Oxbridge Academy fell just short in its bid for a second straight state championship in girls soccer.
Jacksonville-Bolles School scored three second-half goals Wednesday afternoon on the way to a 4-0 victory over the ThunderWolves in the Class 2A state title game.
Oxbridge Academy, with seniors Allison Breed (left) and Camryn Socha in an earlier postseason game, fell to Jacksonville-Bolles 4-0 in the Class 2A girls soccer state final Wednesday. (Andres Leiva/Palm Beach Post)
The state championship was the third in four years for the Bulldogs (21-6-2), who won back-to-back state titles in 2015 and 2016.
Bolles lost to Montverde Academy in last year’s state semifinals. Oxbridge then defeated Montverde 3-2 to clinch its first-ever state title in girls soccer.
Bolles, which dominated during the 2018 postseason, outshot the ThunderWolves 23-10 Wednesday at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium in DeLand.
But the game was closer than the final score indicated.
The Bulldogs scored their first goal with one second remaining in the first half, on a loose ball in front of the goal.
“It was kind of a gut punch, right before halftime,” Oxbridge coach Steve Obringer said.
Another Bulldogs goal came on a penalty kick, which gave Bolles a 2-0 lead early in the second half.
Oxbridge had its own scoring opportunities, and had a header go off the crossbar five minutes into the second half that would have tied the game at 1.
“We had to continuously press to try to make opportunities, because we were playing from behind,” Obringer said. “As a result, they got a couple of counters. One of those was a PK.”
Ariana Munoz scored two goals for the Bulldogs, and Avery Patterson and Aunikah King each had one.
Oxbridge finished the season 12-2-4, overcoming injuries and illness along the way.
The ThunderWolves dropped their first game of the season and also their last, going unbeaten for a 16-game stretch between mid-November and mid-February.
“They set the goal at the beginning of the year that they wanted to get back to states,” Obringer said of his team. “We’re obviously disappointed that we fell just short of that. It stings a little to end this way, but the girls really came together.
“Our goal from game to game was just to get better every match. And we were able to do that.”