Lady Mavericks earn first state soccer title

By Lynn Ramsey - Florida Catholic

SOUTHWEST RANCHES | After Archbishop McCarthy High lost 1-0 in last year’s Class 4A final to Montverde, coach Mike Sica made it his mission to get his Mavericks to finish every chance they had.

Because of that, Archbishop McCarthy won its first state championship with a 2-0 victory over Ponte Vedra on Feb. 28, 2020 in the Class 5A girls soccer state-championship match. The victory caps a climb that started with a 2018 state semifinal finish and went through a 2019 state-final loss before reaching the pinnacle. The Mavericks finished No. 3 in the MaxPreps national rankings.

“The big thing was we capitalized on all our chances, which was a big sticking point for us,” Sica said. “When we get an opportunity, we take advantage of it.”

The Mavericks (22-1-2) were outshot 16-5, but they won the first 20 minutes and the final 20 minutes. McCarthy scored in the 5th minute when University of Central Florida signee Jordyn Pitter’s pass bounced off a Ponte Vedra defender into the goal.

“That was a perfect execution of what we were doing. Jordyn takes the ball and gets past the defense,” Sica said. “We teach them that when they get behind the defense to stay there, then serve the ball low and hard into the box. She beat her defender and ripped it low. There were two players waiting on the ball. The defender did what she should’ve done, putting her foot out to block the ball. It just happened to go into the goal.”

Junior Lilliana Katz scored in the 62nd minute off an Eliana Ramirez assist to give the Mavericks extra cushion. The setup was similar, only the Mavericks finished it off. “The second goal was a textbook example of something we’ve done a thousand times,” Sica said.

In between that, the Mavericks withstood a Ponte Vedra barrage. Isabella Quintero made one save in the first half, and Paloma Pena made four saves in the second half. Sica credited not only the keepers, but also defenders Kelly Hastings, Kimmy Cover, Nadia Colon and Jessica Gonzales.

Hastings said she was happy the team could give Sica his first state title. Hastings, who will play soccer at University of North Carolina-Charlotte, said the defenders wanted to finish the job. “They came in strong in the second half, so we had to keep the defense on lockdown to not let any mistakes happen,” Hastings said. “We tried to pass direct, because we were already up 1-0.”

She also said the Mavericks had a focus they did not have last year. “Last year, everything was against us,” she said. “Even the bus broke down. But everything was lined up in place this year.”

 

RETURNING MOST OF THE TOOLS

The Mavericks lost five from the Class of 2019, but a 10-strong senior class led the team this year. Sica said that they helped the team bond even more. He said they played as a unit. Plus, they had something else on their mind.

“All of them had been to the state semis (in 2018), that heartbreaking loss where we led 4-0 and lost 5-4,” Sica said. “They were also there for the Montverde final, losing 1-0. Those seniors were determined to finish it right.”

The Mavericks did so with a balanced offense that mixed senior leadership and underclassmen. Pitter and Katz each led the team with 17 goals, both nearly doubling their production from last year. After leading the team with goals as a freshman, sophomore Sophia Goetz added 14 goals despite missing all but 2 minutes of the postseason with a torn hamstring.

Sica said the balance made it difficult for opponents to stop the Mavericks. “If we cared about getting one player 50 goals, that makes the opponents’ job easier,” Sica said. “We have four, five, six girls who can score 10 or more goals.”

Some players also shifted roles. Nadia Colon, who scored eight goals as a junior, led the team as a senior with 14 assists. Sica said that Colon recently played on the Dominican Republic Under-20 national team in a recent World Cup qualifier, leading her nation to the semifinals.

Adriana Duque, who scored 14 goals last year, took more of a midfield role and had only two goals in her junior year. “She did a great job,” Sica said. “She was more of a holding midfielder, breaking up passes, winning balls in midair. She did a lot of the dirty work. She has a torn labrum in her hip, but she still played.”

The Mavericks also rode goalies Quintero, Pena and Jordyn Gifford. All three had goals-against averages under 1, combining for 16 shutouts. Sica said he rotated the goalkeepers all season because they were all good.

They formed the backstop for a defense Sica called the best in the state. “Between the four of them – defenders and goalkeepers – they kept us in every single game,” Sica said.

Hastings said the defense is very close, largely because their friendship transcends soccer. They also share classes.

“We know we have each other’s back,” she said. “It’s tough to trust someone, but when you’re playing with them for four or three years, the trust makes it better for everyone.”

 

‘WE’RE LIKE THE MOMS OF THE TEAM’

Hastings said that it’s always a challenge to bring in newcomers, but the Mavericks worked hard to form a family atmosphere. Their goal was to have fun but also win, with every game leading to the finals.

She said the seniors worked hard to get everyone involved. “We’re like the moms of the team, so we make sure everyone is in their place,” she said. “We’re all leaders. It helps that all the seniors are really close.”

Several of those seniors will be playing college soccer. Riley Balser, who tore her anterior-cruciate ligament before the postseason, will play at Seton Hall University. Colon will play at University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley. Cassie Lawson will play at Babson College in Boston.

Sica tested the team with a schedule that included three other state finalists. One of the key moments for the Mavericks was going 1-1-1 at the South Bay Classic in San Ysidro, Calif. Their only loss of the season was a 4-0 defeat to Los Alamitos, California, which last year finished No. 2 behind Montverde and this year finished 17th in the MaxPreps’ national poll.

After that loss, the Mavericks went 12-0-2 to win their first championship.

“It was amazing, honestly,” Hastings said. “The failures gave us motivation to win at the end. We got to learn and basically mess up in the past games to win in the final.”

 

JUNIORS NOW GET TO LEAD

Archbishop McCarthy’s path to a state-title repeat will not be easy. The Mavericks will have six 2020 juniors who will step into senior leadership.

That 2021 senior class will be led by Katz and Madison Burkhard at forward, Cover and Gonzalez at defender, Duque at midfield and Gifford in goal.

Hastings said that the underclassmen already have confidence and are displaying it vocally and in their play. Sica said that four freshmen who played in the state final – Pena, Bella Rocco, Jasmine Herrera and Kiana Rhee-Osorio – will play key roles next year.

“Overnight we go from an old team to basically, we’ll be very good but young,” Sica said. “It’ll be the same thing. We’ll schedule as many hard games as we can to get to the postseason.”