Douglas Avenges Loss

from Miami Herald

At least the players on the Douglas girl's soccer team can go to school Friday.

They couldn't make the trip a year ago. A loss to Cooper City in the first round of the playoffs hurt too much.

''Uggh,'' said Douglas' Amanda Belarmino, remembering the loss. ``It was awful. I couldn't go to school the next day. A lot of us didn't go.

``It's something we didn't forget. We have been thinking about it every day since then. Just thinking about it and waiting for Cooper City to show up again.''

They did.

Cooper City not only made it Thursday night, but showed up with a plucky, tough and determined team ready to upset Douglas again. Douglas didn't lead until Belarmino, one of five starters back from last year's team, slammed in a goal in the 71st minute to make the score 2-1.

Kelsey Allphin, who also was on the field last year when Douglas lost, put the game away with a breakaway goal in the final minute to give Douglas a 3-1 victory in a Region 4-6A quarterfinal.

''That was the best feeling I've ever had -- the best,'' Belarmino said of her goal. ``Beating them is the best feeling, and you can put exclamation marks on that statement.

``Last year was devastating. This year was amazing.''

Last year's loss would have been painful enough because it ended Douglas' season, but as Allphin said, it almost is impossible to explain how tough it was for the players because Douglas had won five consecutive state titles.

''That's what hurt the most,'' Allphin said. ``They ended our state-title legacy. That's why it feels so great. It's just a great feeling knocking off the team that beat us and ended that for us.''

And Douglas did it without Kelsey Wys, arguably the best goalkeeper in South Florida. Wys, who has 17 shutouts, was in California playing for the Under-18 national team. She kept text-messaging to keep up with the score.

Wys also was in California a year ago playing for the national team when Douglas lost. She will be back for a regional semifinal at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Cypress Bay.

Douglas put its season in the hands of freshman goalkeeper Victoria Danchak, 15, who was making her first high school start.

''I was nervous,'' said Danchak, who made seven saves. ``There was a lot of pressure, but once the game started, I was able to [settle in].''

Cooper City (15-6-2) made it tough on Douglas (18-3-3), the top-ranked 6A team in Broward, and Danchak.

It took a brilliant save by Danchak off Jackie Barbaccia's header in the opening minutes and a diving stop of Jessica Bruno's header in the final minutes of the first half to keep the match scoreless.