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For the 12th time in the past four seasons, the North Fort Myers and Mariner girls soccer teams faced off in yet another 80-minute battle, this time with the Class 5A-Region 3 championship on the line.
At stake for the Red Knights, a third consecutive state semifinal berth, something no sports program had ever accomplished in North’s history. For the Tritons, a chance for their stellar senior class to return to states for the first time since they reached the final as freshmen in 2023.
Thanks to a shutdown effort by its defense and a second-half rocket off the foot of sophomore Jaelyn Hoefer, the Red Knights survived and advanced with a 2-1 victory.
“Everything we’ve gone through the last year, I couldn’t be more proud,” North Fort Myers coach Nick Erickson said. “I think both teams left everything out on the field. That senior class is a phenomenal senior class. All those girls, a fantastic senior group. They’ve got nothing to hang their heads about.”
The Red Knights (17-3-2) controlled the pace early but couldn’t crack the scoreboard. Mariner (17-3-2) responded with a strong 10-minute stretch, but the game remained scoreless.
Then, in the 21st minute, Hoefer sent a pass into the far right side of the box. Tritons goalkeeper Miriam Quintanilla dove to cover the ball but failed to secure it. North freshman forward Kaitlyn Heuglin took advantage, sidestepping Quintanilla and tucking the ball in the net to put the Red Knights up 1-0.
“First goal is the biggest goal; you get the first one, it sets the tone,” Erickson said. “They had a good little run there for eight to 12 minutes and then to steal that one back, I thought it was big.”
North carried its one-goal advantage into the second half. Just a minute in, however, the Red Knights lost sophomore Bailey Root, its second-leading scorer, to an apparent knee injury. Mariner pressed forward, but North’s defense, led by sophomore Caelyn Lewis and junior Kenlee Dominguez, suffocated the Tritons’ offensive attack.
“She is a M-O-N-S-T-E-R, exclamation point, exclamation point, exclamation point,” Erickson said of Lewis. “Her and Dominguez in the middle of the field, if you’ve got those two monsters in the middle of the field ball, winning and covering for each other, it’s very difficult to beat, and it forces you into one-dimensional stuff, which is what we want.”
In the 57th minute, Hoefer, who twice had sent long-distance missiles just over the crossbar, launched a right-footed blast that settled just under it, giving North some breathing room and a 2-0 lead.
“I was very locked in and trying to get one because we really needed that one,” said Hoefer, who leads the team with 22 goals. “But I knew if I didn’t make it, one of our girls was going to get one. I do tend to take shots outside the box a lot because my left and right are both really strong. It’s a lot of practice.”
“Whenever she is on the ball, she has the green light to shoot the ball,” Erickson added. “You’re 30 and in, you shoot the ball if you think that’s your shot.”
Mariner finally got on the board in the 66th minute on senior Carly Paz’s slick back-heel off senior Kamila Pena’s corner kick. But the Tritons couldn’t get the equalizer despite frenetic pressure in the final minutes.
“We always say in this game you’ve got to finish your chances,” Mariner coach Jami Hagy said. “That’s what needed to happen. We had a little unfortunate mistake in the first half. That’s the way soccer is.
“They fought until the end. It just wasn’t our night.”
North, meanwhile, will get the opportunity to continue the chase for its first state championship. The Red Knights reached the Class 5A final in 2024, falling in penalty kicks to Plantation American Heritage.
“It’s really special,” Hoefer said. “It means a lot being able to be with this group of girls and go as far as we have. We’ve been working so hard all season, I’m so proud of all of them.”
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: FHSAA girls soccer: North Fort Myers beats Mariner to reach Class 5A Final Four
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At stake for the Red Knights, a third consecutive state semifinal berth, something no sports program had ever accomplished in North’s history. For the Tritons, a chance for their stellar senior class to return to states for the first time since they reached the final as freshmen in 2023.
Thanks to a shutdown effort by its defense and a second-half rocket off the foot of sophomore Jaelyn Hoefer, the Red Knights survived and advanced with a 2-1 victory.
“Everything we’ve gone through the last year, I couldn’t be more proud,” North Fort Myers coach Nick Erickson said. “I think both teams left everything out on the field. That senior class is a phenomenal senior class. All those girls, a fantastic senior group. They’ve got nothing to hang their heads about.”
The Red Knights (17-3-2) controlled the pace early but couldn’t crack the scoreboard. Mariner (17-3-2) responded with a strong 10-minute stretch, but the game remained scoreless.
Then, in the 21st minute, Hoefer sent a pass into the far right side of the box. Tritons goalkeeper Miriam Quintanilla dove to cover the ball but failed to secure it. North freshman forward Kaitlyn Heuglin took advantage, sidestepping Quintanilla and tucking the ball in the net to put the Red Knights up 1-0.
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“First goal is the biggest goal; you get the first one, it sets the tone,” Erickson said. “They had a good little run there for eight to 12 minutes and then to steal that one back, I thought it was big.”
North carried its one-goal advantage into the second half. Just a minute in, however, the Red Knights lost sophomore Bailey Root, its second-leading scorer, to an apparent knee injury. Mariner pressed forward, but North’s defense, led by sophomore Caelyn Lewis and junior Kenlee Dominguez, suffocated the Tritons’ offensive attack.
“She is a M-O-N-S-T-E-R, exclamation point, exclamation point, exclamation point,” Erickson said of Lewis. “Her and Dominguez in the middle of the field, if you’ve got those two monsters in the middle of the field ball, winning and covering for each other, it’s very difficult to beat, and it forces you into one-dimensional stuff, which is what we want.”
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In the 57th minute, Hoefer, who twice had sent long-distance missiles just over the crossbar, launched a right-footed blast that settled just under it, giving North some breathing room and a 2-0 lead.
“I was very locked in and trying to get one because we really needed that one,” said Hoefer, who leads the team with 22 goals. “But I knew if I didn’t make it, one of our girls was going to get one. I do tend to take shots outside the box a lot because my left and right are both really strong. It’s a lot of practice.”
You must be registered for see images attach
“Whenever she is on the ball, she has the green light to shoot the ball,” Erickson added. “You’re 30 and in, you shoot the ball if you think that’s your shot.”
Mariner finally got on the board in the 66th minute on senior Carly Paz’s slick back-heel off senior Kamila Pena’s corner kick. But the Tritons couldn’t get the equalizer despite frenetic pressure in the final minutes.
“We always say in this game you’ve got to finish your chances,” Mariner coach Jami Hagy said. “That’s what needed to happen. We had a little unfortunate mistake in the first half. That’s the way soccer is.
“They fought until the end. It just wasn’t our night.”
North, meanwhile, will get the opportunity to continue the chase for its first state championship. The Red Knights reached the Class 5A final in 2024, falling in penalty kicks to Plantation American Heritage.
“It’s really special,” Hoefer said. “It means a lot being able to be with this group of girls and go as far as we have. We’ve been working so hard all season, I’m so proud of all of them.”
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: FHSAA girls soccer: North Fort Myers beats Mariner to reach Class 5A Final Four
Continue reading...
