Gulliver girls advance to state final

MIAMI — Despite taking down Gulliver Prep’s girls water polo team during the regular season, Winter Park couldn’t force the same result against the Miami team Friday, falling 9-4 in the state semifinals at Ransom Everglades Aquatic Center.

In a match-up between high-scoring powerhouses, the contest quickly became a battle of goalies.

Carroll Vaughan, in her ninth season as Raiders coach, credits sophomore goalkeeper Elizabeth Perez as one of the biggest factors in Gulliver’s success. Perez, who has tallied 176 saves on the season, was able to hold off some of Winter Park’s top scorers to keep Gulliver in the game.

While Perez shut down scoring chances in goal, Nicole Aulicino dominated the pool for the Raiders (23-6). The junior notched a game-high four goals, raising her season total to 84 over 24 games.

In the second girls semifinal, despite a delay due to lack of lighting, Olympia maintained its perfect record — improving to 25-0 — by clawing its way to a 12-9 win over Hialeah (21-3).

The Titans, out of Orlando, got off to a sluggish start, trailing after one quarter, but struck hard in the second, tying the game at 5-5 heading into half time.

The back-and-forth battle continued after intermission, but just as Hialeah had garnered a 7-6 lead

“We’ve played them three times and we’ve lost all three times, so we really need to be on our game.” Carroll Vaughan, Gulliver Prep coach

with 1:52 left in the third quarter, lights on the pool deck shut off causing a stoppage of play. But the delay didn’t hinder either team’s momentum, as the third quarter ended in a stalemate with the game tied 8-8.

Olympia made a final push in the fourth quarter, scoring three unanswered goals to secure a spot in the state final.

Olympia and Gulliver will go head-to-head at 2 p.m. Saturday.

After falling to Ransom Everglades in last year’s state finals, the Titans are looking for a shot at redemption. Vaughan is looking to capitalize on Gulliver’s third state championship appearance during her career as head coach.

Gulliver and Olympia have met three times this season and Vaughan is looking forward to the rematch in the state finals.

“We’ve played them three times and we’ve lost all three times, so we really need to be on our game,” Vaughan said.

“It’s hard to beat a team four times,” Vaughan added.