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TOPIC: GIRLS SOCCER IN THE NEWS |
| NEWS/HERALD
January 8, 2014
10:13:30 AM
Entry #: 4109812
| Salazar’s hat trick propels Springs GMAC semis
BY BILL DALEY
Special to the Miami Herald
With the weight of being the team’s senior captain and leading scorer, Ale Salazar did what senior captains and leading scorers are supposed to do for their team in a big game.
Salazar turned in the hat trick as she scored three goals and pitched in with an assist, as well, to lead the Miami Springs girls soccer team to a 5-0 shutout win over Coral Gables in a GMAC quarterfinal contest Tuesday afternoon at Miami Springs High School.
The win moved Springs’ record to 17-1-1 and into the GMAC semifinals where the Hawks will face Palmetto, an 8-1 winner over Krop in their quarterfinal, in a GMAC semifinal at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Milander Stadium. Springs and Palmetto met on November 13 and battled to a 3-3 tie. Gables fell to 14-4-2.
“I just try to go out there and act like a team captain should,” said Salazar who now has 32 goals this season. “A lot of stuff falls on me in terms of leadership and scoring and I don’t mind it a bit. Today was a good day, everything was really clicking and we’re playing good soccer as a team right now. We only beat this team 1-0 last month down at their place, so today means we’re getting better each week and want to keep it going.”
“She’s a special kid because we really do put a lot of responsibility on her,” said Springs coach William Drew of his star player. “From leading the team to scoring goals, that’s what she does and she did it out there today.”
Salazar got Springs on the board in the game’s sixth minute when she was fouled in the box by Gables’ Claire Shillington and knocked it past keeper Isabella Izquierdo to make it 1-0.
After Sofia De la Puente scored to make it 2-0, Salazar rifled a perfect centering pass to Alyssa Deno in front of the net who popped it in two minutes before halftime, putting Springs up 3-0 at intermission.
Salazar then scored twice more in the second half, the first in the game’s 55th minute on a perfectly placed free kick from 25 yards out shelving it into the top left corner of the net and then the 68th minute to complete the scoring.
“A good win for us,” Drew said. “Gables is a good team and we only beat them 1-0 last month so we expected a tough hard fought game. Ale can be such a difference-maker out there and you saw that today.”
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January 9, 2014
10:25:03 AM
Entry #: 4109914
| Ferguson’s defense locks MAST down in GMAC
BY ANDRE C. FERNANDEZ
a1fernandez@MiamiHerald.com
The Ferguson girls’ soccer team knew it had to limit upstart MAST Academy’s ability to give sophomore striker Mariana Speckmaeyer scoring opportunities Wednesday night.
Speckmaeyer struck quickly for an early goal in the 16th minute.
But from that point on, the Falcons’ defense took over and gave itself a chance to come back and secure a 2-1 win over the Makos in a GMAC semifinal at Milander Park.
Ferguson (15-2-1) advances to play Miami Springs, which beat Palmetto in the other semifinal, on Friday at 7 p.m. at Milander. The Falcons will attempt to win their second GMAC title in the past three seasons.
“We needed to make some adjustments on the cleanliness of our play in the first half,” Ferguson coach Richard Lopez said. “We couldn’t allow them to play the long ball and distribute it to [Speckmaeyer].”
Ferguson erased MAST’s 1-0 lead with two quick strikes in the first 15 minutes of the second half.
Senior Isa Jarra rushed toward the goal and fired a shot that was partially deflected by MAST goalkeeper Raquel Perez. The ball rolled slowly in front of the goal until Jess Suarez came crashing in and tapped it home to tie the match.
Moments later, freshman Brianna Austin drew a foul inside the line of the 18-yard box prompting a penalty kick. Jarra converted the goal to give the Falcons the lead for good.
Speckmaeyer fired one great driving shot toward the goal, but it was saved by Ferguson’s goalkeeper.
“In this tournament you have to play the fine line between staying fit and overworking too much,” Lopez said. “This is icing on the cake and has its prestige, but it can also take its toll.”
• GMAC semifinal — Miami Springs 2, Palmetto 1: Ale Salazar continued to show why she is one of Miami-Dade County’s top scorers Wednesday by tallying two go-ahead goals in the Golden Hawks’ victory.
Salazar put Miami Springs ahead first with a well-placed 25-yard free kick after a hand ball.
Palmetto tied the match at 1 in the 30th minute. It remained level until 10 minutes remaining in the second half when Salazar found the back of the net again off an assist from Sophia Gomez.
Salazar has 34 goals this season.
“Salazar has been playing unbelievable for us,” Miami Springs coach William Drew said. “This is a pretty special group that if it keeps working hard has the potential to take us far.”
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| MIAMI HERALD
January 11, 2014
1:50:15 PM
Entry #: 4110271
| Ferguson beats Miami Springs for GMAC girls’ soccer title
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/01/11/3863821/ferguson-beats-miami-springs-for.html#storylink=cpy
By Andre C. Fernandez
a1fernandez@MiamiHerald.com
According to coach Richard Lopez, Ferguson’s girls’ soccer team has learned how to govern games this season.
That was evident Friday night as the Falcons dictated the tempo throughout most of their 2-1 GMAC championship clinching victory over Miami Springs at Milander Park.
Ferguson (16-2-1) secured its second GMAC title in the past three seasons.
“The girls have progressed in tremendous fashion,” Lopez said. “Our goal this season is state. Last year was disappointing even though we had a very strong season.
“There’s more of a sense of urgency and focus this season. Everything is starting to come together. We’ll see how we do next week [in the playoffs].”
Seniors Isa Jara and Jess Suarez each scored goals as the Falcons beat the Golden Hawks (18-2-1) 2-1 for the second time this season.
But Ferguson could have added at least two more in the first half with constant pressure on the Miami Springs goal. Jara fired a shot that drifted just wide left of the goal from close range. Moments later, Suarez booted the ball off the right goal post.
“We had possession 80-85 percent of the game,” Lopez said. “Our touches were a lot cleaner than in the semifinals. The one goal we gave up came from a mistake. We have to learn from that because good teams like [Miami Springs] will make you pay for those.”
The Golden Hawks capitalized for their lone goal on a tally by leading scorer Ale Salazar in the sixth minute. That score tied the game at one, just three minutes after Suarez chest-bumped the ball into the goal off a corner kick while battling for it in a crowd of players.
Jara, who also scored in Ferguson’s semifinal win Wednesday against MAST Academy, broke the stalemate in the 53rd minute when she hit a bouncing ball past Springs goalkeeper Brianna Gomez.
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| MIAMI HERALD
January 21, 2014
9:30:52 AM
Entry #: 4111304
| Florida Christian’s Godoy a force in girls’ soccer
BY WALTER VILLA The Miami Herald
BY WALTER VILLA
Special to The Miami Herald
She’s only 5-2 and 105 pounds, but there’s explosive power in Katelyn Godoy’s feet.
There’s visual evidence of that in a video that shows the Florida Christian junior kicking a 40-yard field goal, with no rush, at a practice field, booting the ball impressively high with her left foot.
Amazingly, Godoy had never kicked a football before — or since.
“My football friends just told me to try it, and we kept moving farther and farther back until it was 40 yards,” said Godoy, who added that she also has power in her right leg. “But I don’t know anything about football.”
She knows soccer, and there is statistical evidence — 19 goals with five assists last season as a sophomore, helping her make first-team All-Dade.
“She’s got a powerful leg,” Florida Christian soccer coach Simon Bazyler said of Godoy, who is getting recruiting interest from Florida Gulf Coast, FIU, Florida Atlantic, Stetson and others.
“I’ve been in goal [during soccer practice], and when she kicks it, I brace myself as if one of the stronger guys were kicking.”
Bazyler’s son, Josiah, has kicked 50-yard field goals in practice, and if not for his presence at Florida Christian, Godoy might have been fitted for shoulder pads.
Instead, she is the salvation for Florida Christian soccer. As a freshman, Godoy skipped high school soccer to concentrate on club, and Florida Christian went winless (0-12-1).
This season, Florida Christian got off to 5-7-1 start, and Godoy, 17, produced 20 goals and eight assists in 11 of those games. Of the Patriots’ first 35 goals, she had a role in 28 of them.
Godoy said she is often quadrupled-teamed, and her coach said she gets beat up quite a bit by aggressive defenses.
“Sometimes it’s five players on me but mostly four,” she said. “It’s kind of frustrating.”
Godoy, who has a 4.4 grade-point average and is interested in studying physical therapy, is usually defended one-on-one when she competes in elite club soccer with Sunrise U-17.
Her favorite player in the world is Argentine striker Lionel Messi of Barcelona FC, who inspires her because of his talent and his ability to overcome his own diminutive stature.
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| MIAMI HERALD
January 24, 2014
8:25:28 AM
Entry #: 4111785
| Rodriguez sparks Gulliver to victory over Ransom
BY WALTER VILLA The Miami Herald
Dani Frese, right, of Ransom Everglades battles for the ball against Vanessa Martinez of Gulliver Prep, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2014 at Gulliver. Peter Andrew Bosch / Miami Herald staffFullsize Buy Photoprevious | nextImage 1 of 4Celine Ferraro, left, of Ransom Everglades battles for the ball against Brigitte Northlan of Gulliver Prep, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2014 at Gulliver. Peter Andrew Bosch / Miami Herald staffFullsize Buy Photoprevious | nextImage 2 of 4Dani Frese, left, of Ransom Everglades battles for the ball against Vanessa Martinez of Gulliver Prep, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2014 at Gulliver. Peter Andrew Bosch / Miami Herald staffFullsize Buy Photoprevious | nextImage 3 of 4Dani Frese, left, of Ransom Everglades battles for the ball against Vanessa Martinez of host Gulliver Prep, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2014. Peter Andrew Bosch / Miami Herald staffFullsize Buy Photoprevious | nextImage 4 of 4
Photos BY WALTER VILLA
Special to the Miami Herald
It was just her second goal of the season, but it was a big one for Gulliver Prep’s Carena Rodriguez.
The freshman defender, who played for Coral Reef last season, scored after a scramble in front of the net, helping host Gulliver eliminate Ransom Everglades 2-0 Thursday afternoon in a Class 2A regional quarterfinal.
Gulliver (15-0-2) advances to Tuesday’s regional semifinal at Mast.
“Someone gave me a cross, I didn’t give up, I slid, and it went in,” Rodriguez said when asked to describe her goal, which came with just 10 minutes elapsed in the game.
That “someone” was sophomore defender Nicole Martinez, and the result of the goal and two first-half injuries were devastating to Ransom (9-5-4), which was eliminated by Gulliver for the second straight year.
Greg Noblet, who on Thursday completed his seventh season as Ransom’s coach, has never beaten rival Gulliver. But Ransom did manage its first tie (1-1) in the Noblet era when the teams met on Nov. 16.
Ransom senior goalie Charlsey Zynes, a Pepperdine University recruit, made some big stops that day. But by the following month, she was out for the season due to a knee injury suffered while playing club ball.
The bad breaks continued for Ransom Tuesday when starting defender Nikki Court-Reuss, a senior, left the game with a right-ankle injury and junior midfielder Celine Ferraro, who leads the team in goals (14) and assists (17) hurt her right wrist.
Given that undefeated Gulliver has allowed only two goals all season, a Ransom rally without its top scorer did not seem likely.
“That didn’t help,” Noblet said of the injuries.
Ransom has four seniors on its roster but – due to the injuries – only one was on the field by the end of the game.
Gulliver is also young, with just three seniors on its roster, although one is goalie Ciara Keane, who earned a rather easy shutout Thursday.
Another Gulliver senior, Hansine Vexlund, got the second goal, which came on a penalty kick with 20 minutes left in the game. She booted her goal to the right corner, beating Ransom’s Alexa Bishophric, who guessed the other way.
Bishophric, a sophomore who allowed just nine goals in 18 games while filling in for Zyne, made two big saves in the final 15 minutes. She denied Gulliver junior Brigitte Northland of both occasions.
Gulliver, which lost in last year’s state final and won the 2A title in 2011, could face Delray Beach American Heritage in a regional final. AH had won 17 straight state playoff games – and three consecutive state titles – before Gulliver beat it 4-2 last season.
“We didn’t play very well (Thursday), but we will take the win,” Gulliver Coach Everton Edwards said. “We’ve got some work to do.”
• Region 5A Quarterfinal: Ferguson 2, Coral Gables 0: One swipe swipe of a leg cut trough winter chill and made blanketed bleachers bellow in Ferguson’s 2-0 Class 5A Regional quarterfinal win against Coral Gables Thursday at Tropical Park.
It was Marcela Ramirez’s extremity that ended an extremely frustrating first half for the Falcons. Ramirez dribbled in from the left side and knifed into the box. After a slight scrum in front of net, Ramirez secured the ball and fired into the net in the 64thminute. The Falcons (17-2-1) had more than 20 shots on goal in the first half.
“I dribbled in diagonally and saw they were all backing up and I ripped it back post,” Ramirez said. “It was very frustrating, but we did it. I had confidence in my team. I knew we could do it.”
Gables keeper Isa Izquierdo wasted Ferguson for an empty scoring clip in the first half, but the short handed Cavaliers (15-5-3) couldn’t muster any offensive insurance.
“She played well,” Cavaliers coach Eddie Aguirre said. “We had a scheme set up to basically force them to shoot from outside and we have five starters out with injuries and we had no offense. We had to rely on our defense to keep us in the game and they did.”
The Falcons final blow came with less than two minutes. Isa Jara posted up inside the box as an incoming free kick came to her boot via head ball. Jara turned and volleyed the pass into the far post past the keeper.
“It was more the adjustments being made and the girls stepping up the intensity in the second half,” Falcons coach Richard Lopez said. “Marcela creating that first goal, following it up and putting the nail in the coffin.”
The Falcons play the winner of Lourdes and South Dade Tuesday in a regional semifinal game.
“We are excited about he next round,” Ramirez said. “This is my last year, as a senior, and I really want to make it count.”
ALEX BUTLER
• Region 4-4A Quarterfinal: Miami Springs 4, South Broward 1: In a game that had a feeling much the same as it did a year ago, the Miami Springs girls soccer team overcame a sluggish first half and answered the halftime bell to score three second half goals to roll to a 4-1 victory over South Broward in a Region 4-A quarterfinal contest at Traz Powell Stadium Thursday night.
It was a year ago that Springs traveled to South Broward in the same round and, after being locked in a 1-1 tie at the half, went on to a 5-1 win.
“Yeah, it kind of felt the same way again,” said Springs coach William Drew who saw his team improve to 20-2-1. “We were locked in a dogfight with them last year at halftime just like tonight. Fortunately our girls came out and put a few quick scores up on them to start the second half and we were okay from there.”
After Springs’ Ale Salazar scored her 40th goal of the season in the game’s seventh minute to give her team an early 1-0 lead, South Broward battled back on a goal from Kaycee Braeseke in the 15th minute, a header off a corner kick from her sister Kylie.
The Bulldogs (14-7-0) then battled Springs toe-to-toe the rest of the first half and felt poised to pull off the upset, locked in a 1-1 tie at the half.
But Springs came out cooking early in the second when, just four minutes in, Annette Cea scored from the left side off an assist Alyssa Deno to put the Hawks up for good. Sofia Dela Puente then popped one in three minutes later to make it 3-1 before Deno scored in the 54th minute off an assist from Cea to complete the scoring.
Springs, which has gone at least to the regional finals eight of the last nine years, will travel to Broward County next Tuesday (Jan. 28) to take on Pembroke Pines Charter, which defeated TERRA 4-0, in a regional semifinal.
BILL DALEY
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| MIAMI HERALD
January 24, 2014
8:28:31 AM
Entry #: 4111787
| ROUNDUP
Lourdes stays on track for state title
BY ANDRE C. FERNANDEZ The Miami Herald
BY ANDRE C. FERNANDEZ
a1fernandez@MiamiHerald.com
With a strong core of players from last year’s state runner-up finish, the Lourdes girls’ soccer team is still one of the state’s best.
The Bobcats entered the regional playoffs Thursday undefeated and looking to begin another run at the championship.
Freshman Natalie Silberman’s goal in the 23rd minute made sure Lourdes would move one step closer with a 1-0 victory over South Dade in a Region 4-5A quarterfinal at Columbus.
The Bobcats (21-0-3) advanced to play Ferguson in the regional semifinals Tuesday, likely to be played at Columbus at 7 p.m.
“The scoreboard doesn’t tell the full story of the game because we had plenty of chances to score,” Lourdes coach Ramiro Vengoechea said. “This team is poised right now to go deep in the playoffs.”
Silberman’s goal could have been accompanied by a few more as Lourdes applied consistent pressure on South Dade’s goal throughout the second half. The Bucs (11-6-2) fended off several scoring attempts, however.
Lourdes senior goalkeeper Jenny Herold preserved the one goal advantage and recorded the shutout.
“Our core of juniors were a big part of our success last season and those girls have played a big part this year,” Vengoechea said.
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