The Ponte Vedra Lady Sharks beat Bartram Trail 12-11 in overtime at Creekside High School on Thursday, April 18, to win the District 5 title.
The game proved to be a matchup of two heavyweights, with Ponte Vedra ranked No. 3 in the state and Bartram Trail No. 6, according to MaxPreps. The Sharks (14-3) and Bears (15-4) both came out strong and battled early in the contest, going into halftime tied at 6-6.
Ponte Vedra exploded in the second half and took a 10-7 lead midway through the period. Bartram Trail responded, however, and took an 11-10 lead late in the second half. The back and forth continued until the Sharks tied it up at 11-11, sending the game to overtime.
In OT, the Sharks continually crashed the Bears’ net, which ultimately allowed senior midfielder Ella Madson to net the game winner on a free position and give Ponte Vedra the district championship. Madson finished the game with four goals, one assist, five draw controls, four groundballs and one turnover caused.
Sophomore Trish Balser totaled three goals, one assist, one draw control, two groundballs and one turnover caused. Junior attack Abbey Watson had two goals, two assists and one groundball. Sophomore midfielder Sami Lowinger had two goals, 1 draw control and three groundballs, while sophomore attack Taylor Rocha had one goal and one groundball.
Junior goalie Lexie de Roziere stopped 15 Bartram Trail shots, many of which were near the crease.
The Lady Sharks will play St. Augustine (14-3) in the regional quarterfinals of the state championship tournament on Thursday, April 25, at 7 p.m. at St. Augustine.
