Undefeated- victorious, having not been beaten. To be undefeated is one of the most challenging and prestigious accomplishments a team can hold after a season. Before this past Friday, Jan. 27 the girls’ canes varsity soccer team held this title as they traveled farther into the off-season, battling their way towards a state championship.
Friday, Jan. 27 served as a devastating day for the team. Going into the game, the stakes were high. The girls faced off against their rivals, East Lake, at 6 in the regional semifinals.
“Before the game, we had so much anxiety. We all knew, going into it, that one of the teams wouldn’t advance,” senior captain, Renee Huy said. “Of course, we were praying that team would be East Lake.”
A lot of work went into preparing for the game. The girls have practice every day Monday- Thursday after school, excluding game-days.
“Usually our practices are full of intense drills with lots of contact, but lately they have been more strategic. We have been doing a lot of set plays and walk-throughs, planning what’s going to happen in the games,” freshman, Maria Alejandra Rodriguez said.
There is only so much a team can do, though, when they are forced to play against a team like East Lake, who they face off against so frequently. East Lake and Palm Harbor know each other all too well. Just this season, the teams have combated in a total of five different games. The first four, left the Lady Canes reigning victorious. This includes the gruesome district final that occurred just one week before the regional semifinals.
The stands of PHUHS were packed with enthusiastic fans for this grudge match on Friday night.
“In all of my years of playing soccer at PHUHS, I have never seen the stands as full as they were on Friday night,” senior captain, Anja Decker said. “That’s how it should be for every game. We love that kind of support.”
The game started off well as the Lady Canes played strong in all areas and applied high pressure to the East Lake defenders. Early in the first half, the canes set the game to their advantage with a beautiful goal. Junior, forward Skye Barba headed down the field with the ball and managed to place a pass through the East Lake defense. Junior, forward Kelly Phipps then sped past the defense, caught up to the ball, and dribbled straight towards the keeper on a break-away. Phipps shot the ball straight into the back of the net, setting a tone for the game early on.
The Canes fought hard to hold their lead. At half time, Coach John Planamenta told the players to remember that if East Lake doesn’t score… they don’t win.
“During the second half, the game was so intense,” freshman, Sydney Bishop said. “Our team was working as hard as we could and East Lake kept matching our intensity. It was a huge struggle to try and keep our lead.”
The Canes held the lead until just about the last ten minutes of the game when East Lake knocked in a goal that led from a play on a free-kick in the Canes’ defensive half. Both teams gave all they had, in a final panic for the last ten minutes of the regional semifinals match.
As the clock froze with the final two minutes of the game, things picked up even more. It became a scramble for the ball and East Lake took a shot from outside the box. Junior goalkeeper, Morgan Lorenti dove across the goal and blocked the shot. Then, an East Lake player rushed into the goal box and headed the rebound into the net, changing the score to 2-1 East Lake.
After the final whistle blew, ending the game, hopes were crushed.
“We’ve come really far, but it’s still a heartbreaking thing to know that our season is over,” junior Shelby Stacy said. “It’s comforting to know that there’s still next year.”