Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Heritage-Delray, Oxbridge both advance
FORT LAUDERDALE — Like it has for three of the previous four meetings, American Heritage-Delray ended Cardinal Gibbons’ girls soccer season.
Stallions junior midfielder Sara Borer scored a leftfooted goal off a free kick in the 53rd minute to give visiting Heritage-Delray (12-4-1) the only goal it needed in a 1-0 victory over Cardinal Gibbons in Region 4-2A quarterfinal play Thursday night.
Borer’s 18th goal of the season came from 33 yards out and just tucked in the top corner of the far post to send the Stallions to the regional semifinal Tuesday at Oxbridge Academy, a 1-0 winner over North Broward Prep.
“I was blown away by the goal honestly,” said Borer. “I had to put it in, otherwise it would have been our last game and it wouldn’t have been fun. I can’t believe I scored. Coach (Paul Gregory) said we needed heroes tonight and when the girls called me one, that made me feel amazing.”
“That was a gorgeous shot,” said Cardinal Gibbons coach Margo Flack. “I don’t think there is any goalkeeper in the country that would have saved that.”
Early on, it looked like neither team would find the back of the net. Cardinal Gibbons held a slight advantage in shots, 3-2. The best chance for either team came in the 37th minute when Stallions freshman Alexis Alarcon blistered a shot from 30 yards out that Chiefs senior goalkeeper Ryleigh Brown tipped over the bar.
“It was a frustrating night for us,” Flack said. “I don’t think we came out the way we wanted to. They showed up and had a game plan that had us on our heels for some reason. It wasn’t good enough.”
American Heritage-Delray also defeated Cardinal Gibbons in 2013 and in 2015 in the regional quarterfinals. The Chiefs won last season’s regional quarterfinal meeting, 4-1.
OXBRIDGE 1, NORTH BROWARD PREP 0:
Allison Breed’s goal with 19:50 remaining was the difference as Oxbridge defeated North Broward Prep in Thursday’s other Region 4-2A quarterfinal.
The speedy junior outraced a North Broward Prep defender at about the 35-yard line, dodged goalie Sam Susi and went in for an uncontested breakaway.
“I just saw the ball go through,” Breed said. “I ran as hard as I could. The goalie was coming out pretty hard. I just touched it past her and hit it in.”
Oxbridge, which defeated Cardinal Newman 3-0 in the district semifinals and then Heritage-Delray 1-0 for the district championship, will now play Thursday’s Heritage-Delray vs. Cardinal Gibbons winner in the regional semifinals.
The ThunderWolves’ (11-1-2) only loss is a 6-0 verdict to Boca High on Jan. 9.
“Tough one to swallow,” North Broward Prep coach Tricia Amrhein said. “I have a pretty big senior class. We wanted to come out and win it for our seven seniors.
“We made a few too many mistakes and they capitalized on one of our mistakes and put it in the back of the net.”
Susi, a Wagner College commit, kept North Broward Prep in the match with several big saves. She made key stops on shots from Breed, Maryland commit Jordan Schaefer and sophomore Hannah Kanjian.
“She made amazing saves and definitely made it hard to score,” Breed said.
Goalie Merissa Chu posted the shutout for Oxbridge.
North Broward Prep defeated Pine Crest, 2-1, in the district semis and lost to Cardinal Gibbons, 3-0, for the district championship.
The Eagles’ season ends 14-7-1. Midfielder Morgan Hawes is headed to play at FGCU and Morgan Sherman, who was injured late in the year, will play at James Madison.