Fast start leads Ferguson past Springs in girls GMAC soccer
You can say one thing for sure about the Ferguson girls soccer team: Falcon players sure love their snacks.
“I told them earlier today that I was buying snacks for two days, tonight’s game and tomorrow’s game,” said Ferguson head coach Rosana Melau. “I wanted them to know that I had confidence in them that we would be able to advance beyond tonight.”
And Melau’s players demonstrated just that as they stunned Miami Springs by popping in three goals before the game even reached the first-half water break and then hung on for a 4-2 victory in a GMAC quarterfinal matchup on Tuesday night at Stafford Park in Miami Springs.
The Falcons will now “take their snacks” and get ready for a GMAC semifinal matchup against Coral Gables at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Tropical Park. Coral Reef will square off against TERRA at 5 p.m. in the other semi.
“We wanted to come out and try and jump on them early and that’s exactly what we did,” said senior team captain Gabriella Arellano, who scored the first of that three-goal barrage just eight minutes into the game. “Snacks? Yeah, we love our snacks and can’t wait for tomorrow (Wednesday).”
As rough of a season as it has been for Springs (the Hawks lost leading scorer and Miami Herald Player of the Year Gabi Cimino to a season-ending knee injury last November), things got even rougher when coach William Drew learned on Monday that starting goalkeeper Mia Palma was transferring out.
That left him with an inexperienced backup keeper and it showed. The Falcons (13-3-2) took maximum advantage as Mia Ramos and Rebecca Mejia followed up Arellano’s goal with scores of their own.
Springs fought back, scoring just before the half on a Jasmine Romay goal and, after falling behind 4-1 when Ferguson’s Micaella Cappelletti popped in a header off a perfect crossing pass from Arellano, cut it to 4-2 just after the second-half water break on an Elizabeth Vizcaino goal.
Springs then put the full court press on Falcons keeper Sophia Blanco over the final 20 minutes with numerous scoring chances but Blanco kept everything out of the net.
OTHER QUARTERFINALS
▪ Coral Gables 2, Reagan 1: Gables trailed Reagan 1-0 at the half but rallied in the second half for the win at Coral Reef High School.
Freshman Natalia Tallas tied the game with an unassisted goal in the 50th minute before junior Luana Gomes scored the game-winner with 11 minutes left off an assist from Nina Montero. Gables moved its record to 10-4-2.
▪ Coral Reef 8, Miami Beach 0: Host and defending GMAC champion Coral Reef scored early and often enroute to the easy mercy rule win over Beach.
Junior Tianna Rivera is the Barracudas’ leading scorer this season (27 goals) and showed why as she scored five of the team’s eight goals and also added two assists. Christina Lagas, Mia Vissepo and Daniella Perez scored one goal apiece to complete the scoring. Reef improved to 14-1-2.
▪ TERRA 5, Mourning 0: Elisa Ortiz had two goals and an assist to lead the way for TERRA at Indian Hammocks Park in Kendall. Madisen Maysonet, Brianna Gonzalez and Alexandra Ortega each had one goal apiece as the Wolves improved to 8-1-2.