Gulliver girls top rival Ransom to earn chance to defend state water polo title
Perhaps the two best girls water polo programs in the state over the last two decades – two teams that have turned in some epic battles time and again during that period, were at it once again.
Gulliver Prep and Ransom Everglades, two programs with a combined 14 state titles out of a possible 21 since the FHSAA began sanctioning the sport in 2005, turned in another instant classic.
With a berth in the state final four on the line, it was Gulliver that came through with a heart-stopping 9-8 victory in overtime in a Region 4 championship contest before a noisy crowd at the Gulliver Aquatic Center.
The game-winner came with 1:04 left in the first three-minute overtime period when sophomore Emma Preston took a perfect long pass from Sophia Kingston and, in a one-on-one showdown with Ransom keeper Dorothy Spencer-Funchion, managed to lob it over her head as Spencer-Funchion charged out to meet her.
“Sophia made a great pass to me and when I saw the keeper start to come out, I just had to use a little bit of force to find the corner and managed to just barely get it over her hands,” said Preston, who finished the game with four goals.
Gulliver (20-3) advances to the state final four for the fourth consecutive year and will look to defend its state title. The Raiders will be No. 3 seed in the state semifinals on April 24 at Belen, and face Winter Garden West Orange at either 3:30 or 5.
Undefeated and No. 1 state and nationally-ranked Sanford Seminole will enter as the top seed and take on No. 4 Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas in the other semifinal after Aquinas knocked off Cooper City 16-7 in the Region 3 final. The girls’ final will be April 25 at 1 at Belen.
As big as Preston’s shot was, it would’ve never happened had it not been for the heroics of Gulliver goalkeeper Sofia Beltran. Just 30 seconds earlier, Ransom’s Elsa Trebotich had delivered a perfect long ball to Anjali Gupta who found herself right in front of the net one-on-one with Beltran.
Somehow Beltran managed to flail her arms from side to side and got a piece of the ball deflecting it away.
“I’m not going to lie, there was a lot of pressure for sure in that moment so as a goalie I just had to let my instincts take over,” said Beltran who was outstanding recording 15 saves, two of them penalty shots. “When I get into those one-on-ones, I usually wait for them to get closer, then put my hands up, get as high as I can with my arms out and look at their eyes to see if they give away where they’re going to shoot it. Fortunately I was able to make the play because I knew if I hadn’t, we weren’t going to state.”
The loss was more frustration for Ransom (16-12) as it fell to Gulliver in the regional final for the third straight year (including an 8-7 loss a year ago) and has not been to the state final four since 2022. Ransom’s last of eight state championships came in 2019. It also offset an outstanding performance from sophomore Eleanor Kriplen, who scored six of her team’s eight goals.
“Sofia is so big in that cage and everybody saw that today,” said long-time Gulliver coach Carroll Vaughn of her star keeper. “She comes out, treads so high, has real patience and she’s so calm and that’s what you need when you play that position. She reads the game, has no fear and actually welcomes those one-on-one situations. I wasn’t surprised she delivered at that moment.”
This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 10:09 AM.