Key West hosted Coral Shores on Jan. 14 with their sights set on avenging an early-season loss to the Lady ’Canes. The Conchs were able to capitalize on a corner kick by senior Kaitlyn Franco. Franco’s kick was right where Maddie Kilduff wanted it, and Kilduff headed it toward the goal. Coral Shores’ goalkeeper was able to make the stop, but the deflection led to a scrum in front of the cage. That’s when sophomore striker Maicee Gage sent it into the back of the net for the lone goal of the match.
“After losing 5-0 to Coral Shores early in the season, it was a very satisfying result,” said Conchs head coach Scott Paul, adding that play against their Upper Keys foe is “always a tough, physical match with a great rival. This match was no exception to that history.”
Senior keeper Courtney Grabus notched her fourth shutout of the season against the ’Canes, then added number five in a 4-0 romp over Marathon on Jan. 16. In their final game of the regular season, Key West fell to Lemon Bay, putting them at 8-9 on the season with a good chance of evening their record in district playoff action this week against St. Brendan School.
Key West skips the play-in round of districts, heading directly for the semis against the Sabres on Jan. 24. Should they win that one, it is a quick trip to the district championship match four days later.
Marathon traveled to Archbishop Carroll Jan. 13 to take on the Bulldogs. Despite being down several key players, the Fins came home with a 4-1 win. Jordan MacDonald scored twice while Ashley Strama and Shilo Yeider added one goal each in the victory.
“The team is bouncing back after some tough injuries,” said coach Cathy Warner. “We are still down a starter with a torn ACL, and some of our starters are nursing some injuries, but we are fighting till the end.”
The Fins called up the reserves to field a full team, adding members of the middle school team to the varsity roster.
“They are hungry to play and get on the varsity field, and it is encouraging others to step up as well,” said Warner. “Ashley (Strama) has proven to be a powerhouse as a seventh grader and is proving to be an asset on that front line.”
The Lady Fins dropped their final two games against Key West and Coral Shores, finishing with a 4-10-1 record that placed them in the middle of their district’s rankings. Their strength of schedule helped boost them past several teams in the rankings, but despite moving down into the 2A classification, their district bracket is actually more formidable this season. The Fins, ranked number five in their district, are scheduled to play fourth-ranked Somerset South Homestead on Jan. 22 for their quarterfinal match.
After a pair of losses to Gulliver Prep and Key West, the Lady ’Canes came out kicking Jan. 17 when they hosted the Dolphins. Coral Shores was celebrating Senior Night, and Sofia Jans and Ali Beth Wilson both scored in their final home games for Coral Shores. Bayley Catarineau, Jenna Mandozzi and Lela Goodrich also added goals to make the score 5-1.

The 9-4 Hurricanes have some stiff competition in their 3A District 16 pool, including Gulliver Prep, who they will face in the semis if they win on Jan. 23 against Keys Gate. The ’Canes had no problems with the Knights in their first two matches this season, blanking them both times.