Boca wins district title

DEERFIELD BEACH — Junior forward Kendra Cashion scored three goals and added an assist as Boca Raton remained undefeated as it blanked Spanish River, 7-0 for the District 12-5A girls soccer championship on Friday night at Deerfield Beach High School.

“I think we made a statement tonight,” said Cashion, who has 31 goals and 19 assists for the season. “This is just the beginning. I think we have a really good team and a special group of girls.”

Junior midfielder Stephanie Dodson scored twice, while junior forward Dayana Martin had a goal and an assist and sophomore midfielder Gabi Santora had a goal and two assists. Senior goalkeeper Ali Ward and sophomore goalkeeper Jane Nordhagen combined for the team’s 15th shutout of the year.

Boca Raton (21-0) grabbed a 1-0 lead in the eighth minute following a great individual effort by Martin. The junior forward dribbled through four defenders and was brought down about 20 yards from goal where Cashion pounced on the loose ball and buried the shot for the only goal the Bobcats needed.

The Bobcats made it 2-0 when Cashion streaked down the flank and hit a left-footed cross to Dodson who scored off a header in 22nd minute. Boca Raton added two more goals before the intermission by Santora and Cashion to take a 4-0 halftime lead.

Boca Raton held Spanish River (15-8-2) without a shot in the first half and took 11 of its own. Boca Raton outshot the Sharks, 20-3 for the game.

Martin pushed the lead to 5-0 when she scored her 33rd goal with a left footed blast from 18 yards out. Dodson and Cashion also scored in the second half for Boca who will host Palm Beach Central next Thursday night. Spanish River will travel to Wellington.

“This is some of the best soccer we played all season,” said Boca Raton coach Rachael Grimes. “I think everybody really shared the ball tonight. It is nice to get this type of win going into regionals. I think our confidence will be pretty high.”

For the third time in school history the Bobcats went the through the regular season undefeated, and the previous two times, Boca Raton reached the final four.

In 1991, the team was 22-0 before falling in the state final to Bishop Moore, 1-0. The Bobcats were 25-0 in 1992 before falling to Hialeah Miami Lakes, 4-1 in the semifinal. Boca Raton reached the final four in 2010 where it lost on a golden goal to Palm Harbor, 1-0, however it wasn’t undefeated at the time. Boca Raton was also state runner-up in 1990, 1993 and 1997

Spanish River, which won state titles in 1996, 1997 and 1999, came the closest to scoring in the 65th minute when junior midfielder Sydney Sauer hit the post on a 40-yard free kick. Boca Raton won the previous two meetings during the season between the two teams, 5-0 and 6-1.