The two teammates named Kelsey did it again, this time helping the Douglas
girls' soccer team recapture its elite status in Class 6A.
Junior
forward Kelsey Allphin scored twice and senior goalkeeper Kelsey Wys --
along with her teammates on defense -- did the rest, as the Eagles shut
out visiting Boca Raton 2-0 in Friday's Region 3-6A title match. It was
the Eagles' second victory over the Bobcats, with Douglas prevailing 1-0
in November.
Douglas (20-3-2), which won five consecutive state titles before the
streak was stopped early in the playoffs last season, returns to the state
final four to take on the Miami Springs-Lourdes winner at the University
of Tampa's Pepin Stadium on Wednesday.
''I don't think we ever felt the pressure to return to states,'' said
the senior Wys after recording her 21st shutout of the season. ``Not
making it last year was a slap in the face that helped us work hard toward
setting our goal this season.''
Stu Katz, who moved over from coaching the boys' team, also said any
pressure was absent in his first season with the girls' squad.
''If anything, it's been exciting,'' he said. ``I've never been this
far in the season before. I'm definitely planning to talk to [former
coaches Laura] Rountree and [Scott] Baker and bounce ideas off of them.''
The Eagles set the tone in the fourth minute, as Alana Schindel
centered a looping pass from the right wing to a waiting Allphin, who
tapped it in for a 1-0 lead that stood until halftime against the Bobcats
(23-5-1).
''It was really important to get that goal early,'' said Allphin, who
leads the Eagles with 25 goals and 14 assists. ``It was a nice cushion to
work with, and got us playing with confidence the rest of the way.''
Allphin added her second goal of the game on a close-range shot from
near the left pole following a scramble in front of the Boca Raton goal in
the 64th minute.
Even though the Bobcats took 12 shots, Douglas defenders Emily Bolinsky,
Taylor Thomas, Sara Piechocki and Schindel prevented the visitors from
generating meaningful scoring opportunities against Wys, who made five
saves.
ST. THOMAS LOSES
It was heartbreaking. It was season-ending. And to make it even worse,
it was all too familiar.
The St. Thomas Aquinas girls' soccer team saw its season disappear for
the fourth year in a row at the hands of Satellite, which beat Aquinas 2-1
in sudden death in the Class 5A region finals. For three seniors,
including captain Sarah Jacques and Christina Chai-Chang, who were the
heart of the team, the Satellite nightmare continued, as the Raiders were
once again stopped just short of making a trip to the Final Four.
It didn't end until the 95th minute, as the teams finished regulation
tied at 1-1 and went through a scoreless overtime before Satellite scored
with five minutes left in the second OT.
Sophomore Ana Cuffia scored her 20th goal of the season to tie it 1-1
in the 33rd minute, but Aquinas (21-4-1) couldn't find the back of the net
again.
''We controlled the game, and we had a lot of opportunities,'' Aquinas
coach Carlos Giron said. ``We just didn't finish.''
