Father Lopez ends turnaround girls soccer season on a high note in district final
PIERSON — Father Lopez's girls soccer seniors were determined to go out on a high note, even as reality set in that their season would come to an end Tuesday night.
Trailing 5-0 with around 90 seconds left in regulation, Richae Gibson slipped in behind Trinity Prep's back line, tracked down a long pass and lifted it past the keeper for a consolation goal. The Green Wave's players gathered at the center line, high-fiving one another and enjoying one last moment in a resurgent year for the program.
"I wanted it so bad," senior defensive midfielder Bianca Campos, one of the Green Wave's captains, said. "We may not be as technically sound as some of the other teams in Florida, in our district, in our region, but I know that we are aggressive, we are strong and we want it until the last moment."
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Father Lopez fell short in its bid to win a district championship for the first time in 19 years, but it speaks volumes about the progress under first-year coach Kris Mendoza that the team made it to the final in the first place. The Green Wave won 10 games this winter, its first double-digit campaign since 2015-16.
Its senior class won just seven games the previous three seasons combined, spending two of them independent of the FHSAA.
Only two players — freshmen Brianna Lucas and Sophia Flannigan — play soccer year-round at the club level, Mendoza said. Yet, Father Lopez overcame the lack of competitive experience and technical acumen, she added, with sheer grit.
"We're scrappy, and I know a lot of people doubted us," said Mendoza, who played collegiately at Stetson. "But I think we've been playing to our strengths. And I'm really, really proud of them overall. I think we came together and had a successful season.
"We understand our shape and play where the space is. And that's kind of what we have been focused on, and being connected as a group."
Father Lopez booked a spot in the District 9-3A final with a dramatic upset of top-seeded Crescent City on Friday, equalizing in the second half and prevailing 3-2 in a penalty-kick shootout. Flannigan, Kylie Moylan and Marlene Beaty notched the Green Wave goals, and Lucas watched Crescent City's final shot crash off the crossbar as she dove to her right.
Her teammates sprinted to meet her and celebrate near the goal.
"It took me a second because it (felt) all slow-mo. My nerves got to me, and I fell. And then everyone was there," Lucas said.
"Honestly, I've never seen them run that fast. Ever."
Father Lopez will lose five players to graduation, but a foundation could be in place to make another run. Mendoza hopes that the newfound success will inspire her returning athletes to take the next step and commit to improvement, individually and as a unit.
"I think we have to keep building, keep pushing them and set that bar," Mendoza said. "Everyone bought into it this season, so I think we have to continue to do that."
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: High school soccer: Father Lopez ends on high note in District 9-3A final
