Penalty Kicks Keep American Heritage from State Championships Again

The opponent was different but the result was the same. For the second year in a row American Heritage loses in the 2A State Championship game in penalty kicks.

St. Johns Country Day Spartans defeated longtime nemesis Delray Beach American Heritage 1-0 (11-10 PKs) in a hard-fought marathon match at the University of Tampa's Pepin Stadium.

The title, which came against the team that ousted SJCD 1-0 in double overtime in last year's state semifinals, is the third for the Spartans in the past five years.

Spartans sophomore keeper Sarah Voigt also played the hero in the championship, making four saves in the shootout and five during the match.

The most pressure save Voigt made came early in the shootout.

Stallions keeper Samantha Perretty had made a diving save on Annie Bobbitt's kick to put American Heritage up 1-0 after the first round.

Voigt followed with a diving save on Lauren Silver's kick.

"I just knew I had to do it," Voigt said, smiling after the match. "That's it. It's not really complex. I just guessed right."

Voigt guessed right twice more to give SJCD an opportunity to put the match away after the shootout went to sudden death, but the Spartans' shooters banged two kicks off the posts.

"They were a quarter-inch from being perfect," Pickett said of the misses. "The only thing I can say is I've played soccer my whole life and coached for 20 years and I've never, ever been part of a game that was that intense and pressurized."

Voigt made her fourth save on the Stallions' 14th attempt, diving to her left to stop Miranda Fyfe's shot. That gave Standish the opportunity to ice the victory - and she did, hitting an identical ball to her first successful penalty kick, a grounder into the right side of the net.

"I wasn't going to change it up," Standish said. "It worked, it's going to stay."

For St. Johns Penalty Kicks:

1. Annie Bobbitt - saved
2. Carson Pickett- made
3. Kara Moore- made
4. Erin Standish-made
5. Tyler Law-made
6. Justine Quick-made
7. Mallory Bane-hit post
8. Kaili Torres-made
9. Erika Miller-made
10. Ellen Crist-hit post
11. Annie Bobbitt-saved
12. Carson Pickett-made
13. Kara Moore-made
14. Erin Standish-made game winner

For American Heritage Penalty Kicks:

1. Tatiana Penagos-made
2. Lauren Silver-saved
3. Danielle Marra-made
4. Miranda Fyfe-made
5. Christina Cobb-made
6. Karina Rodriquez-made
7. Yulie Lopez-saved
8. Melissa Bergstein-made
9. Dee Long-made
10. Danelle Nguyen-saved
11. Tatiana Penagos-made
12. Lauren Silver-made
13. Danielle Marra-made
14. Miranda Fyfe-saved

photos from game