Raiders score final five goals to punch ticket to state finals
JUPITER — Down two goals with less than eight minutes to play, St. Thomas Aquinas didn’t panic.
Just a week earlier, the Raiders’ girls lacrosse team found itself in a similar predicament, trailing American Heritage-Delray by three goals in the second half. St. Thomas rallied to force overtime and beat the Stallions in the regional finals.
Playing in their first state semifinal Friday against Naples Barron Collier, the Raiders needed a spark once again to keep their dream season alive on a sweltering, sunny day at Jupiter High School.
Once again, St. Thomas wouldn’t be denied.
Trailing 9-7 with 7:30 left, St. Thomas scored the final five goals in the contest to knock off the Cougars, 12-9, and advance to Saturday’s state title game. The Raiders will play Bishop Moore at 4:05 p.m.
“I feel so secure with the girls I put out there,” Raiders coach Samantha MacCurdy said. “They trust each other and stay so composed. They knew they could come back.”
Senior midfielder Ali Beekhuizen scored a game-high five goals, including the tying and goahead goals.
“[Beekhuizen] makes things happen when we absolutely need them,” MacCurdy said. “’It’s so impressive. She’s like a gazelle out there — very fluid, very confident.”
Despite the oppressive heat, amplified by the turf field at Velocity Community Credit Union Stadium, Beekhuizen never ran out of gas. The Ohio State signee dominated in between the lines, winning draws and sprinting past defenders to push the ball in transition.
“I’m really tired,” Beekhuizen said afterward, laughing. “I always tell my teammates if we need to carry you off the field, we will. Just give it all you have, so it’s more of a mental thing.”
Jada Preston and Jessica Kelly each scoredtwogoals for the Raiders, while Logan Tingley, Carly Steinlauf and Caroline Stefans each tallied one.
Nationally ranked St. Thomas sprinted out to a 4-0 lead in the first seven minutes behind three goals by Beekhuizen. Barron Collier battled back, cutting its deficit to 7-6 at halftime.
In the second half, momentum swung to the Cougars as they scored three straight to open up a 9-7 advantage with 16:30 left.
After a scoreless nine minutes, the Raiders mounted their comeback. With 7:20 remaining, Caroline Stefans buried a goal out of the free position to cut the deficit to one.
The turning point came with less than five minutes to play after St. Thomas was forced to compete a player down following a yellow card. Instead of trying to burn time off the clock, the Cougarswent for a potential back-breaking goal, but the shot sailed over the net, swinging possession back to the Raiders.
From there, St. Thomas scored four straight to punch its ticket to the state final.
wdusenbury@sunsentinel .com, Twitter@dusereport