In girls soccer district action last week, Key West and Marathon found themselves at the end of the road with losses in their first match of postseason play. For the Dolphins, that loss came in the form of an 8-1 defeat handed to them by Somerset South Homestead in the quarterfinals of the 2A District 16 playoffs. The Fins prevented a shutout with a goal by seventh-grader Ashley Strama, assisted by sophomore Maeve Merryman. Marathon completed its season at 4-11-1.
For Key West, the small size of District 16’s 4A division sent the Conchs directly into the semifinals, where they lost 1-0 to the Sabres of St. Brendan. Key West finished with a record of 8-10.
One Keys team was able to boast a playoff win this season; Coral Shores took on the Knights of Keys Gate on Jan. 23 and came away with a 5-1 quarterfinal win, boosting the ’Canes into the semifinals. Senior Sofia Jans’ hat trick led the team in scoring, while freshman Bayley Cartineau scored two more in a game dominated by Coral Shores. The 3A Hurricanes’ next opponent was Gulliver Prep in a match scheduled for Jan. 27.
Head coach Zach Owens told the Weekly he had all the faith in the world in his team and was confident that if the Lady ’Canes do what he knows they are capable of, they could come away with the upset and a shot at a district title against the most likely opponent: LaSalle. But District 3A is no joke, and Gulliver is perennially a strong contender.
“We can play with Gulliver. The name intimidates people, but I say let’s just go play the game,” said Owens of the higher-ranked Raiders. “We have a team that can do it.”
The teams have similar records and, against like opponents, both had comparable results this season, making for an exciting semifinal match. Unfortunately, the Raiders proved to be the end of the road for the Lady ’Canes, as their season came to a close with a 5-0 loss.
