Lourdes girls’ soccer scores 3 goals in row to beat Cooper City, return to state semis
It took all of 10 minutes to turn a frustrating, nerve-wracking first half for Lourdes Academy to turn into another coronation for one of the top programs in South Florida.
For the sixth time in 11 years, Lourdes is heading to the Florida High School Athletic Association semifinals after it erased an early deficit Tuesday to beat Cooper City, 3-1, in the Region 4-6A championship at Tropical Park.
The Bobcats didn’t score until the final minute of the first half and then the floodgates opened. Lourdes scored twice more in the first 10 minutes of the second half to turn an extended deficit into a comfortable lead in Miami and clinch a spot in the Class 6A semifinals a year after falling short in the region championship.
“I just think we had a slow start,” Bobcats coach Ramiro Vengoechea said. “We didn’t play our game the first few minutes, but then after the second half it was a completely different game. The attitude was a little bit better, the energy was a little bit better, but it was a game of two halves.”
Loudes (16-2-1) last made it to the state semifinals in 2018, when it went on to win the Class 5A championship for its first state title. The Bobcats will now host Viera on Friday in the 6A semifinals with a trip to DeLand for the 6A championship on the line.
For the first 20 minutes, Lourdes had to search for answers. The Bobcats couldn’t generate good looks at goal against the Cowboys (15-7-1) commanded the majority of possession.
Cooper City, which has still never been to a state semifinal, put the pressure on the powerhouse in the 13th minute when forward Kimberly Slinkosky slipped a cross from the right side of the field past Lourdes’ out-of-position back line.
The dribbling ball found its way to attacking midfielder Kelly Nelson, who knocked in the early goal to give the Cowboys an early lead.
Cooper City’s pressure was relentless to start the first half and it kept the Bobcats from getting any real chances for the first 20 minutes. Lourdes often turned the ball over on its own side of the field and when it crossed into Cooper City territory the Cowboys had four players stationed back on defense to swallow up the Bobcats’ threats.
It took until the final minute of the first half for Lourdes to finally break through. The Bobcats finally seized control in the final 15 minutes of the first half, generating four corner kicks in the final stretch of the half and getting Mia Atrio more involved in the attack.
With less than a minute left in the first half, Lourdes had the ball near midfield and Atrio directed traffic.
“I was screaming, ‘Just send it up! Send it up!’” said Atrio, who signed a national letter of intent with the Miami Hurricanes last year. “If we would’ve been down going into the second half, I think we would’ve had worse momentum than we had.”
Fullback Isabel Guisasola led a charge down the right sideline and sent the ball ahead to striker Mia Briones on the right side of the box. The striker lofted a cross to Atrio in front of the net and the star forward deflected a shot off goalkeeper Katy Baldwin. The rebound sat behind the defense and Atrio tapped in a game-tying goal.
“I literally gave it all I could and ran straight to the ball,” Atrio said. “I didn’t even see the people in front of me.”
Five minutes into the second half, the Bobcats got another corner kick and forward Sophia McMillan sent a perfect pass in front of the net for midfielder Samantha Diaz to knock in the go-ahead goal. Ten minutes into the half, Lourdes got yet another corner and McMillan made the same sort of pass to Guisasola, who put the Bobcats ahead 3-1 with another goal.
The start was shaky, but Lourdes is back over the same hump which tripped it up in 2019. The Bobcats are two wins away from a second state title in three years.
“It’s good to get back. Obviously the girls are super motivated,” Vengoechea said. “We’re just focused on ourselves and what we need to do to win.”
This story was originally published February 18, 2020 at 9:54 PM.
