Palmetto girls’ soccer reaches 2nd region final in a row — and a rematch with Cypress Bay
Palmetto never panicked Friday, even when Dr. Krop scored early in the second half to cut its lead to a single goal after a mostly dominant first half at Tropical Park. Sure, the Panthers breathed a sigh of relief when they finally scored the insurance goal in their 3-1 win, but they were finally not strangers to the stresses of a second-round playoff game and they stayed composed to fend off the lower-seeded Lightning in the Region 4-Class 7A girls’ soccer semifinals.
They won’t be strangers to their next stage, either. After going 10 years without playing for a region title, Palmetto will play in its second straight Region 4-7A championship Wednesday.
“You get a little bit uncomfortable and then you fix it,” Panthers coach Alex Castro said, “and that’s how you know that you’re doing your job and they’re doing their job.”
The opponent will be familiar next week, too. After getting blown out by Cypress Bay in the 4-7A title game last year, Palmetto (17-2-1) will get a shot at redemption against the defending 7A runner-up back in Miami.
Palmetto will go into the game with confidence. The Panthers only allowed two shots on goal and never trailed Friday, controlling the vast majority of the possession and playing with a lead for nearly 60 minutes.
Palmetto scored first on a penalty kick in the 23rd minute when Panthers striker Catherine Green drew a foul in the box and Palmetto midfielder Jasyn Altcheck converted from the spot, then pushed the lead to 2-0 at halftime on a goal by Green in the 33rd. Dr. Krop (12-4) only tested the Panthers’ goalkeeper once in the first half.
“We were a little nervous for a couple minutes,” Castro said, “but then as soon as we got a hold on the game we knew we had them.”
The same thing happened in the second half. Dr. Krop scored in the 46th minute and, suddenly, a commanding performance turned tight. Dr. Krop got one more quality chance in the second half, but otherwise Palmetto kept control and finally buried its county rival in the final 10 minutes.
In the 73rd, the Panthers got a free kick from more than 40 yards out, near the left sideline and Palmetto defender Vanessa Zenan lined up for a long entry pass. She launched the shot toward the goal and it took one bounce in front of the net, bouncing just high enough to keep Dr. Krop’s goaltender from grabbing it. Two Panthers crashed to the goal and Altcheck got just enough of the ball to knock it into the net.
Teammates swarmed her near the goal. Teammates hugged Zenan near midfield. Palmetto survived its scare.
“That just made us a lot more calm,” Altcheck said.
A few minutes later, the final whistle blow and Panthers started looking up scores to figure out who they’d play next week.
Even though Cypress Bay has been to three straight state championships, still-young Palmetto is looking forward to the test.
A year ago, the Panthers played nine freshmen in contributing. Castro made sure to mix in as many young players as he could, knowing it would help for moments down the road, like this one.
This Palmetto team, which still only starts one senior, is different from a year ago.
“We’ve gotten technically stronger,” Green said, “and we’ve definitely gotten physically stronger and bigger as players.”
