Palmetto, Cypress Bay ready for another battle for region title
The rematch is set. Weston Cypress Bay and Miami Palmetto will face off in the Region 4-7A championship on Tuesday for the second consecutive year, with the winner coming within two wins of a state championship.
Palmetto, the top seed in the region, advanced with a 3-1 win over fifthseeded Dr. Krop at Tropical Park. Third-seeded Cypress Bay shut out No. 2 seed Stoneman Douglas.
Cypress Bay, which has finished as state runner-up each of the past three seasons, won the regional final matchup against Palmetto last year, 4-0.
But both teams will head into the regional final with confidence with the way their seasons have unfolded.
Palmetto (17-2-1) has won nine of its past 10.
The Panthers allowed only two shots on goal and never trailed Friday against Krop, controlling the vast majority of the possession and playing with a lead for nearly 60 minutes.
Palmetto scored first on a penalty kick in the 23rd minute when Panthers striker Catherine Green drew a foul in the box and Palmetto midfielder Jasyn Altcheck converted from the spot, then pushed the lead to 2-0 at halftime on a goal by Green in the 33rd. Dr. Krop (12-4) tested the Panthers’ goalkeeper only once in the first half.
“We were a little nervous for a couple minutes,” Palmetto coach Alex Castro said, “but then as soon as we got a hold on the game we knew we had them.”
The same thing happened in the second half. Dr. Krop scored in the 46th minute and, suddenly, a commanding performance turned tight. Dr. Krop got one more quality chance in the second half, but otherwise Palmetto kept control and finally buried its county rival in the final 10 minutes.
In the 73rd, the Panthers got a free kick from more than 40 yards out, near the left sideline, and Palmetto defender Vanessa Zenan lined up for a long entry pass. She launched the shot toward the goal and it took one bounce in front of the net, bouncing just high enough to keep Dr. Krop’s goaltender from grabbing it. Two Panthers crashed to the goal and Altcheck got just enough of the ball to knock it into the net.
Teammates swarmed her near the goal. Teammates hugged Zenan near midfield. Palmetto survived its scare.
“That just made us a lot more calm,” Altcheck said.
Cypress Bay (14-4-1), meanwhile, is on an 11game win streak, including 10 consecutive shutouts, after starting the season 3-4-1.
Lightning coach Kate Dwyer attributed the slow start to the season to players adjusting to new roles.
Two of their top forwards from last season’s state runner-up team are playing collegiately now — Megan Morgan at Florida State, Camila Jimenez at Alabama State. Their third, Mila Erceg, transferred to Archbishop McCarthy.
Dwyer’s one-two punch at the top are seniors Madalyn Brouse and Hannah Mason, neither of whom had played forward until this year. Brouse was a midfielder. Mason played center back.
Together, the two have combined for 25 goals this season.
“The team leads and feeds off [Brouse] and Hannah up top,” Dwyer said.
That was apparent Friday.
Brouse scored twice and added an assist. She tapped in the opening goal just 2:12 into regulation after Stoneman Douglas’ goalkeeper failed to properly play the ball and then added her second goal 17 minutes into the second half after receiving a pass from Barbie Garcia.
Mason added a goal of her own in the 17th minute, also taking advantage of sloppy play from Stoneman Douglas’ goalkeeper to give Cypress Bay a 3-0 lead.
Antonella Solari, Sarah Rubio and Garcia rounded out Cypress Bay’s scoring on Friday.
“I’m speechless,”
Dwyer said. “We have not played like that all year. For us to show up at the most important time against the best public team in Broward County, I couldn’t ask for more.”
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