Sophomore midfielder Grace Ivey scored three times to propel St. John’s Bartram Trail to a 4-0 win over previously undefeated Cypress Bay in the Class 7A girls soccer final at Spec Martin Stadium in DeLand on Friday afternoon.
The Bears (19-2), ranked No. 1 in the nation by MaxPreps, also got a goal from Olivia Glass in the 10th minute that got things going for the defending Class 7A state champion. Cypress Bay (8-1) entered the game ranked fifth in the country. Because of COVID restrictions, they were limited to just two regular-season games.
“The girls worked hard,” said Cypress Bay coach Kate Dwyer. “It wasn’t a 4-0 game. Our girls were pushing forward at the end, and they just countered on us. I would think the game was 2-0. Only having two games going into the postseason hurt us, and at the same time I can’t take anything away from Bartram, they are just that good.”
Bartram Trail pressed the attack early as senior forward Olivia Glass struck the crossbar in the eighth minute, but two minutes later, gave the Bears the 1-0 cushion when where she fought off Lightning sophomore defender Natalia Ballinas and blistered a shot from 22 yards out over the outstretched hands of senior goalkeeper Alex Jones.
“You have to give our keeper credit,” Dwyer said. “Alex played the best game since she has been at Cypress Bay.”
The Bears went up 2-0 when Glass and Ivey worked a 1-2 for Ivey’s 18th goal of the season from 12 yards out in the 26th minute.
Cypress Bay senior Megan Morgan, a Florida State University signee, and junior Barbara Garcia each hit the crossbar on shots in the first half that could have cut into the Bears’ lead.
The Lightning’s best chance came with 19 minutes to go, when Bears’ junior goalkeeper Bailey Dean came out of the penalty area to field a long pass intended for Morgan. Officials ruled she handled it outside the box, and she was issued a yellow card, forcing her to temporarily leave the match.
Junior Kelsey Bowen, who hadn’t played in goal all season, replaced Dean in goal for the 18-yard free kick and sophomore defender Anna Bachman cleared Morgan’s blast off the line with her knee.
Bartram Trail iced the game when Ivey headed in Reese Wheeler’s corner kick in the 75th minute and Ivey completed the scoring two minutes later with a 22-yard blast.
“We were definitely chaotic in the first 15 minutes,” Dwyer said. “Once we settled in, we did better. We are a finesse team, and they didn’t allow us to play like that. They are not fouling you. They just run through you and win the ball. You have to give our keeper credit. Alex played the best game she has ever had in her four years at Cypress Bay. She completely stepped up and saved us.”
The loss was Cypress Bay’s third straight time losing in the championship. They lost to Palm Harbor University 1-0 in the Class 6A final in 2010 and the past two years to Bartram Trail.
“They are number one for a reason,” said senior Camila Jimenez, who led the Lightning with 12 goals and five assists. “It was a very competitive game. We had our chances in the game. We had a couple that hit the post and didn’t go in unfortunately. They also hit a couple of posts. I think if our shots went on, it could have been a 2-2 game. It was amazing to get back there again.”
