The hopes of repeating as girls soccer Class 5A state champions is within reach after the Ponte Vedra Sharks defeated the Tallahassee Chiles Timberwolves 1-0 to advance to the state final four for the second straight season.
“We’re just really excited to have this chance to go back-to-back, and it’s been pretty surreal to be honest,” senior defender Natalie McCann said.
The Sharks (15-3-2) were the aggressors to start the match as they did an excellent job of gaining possession and putting pressure on the Timberwolves (16-3) as Katie DeVincentis and Lily Morse each had good looks and fired shots on goal that required Timberwolves goalkeeper Gracie Gerteisen to make early stops.
The pressure eventually led to a golden opportunity for junior forward Izzy Whitaker who snuck past a pair of defenders into the box and lifted a shot over the head of a charging goalie, which settled in the back of the net after deflecting off Gerteisen’s fingertips and the right goal post.
Whitaker’s goal came with less than three minutes before halftime.
Playing from the lead in the second half meant a stiff test for the defense as a desperate Timberwolves squad threw everything they had at them.
However, time and time again they proved up to the challenge and stood strong to turn every possible scoring chance they conjured away.
The back line defense of McCann, junior Grace Archer and sophomore Lulu Consunji worked well together to create a solid wall of defense in front of goalkeeper Abby Kennedy, who was there to smother any shots that made it through.
According to head coach Dave Silverberg, each team is different every year and this group is special because of the amount of success they have had with the number of young players and new starters it has on it.
“With this group we lost like 10 seniors from last year and then two of our players left early for college, so this year’s just been all about filling in the holes and everyone has been doing their job,” coach said. “They know that whether they’re playing 10 minutes or the whole game, they are a major part of this thing. It’s been really fun watching the young ones grow.”
Quinlee Irwin and McCann have provided senior leadership throughout the season, and both played their final game at the Shark Tank during the regional final.
“Our goal is to carry on that PV legacy of trying to reach the final four every year,” Irwin said. “We’re definitely a very tight knit group here with so many inside jokes between all of us,” Irwin said. “Whether it’s practice or the game, we all just have the most fun time.”
The Sharks will face North Fort Myers High (21-2) in the state semifinal on Wednesday, Feb. 19 beginning at 4 p.m. at the Lake Mrytle Sports Complex in Auburndale. With a win, they would face Miami Lourdes Academy or Wesley Chapel Cypress Creek High in the state championship game on Saturday, Feb. 22.
