For the second straight year, a pair of area teams advanced to the girls soccer state semifinals.
Dayana Martin (#12) scored three goals for Boca Raton in its 4-0 win over Vero Beach Tuesday. The Bobcats host Miami-Our Lady of Lourdes Academy tonight in a Class 5A state semifinal. (Andres Leiva/Palm Beach Post)
Like last year, Oxbridge Academy and Boca Raton won their Class 2A and Class 5A regional championship games, and will play tonight for a berth in next week’s state title matches in DeLand.
The Bobcats shut out Vero Beach 4-0 Tuesday behind three goals from Dayana Martin, and the ThunderWolves edged Fort Lauderdale-Cardinal Gibbons 2-1 in overtime.
Oxbridge will play Fort Myers-Bishop Verot on the road tonight, while Boca Raton will host Miami-Our Lady of Lourdes Academy.
We preview those games below. Both contests kick off at 7 p.m.
Class 5A
Miami-Our Lady of Lourdes Academy (17-1) at Boca Raton (18-2-1): The Bobcats have lost just two games this season, and one of those came courtesy of Lourdes Academy – also the Bobcats – which edged Boca Raton 2-1 on the road Dec. 15. Boca Raton has not lost since, and is coming off a 4-0 win over Vero Beach in Tuesday’s regional finals. Lourdes Academy had a tougher time with Weston-Cypress Bay, winning 1-0 in overtime. That win was Lourdes’ 13th straight, with 11 of those coming by shutout. Lourdes Academy and Boca Raton share one common opponent – powerhouse Fort Lauderdale-St. Thomas Aquinas. The Raiders edged Lourdes 1-0 on Nov. 29, and then beat Boca Raton 2-0 Nov. 8. Buckle up.
Prediction: Boca Raton 2-1
Class 2A
Oxbridge Academy (11-1-4) at Fort Myers-Bishop Verot (21-3): The ThunderWolves have made a habit of winning close games during the 2018 postseason, starting off with a 4-3 win on penalty kicks against Benjamin last month in the district championship game, and continuing Tuesday night with a 2-1 overtime victory over Fort Lauderdale-Cardinal Gibbons in the regional semifinals. Oxbridge trailed in both contests before rallying. The ThunderWolves would prefer to get off to a better start against the Vikings, but it won’t be easy. Bishop Verot has won 16 of its past 17 games, including its last five. The Vikings are coming off a 2-1 win over Tampa-Academy of the Holy Names – a team the ThunderWolves beat last year in the state semifinals – in Tuesday’s regional finals, and will have plenty of momentum at home. Look for another close contest.
Prediction: Oxbridge Academy 2-1