from Naples News

FORT LAUDERDALE — Ray Morgan is still impressed. After St. Thomas Aquinas ended Barron Collier’s season for the second straight year, the Cougars’ coach remains convinced that the Raiders set the benchmark for where his team would like to be.

During Aquinas’ 4-1 victory Tuesday, the Raiders came out right away and made a statement. They didn’t let Barron Collier create any momentum.

“They looked like a well-oiled machine out there,” Morgan said. “They are the best team I’ve seen all year.”

But even after four straight losses in the Class 5A regional semifinals, Morgan remains confident that his team is not that far away from the state’s elite. Even though the Cougars (20-3-1) trailed by two goals 23 minutes into the game, they didn’t quit.

“That’s one thing they have, the fight,” Morgan said. “It’s just now to get that next level of intensity and composure.”

Less than a minute after the Raiders (21-3-1) went up 2-0, senior Casey Thames corralled a cross from Jamie Lockie and scored, prompting someone from the sideline to shout, “We’re still in this.”

“I really thought we could come back and beat them,” Thames said. “They are obviously a really, really good team. I knew it was going to be tough. I thought we had a better chance this year.”

Even though Aquinas took a commanding lead early, the Cougars did everything they could to keep the game close. Junior sweeper Alexa Zavada even sacrificed her face to stop a goal early in the first half.

“I’ve been dizzy the entire game,” Zavada said. “I got hit in the first 10 minutes, I don’t even remember. It was a hard one.”

In a testament to the fight Morgan said his team showed, Zavada continued to play. She refused to let her season end on the sideline.

“She did an excellent job finishing off the game,” Morgan said.

The Cougars trailed 2-1 at the half, but Aquinas put the game away early with a pair of goals in the first 20 minutes.

“(Barron Collier) played well,” Raiders coach Carlos Giron said. “They came out to play, and in the second half they put up a lot of offensive chances.”

For Thames, her season and career ends in frustration at another semifinal loss. For many of her teammates, though, there is still time to take the next step toward becoming one of the state’s elite programs. Like Zavada, there are plenty of juniors already looking forward to their senior seasons.

“(Aquinas) is a great team and we want to aspire to be like them and move on,” Zavada said. “We played to the end and I’m glad we got this far. We have a ton of juniors and a lot of upcoming players and I think we’ll have a good chance.”