Down a pair of key starters for its Class 5A state semifinal matchup, the North Fort Myers girls soccer team knew it would have to maximize its offensive chances against the defensive wizardry of Tallahassee Chiles to pull off the upset.
The Red Knights could not, falling 1-0 to the Timberwolves at Spec Martin Stadium in DeLand on Friday, Feb. 27.
Sophomore forward Kendall Sadberry notched the game’s only goal in the 43rd minute, taking a long pass from senior Katie Vernon and beating North Fort Myers goalkeeper Hope Cordeiro with a precision blast from outside the left box into the top of the net.
Falling behind in the second half against any opponent is tough, but against Chiles, it’s particularly deadly. The Timberwolves (15-3-1) earned their 14th shutout victory of the season behind the stellar play of their back line, which virtually eliminated any quality scoring chances for the Red Knights.
North Fort Myers (17-4-2) controlled possession for most of the first half with Chiles seemingly content to lie back and play to its defensive strengths. The Red Knights’ pressure led to a handful of shots, but from subpar angles, allowing Timberwolves sophomore goalkeeper Gracie Gerteisen to handle them easily.
Chiles got its offensive attack going in the back end of the opening half, generating a pair of near misses. The first came in the 25th minute when senior Charlotte Reynolds slipped a pass from the right sideline through the North defense to Sadberry. But she pulled the wide-open chance right of Cordeiro and the Red Knights’ goal.
Ten minutes later, the Timberwolves missed getting on the board by millimeters when Reynolds blasted a long shot that dipped over Cordeiro but clanged off the crossbar.
Following Sadberry’s goal, her team-leading 17th of the season, Chiles tightened the defensive screws even more as North seeked the equalizer. Perhaps its best chance came in the 56th minute when sophomore Jaelyn Hoefer controlled the bouncing ball in the box, turned and fired a shot. But it deflected harmlessly off the upper body of a sliding Gerteisen and was cleared.
Cordeiro came up with a big save in the 68th minute with an aggressive challenge on Timberwolves freshman Grace Toulon on the doorstep to keep it a one-goal game.
In the 73rd minute, Hoefer, who’s made a habit of scoring from long distance this season, rocketed a free kick from about 30 yards just a hair over the crossbar.
North, which was seeking its second state championship game appearance, played without senior fullback and defensive anchor Kinsley Seidel and its second-leading scorer Bailey Root, both of whom missed the game with injuries.
The Red Knights, who became the first team in North’s athletic history to reach three consecutive state semifinals, will lose five seniors for this year’s team: Seidel, defenders Karmen Rich and Sophia Quartuccio, and forwards Brianna Habigar and Angelina Toro. However, the Red Knights will bring back plenty of offensive firepower with eight of its top 10 scorers eligible to return.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: North Fort Myers girls soccer falls short in Class 5A state semifinal
Reporting by Dan DeLuca, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
