The end of January brought the start of district playoffs for Keys soccer teams, yielding a strong start with mixed results thereafter for Monroe County squads.
The Lady Conchs played MAST Academy on Jan. 25 in their quarterfinal match. Key West lost to the Makos 2-0, ending their season with an impressive 10-7 record.
The Lady Fins traveled to Somerset Silver Palms on Jan. 26. Avenging a 9-3 loss earlier in the season, Marathon upset the Stallions 4-0, earning the right to play Palmer Trinity in the district semifinals on Jan. 30. Scoring for the Dolphins were Mackenzie Budi with a hat trick and an assist and Rain Banks, who scored 1 and assisted Budi’s 3 goals. Goalkeeper Kylie McDaniel earned the shutout with 4 saves.
“We knew what we had on the line and we knew what we had to do,” McDaniel said of her team’s big win. Marathon is sitting on an 8-6 record, securing their first winning season and first playoff win since 2016.
In the Upper Keys, the Lady ’Canes played Keys Gate on Jan. 26, defeating the Knights 1-0. Freshman Kai Redruello scored the lone goal in the match, assisted by fellow freshman Natalia Hortensi.
“We did a great job passing the ball and dominating position on the field,” said head coach Zach Owens. “Keys Gate’s defense was very difficult to get through. We had a number of shots on goal, but just couldn’t put more in the back of the net.”
The Lady ’Canes advanced to the district semifinals against Somerset South Homestead in what should be a fantastic game. Owens is optimistic about his team’s chances, saying, “I feel if we play together as a cohesive team on Monday, we will get the result we want.”
All three Keys boys’ teams won their district quarterfinal matches, moving the teams into the semifinals and giving them each a chance at a district championship.
Key West defeated the Cobras of South Miami High School 4-3 on Jan. 25. Coach Marc Pierre said the Conchs “completely dominated” South Miami, adding that the score did not reflect the true tempo of the game. Jonathan Gvili struck first for Key West, scoring off a penalty kick. He followed up with an unassisted goal and later teamed up with Loubins Fleuridor, assisting on Fleuridor’s goal. Wyatt Gibson scored 1 goal, assisted by Sebastian Camargo.
Key West faces St. Brendan School in the semifinals, a team that narrowly defeated the Conchs earlier this season, but Pierre is “confident that our boys are ready for the task.”
Marathon won decisively against Keys Gate in their quarterfinal match on Jan. 25. Scoring for the Dolphins in their 7-1 victory were Jay Marshall and Oscar Cardona with 2 goals each, along with single goals from Brayam Gonzalez-Cinto and the Fins’ only middle school varsity players, eighth-graders Estuardo Godoy and Giordani Prieto. Two days later, the Dolphins headed to Palmer Trinity, losing in the semifinal match 8-0 and ending the Fins’ season with a winning 10-9 record.
Coral Shores won their postseason opener 7-1 against Somerset South Homestead on Jan. 25 in a game that had to wait several hours prior to kickoff for a familiar reason: a lack of officials. After making short work of South Homestead, Coral Shores took on another Somerset team, downing Silver Palms in a 1-0 affair on Jan. 27. The ’Canes were scheduled to play in the FHSAA 3A District 16 championship game against Palmer Trinity on Jan. 31.
