State Bound! North Fort Myers girls, Naples boys headed to Final Four; Fort Myers falls in OT

A roundup of Southwest Florida teams in soccer regional finals on Wednesday, Feb. 21

GIRLS SOCCER

Class 5A-Region 3

North Fort Myers 1, Mariner 0

Just like Michael Jordan after winning his sixth NBA championship in 1998, Nick Erickson put two fists in the air immediately after the final whistle.

Surrounded by his assistant coaches while his players celebrated at midfield, Erickson’s Red Knights had been eliminated by Mariner each of the last two postseasons, leading to the Tritons advancing to two state title games and building themselves into a potential dynasty.

That script came to a screeching halt Wednesday night.

Thanks in part to a Sophia Kerns goal in the 59th minute, North Fort Myers (17-3-0) grabbed a 1-0 win over Mariner to advance to the state semifinals next week against Tallahassee Lincoln.

“The way we played in the district championship game, effort wise, I didn’t know that we’d be in this game, to be honest with you,” Erickson said. “We had a big come-to-(Jesus) meeting (after that game). What do we really want? What we put on the field in that district title game wasn’t us. It wasn’t us. The challenge was to the seniors, was is this really how you want to go? If you want to go, then we’ll probably get beat by Osceola or whoever comes in (in the semifinals).

“But if it’s not, then we could win the whole thing. We’re two games away man, two games away. With that kind of effort, they can win the whole thing.”

After a strong start from North early, Mariner (20-4-0) started to find its footing, as a shot from Florida signee Ryleigh Acosta went just over the post near the 6-yard box. That would arguably be the Tritons’ best look all night, as the team that scored seven goals just last week against Naples was shut out for the second time this season.

Things looked dire in the 37th minute for North as star defender Cami Nunn went down trying to clear a ball and landed awkwardly on her elbow. The game saw a 15-plus minute delay, as paramedics had to be dispatched to the senior, who was visibly in pain.

After Nunn’s injury, Acosta managed to split the North back line and nearly beat North goalkeeper Brooke Hankinson, but the junior got her hands on the hard shot and did enough to send it back into the field of play right before the halftime whistle with the game still scoreless.

North simply outclassed Mariner in the second half, forcing the Tritons to make uncharacteristic mistakes – bad passes, bad touches, and desperate shot taking – thanks in large part to an aggressive press that Jami Hagy’s group had little answers for in multiple defining moments of the match.

“Nothing was really falling for us tonight,” Hagy said. “We couldn’t get a rhythm. It was a weird night all around. They seemed like they wanted it a little bit more than us. That’s just the way soccer is. One goal.”

Added Erickson: “I thought we were on the front foot, I thought we were the aggressor, and that showed.”

Because of that press, things started to open up for Kerns up top, as the senior was unable to get a shot past former Red Knight Trishelle Lopez in net in the 53rd minute. Just a few minutes later though, Kerns broke through.

Former Triton Gigi Gerke, who opened the scoring in last week’s regional semifinal win over Parrish with a long goal, nearly beat Lopez doing the same exact thing as she was unable to corral the shot cleanly. After a bobble, Kerns was there to clean it up in the 59th which amounted to be the game-winner.

“I saw the ball come down, and it was right there,” Kerns said. “It just went through. It was in the goal.

Aside from the shot right before the half by Acosta, North’s defense clamped down when necessary, and limited a high-powered Mariner attack that entered the game averaging 4.3 goals per game against a regular season schedule that ranked 14th in the state.

“McKenna Cartmell, McKenna Cartmell, McKenna Cartmell, McKenna Cartmell, McKenna Cartmell, McKenna Cartmell,” Erickson said. “I mean, she’s gonna be a captain for us next year. I took Cami’s band and I put it right on McKenna’s arm coming off the field. I told her, ‘This is your show now.’ She was vocal, she was a leader, she calmed everybody down. She played fantastic. She stepped right in there.

“We threw LA (Lila Arciniega) in there, a freshman that will probably start next year to her. It was a fast-forward to what it’s going to be. Might as well get a head start on what we’re going to look like right now.”

Acosta’s remarkable four-year run came to an end, finishing her senior season with 26 goals and 29 assists along with 95 goals and 92 assists for her career. It was only the third time in 10 meetings she was held pointless against North in her career.

“We wanted to take the game away from their best player,” Erickson said. “One of greatest offensive players this county has ever seen, maybe even in the state. Limit her touches, limit her ability to run in space. It sounds easy, oh there’s Ryleigh, but it’s hard. She’s really, really good.”

“The Acostas have been around,” Hagy said. “I coached Karleigh seven years at Mariner. Ryleigh was a little ball girl at Mariner’s field, and seeing her tonight, try to carry everything even when things weren’t falling for the team, I knew she was going to go out and work as hard as she could. That’s all I could ask of her. She’s gone above and beyond for this team with so many things. She’s sacrificed so many things for this team. She’s one of a kind.”

As for the Red Knights? They’ll be headed to DeLand early next week to try to advance to their first state title game in program history, taking on a stout Lincoln squad that made the Final Four last season.

Just like they played for Nunn after her loss Wednesday night, they’ll be playing for the senior captain once again whether or not she’s able to go.

“We’re going to try and win it all for her,” Kerns said. “She’s been there since day one. Prayers up to her, that she heals up and she can come back and support us on the field or off.”

― Alex Martin

High Schools: Which SWFL teams moved on to soccer regional finals, plus weightlifting and wrestling results

BOYS SOCCER

Class 5A-Region 3

Naples 5, Barron Collier 1

Naples' Oliver Ditheridge has been nursing a foot injury, so he's been wearing a boot until game time.

The senior's foot was certainly warmed up Wednesday night.

Ditheridge, who moved from his normal center-back position to play up front due to his injury, buried three free kicks and a corner kick to lead the Eagles past rival Barron Collier 5-1 and secure Naples a return trip to the Final Four.

The Golden Eagles, who lost to American Heritage 3-1 in last year's state title game, will face Tampa Jesuit in DeLand on Tuesday. Naples defeated Jesuit (20-1-4) last season 3-0 in a Class 5A semifinal on the road.

"I'm sure they remember that and will be ready for us," Naples coach Bob Prange said. "We have the tools to win (state) but we have to get through the semifinal first."

The Cougars (13-2-2) came into their matchup having had the better of Naples (15-4-1) in their two meetings this season, winning 3-1 and 5-2. Naples did not wait long to show the third matchup would be different.

“We had a game plan going in that and we rotated players to different positions and play high pressure to shut people down and they weren't ready for it," Prange said.

Ditheridge buried his first on a free kick from 20 yards out into the top left corner. Cason Shepard made it 2-0 when he picked up a loose ball in the box and put a shot in the lower right corner.

Barron Collier pulled within one when Emerson LaOrden took a Diego Moran pass inside the box and got a shot off between two defenders to make it 2-1.

From there it became the Ditheridge show. He scored his second goal when he booted a free kick from the left sideline at the 50. Barron Collier keeper Duncan McKellar went out to play the ball but jostled with Shepard as he went to catch it and the ball bounced off his hand at the top of the box and into the net. That made the score 3-1 at the half.

"That was one of the main reasons we put him up top, to not put miles on his foot," Prange said. "He works extra in practice on those kicks so we know what he can do with them. When he's healthy he's one of the best center backs in the state."

Shepard set up the next goal as he raced for a loose ball into the Barron Collier box but McKellar took his legs out going for the ball. A penalty kick was awarded and Ditheridge took the shot on a backup netminder and scored.

To top off his night, Ditheridge converted a free kick from 19 yards out into the top right corner to leave no doubt.

"Being able to help lead my team and contribute four goals is something I’ll never forget," Ditheridge said. "Especially against Barron Collier and on their home turf. As nice as it is winning a regional championship it is just another step closer to the goal we set at the start of the year and that is winning a state championship."

Prange said an upset loss in the district semifinals to Golden Gate may have helped the Golden Eagles kickstart this year's regional run. Naples had two weeks off after that loss and has rebounded with three wins by a combined 8-1 score.

"We had a team meeting and we talked about the fact that when we go to practice, we're going back to preseason and training to get back to where we were," Prange said.

― Ed Reed

Class 6A-Region 3

Bloomingdale 3, Fort Myers 2 (OT)

The Green Wave fell behind 2-0 in the first half to Bloomingdale, which were the first two goals Fort Myers had allowed in the regional playoffs.

But the Greenies came roaring back in the second half on goals by Breno DaCruz and Erwin Navarro to force overtime. The Bulls (20-1-1) picked up the game-winner with about six minutes left in the extra session as the Green Wave (13-2-4) suffered their first loss since November and were denied a chance to return to the state final.

― Staff Reports

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: North Fort Myers girls, Naples boys punch tickets to FHSAA soccer Final Four