Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Bobcats let early lead, title hopes slip away
BOCA RATON — Staked to an early lead and aggressive throughout, Boca Raton looked poised for a return to the state championship game. But with the Bobcats unable to score again after the game’s second minute, Miami Lourdes prevailed with a goal in the 88th minute by Niki Molina to take a 2-1 win in a Class 5A State Semifinal game, Friday at Boca Raton.
Two late miscues gave Lourdes (23-1) the break they needed to break the deadlock and avenge last year’s loss to Boca in the State Semifinals. With most of the first overtime, and second half, played with Boca on the attack, Boca was called for a handball on a ball sent back, giving Lourdes a free kick from about 25 yards out.
The scoring attempt was thwarted but Boca (18-3-1) couldn’t mount a counterattack. On a throw-in from about 30 yards out, the Boca defender missed on a header and the ball landed at the feet of Molina, who scored the winning goal.
“We had the better of the play and a couple of times we were knocking on the door to score a goal, but we just couldn’t put it in the back of the net,” Boca coach Rachael Grimes said.
Boca shot right out to the lead after Dayana Martin took a pass sent in from the back half from about 30 yards out and dribbled past three defenders into the clear, scoring low to the right just two minutes into the contest.
Lourdes scored the equalizer in the 16th minute as Mia Atrio broke free from her defenders just inside the 18-yard box.
“We played the way we have played all year,” Grimes said. “We attacked and we got the ball down towards the end of the goal, but we just didn’t finish. At the end of the day they finished and we didn’t and they are moving on.”