(This story has been updated to add new information.)
The lights got turned out, but for St. Johns Country Day, the party is far from over.
The Spartans weathered two lengthy power outages, but they received more than enough energy from Victoria Sarka to nail down a 15th consecutive regional championship, defeating Mount Dora Christian 7-0 in the Florida High School Athletic Association Region 1-1A girls soccer final on Feb. 13.
Senior striker Sarka scored four first-half goals for the Spartans (15-3-3), who exploited set plays and a rampaging wing game to leave the visitors behind.
That is, when the lights were on. The stadium plunged into darkness midway through the second half, halting play for 15 minutes. Once the teams resumed, power failed again, sending both to the sidelines for 15 minutes more.
“First time in 28 years I’ve seen that [double power failure] happen,” longtime Spartans coach Mike Pickett said.
St. Johns hasn’t lost a regional game since 2011 and hasn’t even allowed a goal in the phase since 2021, and they didn’t face any serious threats this time, either. Keeper Alyvia Bishop had to make only one save against Mount Dora Christian (13-4-2), as Joy Swartz, Annabelle Ernst and Jenna Friedman combined to lock down the defense.
Trevecca Nazarene signee Sarka set the tone in the 10th minute off Alana Mantello’s corner kick, and romped down the right wing to add three more before halftime. Annabelle Ernst, Calli Berrang and Lizzie Nowicki tacked on later goals.
“We did our job, just coming out on the front foot and stepping on the gas,” said Sarka, who lifted her season tally to 32 goals.
The reigning state champions now advance to a Jan. 20 state semifinal against Lakeland Victory Christian at Lake Myrtle Sports Park in Auburndale.
REGION 1-2A
Ally Thiel and Lia Barbato scored as Providence punched its ticket for the final four, winning 2-1 on home turf against Episcopal (15-5).
The Stallions (14-4-2), who also defeated Episcopal in the district tournament, advance to a state semifinal in Auburndale at 1 p.m. Feb. 17. against Palmer Trinity.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Victoria Sarka’s four goals power St. Johns in girls soccer playoff
Reporting by Clayton Freeman, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
