, who are looking to become the fourth team in state history to win four consecutive state titles, were locked in a scoreless tie with the Sharks in the second half when the weather began to deteriorate.
With 14:19 left in regulation, the lightning detector went off delaying the game indefinitely. For results, visit miamiherald.com/sports.
SIGNINGS
▪ Softball: South Dade outfielder Zaria Hall signed with Howard University.
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
▪ Region 4-8A Quarterfinals — Lourdes 62, Varela 34: LOU (23-6): Maristany 9, Minervino 10, Vidal 2, Codispoti 2, Couto 15, Midolo 12, Moralejo 5, Moralejo 7. VAR (17-7): Iglesias 6, Nieto 6, Guillama 4, Polanco 16, Quesada 2. HT: LOU 32-21. Three-pointers: Minervino 2. Rebounds: Midolo 8. Assists: Minervino 5.
▪ Region 4-2A quarterfinal — Westminster Academy 71, Yeshiva 38: WA (21-5): Wallhoff 25, Sampo 17, Rosa 18, Kelmanson 6, Quirk 3, Alday 2. Rebounds: Sampo 18. YES: Citron, Maital 22, Citron, Maya 8, Harris 4, Englander 2, Wolfson 2.
▪ Regional Quarterfinal 8A — Ferguson 63, South Dade 39: FER (21-8): Perez 17, Pineda 14, Laureano 12, Rodriguez 12, Gonzalez 4, Kingwood 4. SD: Ewing 19, Waller 14, Johnson 4, Clayton 2.
▪ Region 4-3A quarterfinal — Miami Christian 67, Princenton Christian 1: MC (18-4): Martin 12, Supelano 26, Torrata 9, Torres, 7, Diaz 2, Barrios 4, Allen 3. PC: Aormas 1.
▪ Region 4-3A quarterfinal — Palmer Trinity 51, Archbishop Carroll 9: PT (16-4) Herling 12, James 10, Lewis 10, Dobrinsky 9, Malloy 4, Esco 3, Iglesia 2, Reynolds 1 AC (3-11): Seabrook 3, Medina 6. HT: PT 34-3.
▪ Regional Quarterfinal 15-3A — Florida Christian 51, Marathon 39: FC: M. Nunez 19, M. Irvine 10, R.Rico 8, A.Castellano 8.
▪ Region 3-8A quarterfinal – Coral Glades 52, Piper 51. Region 3-8A quarterfinal – Deerfield Beach 67, Cypress Bay 62. Region 4-7A quarterfinal – South Broward 69, Reagan 7. Region 4-7A quarterfinal – Nova 60, Mater Academy 20. Region 4-7A quarterfinal – Blanche Ely 63, West Boca Raton 60. Region 4-6A quarterfinal – Dillard 64, Melbourne Eau Gallie 33. Region 4-6A quarterfinal – Northeast 44, Sebastian River 23. Region 4-5A quarterfinal – American Heritage 67, Fort Pierce Westwood 35. Region 4-5A quarterfinal – Riviera Beach Suncoast 41, Hallandale 32. Region 4-4A quarterfinal – Calvary Christian 50, Coral Springs Charter 46. Region 4-4A quarterfinal – Cardinal Gibbons 56, Boca St. Andrew’s 46. Region 4-4A quarterfinal – Booker T. Washington 58, Keys Gate 31. Region 4-3A quarterfinal – PBG Benjamin 39, Sagemont 35. Region 4-3A quarterfinal – Archbishop Curley 55, Posnack 20. Region 4-2A quarterfinal – Boca Grandview Prep 68, Hollywood Christian 40. Region 4-2A quarterfinal – Zion Lutheran 65, Donna Klein 46. Region 4-3A — Miami Country Day 93, Somerset Central 9.
BOYS’ BASKETBALL
▪ District 15-2A final — Miami Christian 72, Champagnant 45: MC: Syles 2, Camacho 31. CHA: Bryanan 5, Osvando 12, Cortizio 18, Johnson 2, Fraquson 8, Ramirez 2, Jemoave 10, Dorisma 1, Diaz 18, Hamburger 1, Castillo 17, Becerra 2. Rebounds: Syles 8. Assists: Camacho 12.
SOFTBALL
▪ Hialeah Miami Lakes 14, Mourning 10: WP: Ashley Martinez 2 K’s. Top Performers: Samantha Romeu 3-4, HR, 2 singles, 2 RBI, 3 R. Betsabe Castro 3-3, BB, 2 R, RBI. Noelys Martinez 3-5, R, RBI. Jenny Krueger 2 singles, R, RBI
▪ Southridge 9, Coral Gables 4: WP: Alyssa Fonda (3-0), 9K’s, 2-2, R. Top Performers: Krystal Grant 2-5, R. Casilyn Fraga 1-2, 2 R. SR 3-0.
▪ TERRA 10, Reagan 0: WP: Tayler Sanchez 6 K’s. Top Performers: Aaliyah Jolly 1-2, 2 R. Oceana Camejo 3-3, 2 RBI, 3 R. Veronnica Sanchez 2 RBI. Allison Newsome 1-2, 2 R.
▪ Palmetto 15, Southwest 2: WP: Daijaa Williams (1-0), 5IP, 4H, 2 K’s. LP: Unisis Suarez. Top Performances: Hannah Burge 2-3, 2 R, 2 RBI. Isa Velazquez 2-2, 2 R, 3 RBI. PAL 2-0.
▪ Sunset 21, Varela 6: WP: Harley Tekerman. Top Performers: Alex Poit 3-2, 4 R. Harley Tekerman 2-2, 5 R. Sabrina Perez 2-4, 3 R. Naomi Valmen 2-3, 3 R. Samantha Altimiranda 2 H, R. SUN 1-0.
▪ Westminster Christian 15, Everglades Prep 0: WP: Hannah Kemmerer (1-0). LP: J. Cano. Top Performers: Ally Mena 3-3, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI. Christina Aragon, 1-1, 2 RBI. Dayma Pla 1-2, 2 RBI. WC 1-0.
▪ Braddock 12, Killian 2: WP: Carydad Bolivar 6 K’s. Top Performers: Nicole Caldera 1-1, 2 R. Melissa Diaz 1-2, 2 R. Carydad Bolivar double, 2 RBI, 2 R.
GIRLS’ TENNIS
▪ Miami Springs 5, St. Brendan 2: 1. Angela Moon6-1, 6-1. 2. Valery Mardini 8-1. 3. Erica Bradley 8-0. 4. Monica Chavez 8-2. Doubles: Chavez/ Salinas d.Alvarez/ Mena 8-2.
▪ Palmetto 7, Braddock 0: 1. Ansofi Wreder8-0. 2. Milna Vanderreis 8-0. 3. Anastasia Dudryk 8-0. 4. Isidora Puelle 8-0. 5. Zoe Woodbury 8-0. PAL 2-0.
▪ American Heritage 7, Archbishop McCarthy 0: 1. Alexis Gottlieb 8-2. 2. Anya Gunewardena 8-1. 3. Isabella Chinchilla 8-1. 4. Lauren Williams 8-2. 5. Natalia Rossi 8-2. Doubles: Gottlieb/Chinchilla 8-1. Williams/Rossi 8-1.
BOYS’ TENNIS
▪ Miami Springs 7, St Brendan 0: 1. Brent Cates 8-1. 2. Adrian Perez 8-3. 3. Austin Winchester 8-0. Doubles:Cates/ Perez 8-1.
▪ Palmetto 7, Braddock 0: 1. Matthew Fung8-0, 2. Randy Wilson 8-0. 3. Jonathan Blake 8-0. 4. Ryan Fung 8-0. 5. William Yang8-0. PAL 2-0.
▪ Miami Country Day 7, Westminster Christian 0: 3. Alexander Slezynger 8-0. 4. Alex Cohan 8-0. 5. Evan Meiselman 8-0.
▪ American Heritage 6, Archbishop McCarthy 1: 1. Jordan Skalet 8-2. 2. Zach Ebenfeld 8-4. 3. Adam Dunn 8-2. 4. Luis Gallego 8-3. 5. Ben Geller 8-4. Doubles: Skalet/Enenfeld 8-0. Dunn/Geller 8-0.
▪ Columbus 7, South Dade 0: 1. Christian Barnes 8-0. 2. Alejandro Noy 8-0. 3. Felipe Gomez 8-0. Pablo Callisano 8-0. Doubles: 1. Dunoyerdesegonza, Noy 8-2. 2. Gomez, Callisano 8-0. COL 1-0.
FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE
GIRLS’ SOCCER
Class 5A state semifinal at Melbourne: Lourdes vs. Lithia Newsome, 6:30
BOYS’ SOCCER
Region 4-5A final: Varela at Cypress Bay, 7
Region 4-4A final: Stuart South Fork at Belen Jesuit, 3:30
Region 4-3A final: Mourning at Immokalee, 7
Region 4-2A final: Ransom Everglades at Palm Beach Benjamin, 7
WRESTLING
GMAC championship at Reagan: 10 a.m.
BCAA championship at Pompano Beach: noon
BOYS’ BASKETBALL
District 11-8A final: Taravella at Coral Springs, 7
District 12-8A final: Cypress Bay at Piper, 7
District 13-8A final: Miramar at Flanagan, 6
District 14-8A final: Miami High at Krop, 7
District 15-8A final at Ferguson: South Miami vs. Coral Gables, 7
District 16-8A final: Southridge-Homestead winner at Coral Reef, 7
District 14-7A final: St. Thomas Aquinas at Blanche Ely, 7
District 15-7A final: Nova at McArthur, 7
District 16-7A final at Hialeah-Miami Lakes: Goleman vs. Mater Academy, 7
District 14-6A final: Dillard at Boyd Anderson, 7
District 15-6A final at Carol City: Central vs. Norland, 7
District 16-6A final: Sunset at Miami Springs, 7:30
District 16-5A semifinals at Hallandale: Coconut Creek vs. American Heritage, 6; Hallandale vs. Archbishop McCarthy, 7:30
District 13-4A final: Coral Springs Charter at Boca St. Andrews, 7
District 14-4A semifinals at Chaminade-Madonna: Chaminade-Madonna vs. University School, 5; Cardinal Gibbons vs. Calvary Christian, 7
District 15-4A final at La Salle: 7
District 16-4A semifinals at Westminster Christian: Keys Gate vs. Westminster Christian, 5; Ransom Everglades vs. Gulliver, 7
District 12-3A final at Coral Springs Chr.: Sagemont vs. Westminster Academy, 7
District 14-2A final: Northwest Christian at Zion Lutheran, 7
District 16-2A final: Schoolhouse Prep at Westwood Christian, 7
This story was originally published February 5, 2016 at 12:09 AM with the headline "Stunned St. Thomas Aquinas falls 1-0 to Viera in girls’ soccer semifinal."