Celebration goalkeeper Allyson Witt (right) made a pair of huge stops in the penalty kick shootout Tuesday after a 1-1 draw in regulation. (Photo/Taylor McFee)
Emerlynn Albarran scored a second-half goal and goalie Allyson Witt made two big shootout saves as the Celebration Storm (15-4) captured their first ever girls’ District 7A-7 championship, 4-2 in penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw after regulation and overtime on a chilly, blustery Tuesday night at The Ranch.
“We got together at halftime and recognized what our goals were coming into the game and we were able to come together as team,” Celebration Coach Rebecca Camis said. “Huge shout out to our goalkeeper Ali (Witt) and our defense. They came up really big for us.”
It was a tough loss for the Longhorns, who dominated the first half, when Harmony in shots (10-3), shots on goal (6-2) and corner kicks (6-0) but could not find the back of the net.
Harmony had two excellent scoring opportunities in the first eight minutes of the game. Jada Bloodworth had a takeaway on an errant pass from Witt right in front of the Storm net but was unable to get a shot off before a defender cleared the ball away. Minutes later off a set piece, Machaela Looper sent a corner kick to the front of the box where Gabriella Guzman hard blast from just inside the box bounced off the right.
Celebration did not get their first shot off until the 15-minute mark of the half and only two in the period, both of which were easily stopped by Longhorn goalie Faith Hyzer.
“Unfortunately, soccer is like that sometimes,” Harmony coach Scott Marlega said. “You can totally dominate in possession, shots, everything and still not score. The next thing you know, the momentum switches around. They played better in the second half and deserved the win.”
Celebration dominated the second half. Albarran gave the Storm the lead when she took a pass down the left flank and made a long run before making a nifty move past a Harmony defender and beat Hyzer to high right side of the net.
But Bloodworth knotted the game with 13 minutes left by weaving through traffic and burying a shot in the lower right corner to make it 1-1.
Although the Storm led the second half in possession, shots (9-4) and shots on goal (4-3), it was the Longhorns who still had an opportunity to win the game in regulation. They had one goal taken off the board on a close off-sides call and then with time running down, Bloodworth got behind the Storm defense on two long runs down the right side – only to see Witt make two outstanding saves.
In two 10-minute overtimes neither team mustered a game-winning opportunity. “Neither team substituted much in the game, so fatigue was certainly a factor in overtime,” Marlega said. “But both teams were also cautious defensively. No one wanted to make a mistake that would lose the game.”
The shootout belonged to Witt and the Storm. After both teams converted their first two chances. Witt stopped a Sarah Harris attempt and Mayah Casamalhuapa converted to give the Storm a 3-2 lead. Witt then got enough of a hand on Jadyn Frost’s blast to send it harmlessly off the left post. Leandra Oliveira then clinched the win, sending a shot left that Hyzer guessed right on.
The victory avenged Celebration’s 3-2 loss to Harmony in the championship game of the Orange Belt Conference Tournament back on Dec. 12.
“They (Harmony) are a really good team and to win a district title on their home field was really a great feeling because we haven’t done it in years,” Camis added.
Celebration will now advance as district champions, while Harmony is also expected to secure one of the four available at-large spots in next week’s Region 2 tournament. Girls regional quarterfinal games will be played next Thursday, boys games on Friday. The FHSAA is expected to release regional brackets this Thursday evening.
“We fully expect to be playing next week,” Marlega added. “There is even a shot of getting a home game, but whether we are seeded first or eighth, anything can happen in the postseason.”
Those teams will not be the only ones from Osceola advancing. On Friday night, Carlysle Lewis and Alejandro Echevarria scored second half goals to lead the Harmony boys team to a 2-1 come-from-behind road win over Celebration to capture the District 7A-7 title,
“We are definitely not the same group we were at the beginning of the season,” Coach Brett Ballard said of his 9-6-3 Longhorn team. “Scoring twice in the second half at Celebration really showed what type of team we are and can be. It was our first district title in 13 years but we know the job is not finished. We have the pieces and depth to make a run in regionals no matter who we play.”
District Girls Soccer Results
7A, D6 -Semifinals
Celebration 10, Poinciana 2
Harmony 2, St. Cloud 0
Final
Celebration 1, Harmony 1 (4-2 PK)
5A, D7-Quarterfinals
Lake Buena Vista 4, Gateway 0
4A, D7-Quarterfinals
Mulberry 8, Liberty 0
6A, D7-Quarterfinals
Lakeland 9, Osceola 1
7A, D6-Quarterfinals
Cypress Creek 1, Tohopekaliga 0
District Boys Soccer Results
7A, D7 -Semifinals
Harmony 3, Poinciana 0
Celebration 3, St. Cloud 1
Final
Harmony 2, Celebration 1
5A, D7-Semifinals
Auburndale 3, Gateway 2
4A, D7-Quarterfinals
Lake Region 8, Liberty 1
6A, D7-Quarterfinals
Osceola 1*, Lake Gibson 1
Semifinals
Lakeland 1, Osceola 0
7A, D6-Semifinals
|Freedom 5, Tohopekaliga 2
*won shootout
