Celebration Storm Capture First-Ever Girls District Soccer Title in Shootout Thriller at Harmony

By: J. Daniel Pearson
Positively Osceola

It took 80 minutes of regulation, 20 minutes of overtime and eventually a shootout, but the Celebration Storm (15-4) captured their first-ever girls district soccer championship with a 1-1 (4-2 PK) road win over the Harmony Longhorns (15-5) on Tuesday night.

As Class 7A, District 7 champions, the Storm will automatically advance to next week’s Region 2 Tournament; while the Longhorns are expected to receive one of four at-large bids.

“This was a big win for us,” Storm coach Rebecca Camis said as her team avenged a 3-2 loss to Harmony in the Orange Belt Conference championship game in December. “They (Harmony) are really good team and we haven’t beaten them on this field in a long time.”

A Storm win did not seem likely in the first half, as Harmony dominated the period in possession, shots (10-3) and shots on goal (6-2); while also had an advantage in corner kicks (6-0).

Despite three excellent first half scoring opportunities, including a Gabriella Guzman shot that bounced off the left post and a Harmony header off a corner kick that was swept off the goal line by a Celebration defender, the Longhorns came up empty in the half.

“Soccer is like that sometimes,” Harmony coach Scott Marlega said. “You can dominate in possession, shots, in everything and come away empty. That happened to us tonight and Celebration took advantage of it by taking the momentum in the second half.”

The Storm played much better offensively in the second half, with Emerlynn Albarran putting Celebration up 1-0 at the 20:44 mark. She took a long pass, dribbled past a Harmony defender in a nifty move and beat goalie Faith Hyzer to the right corner for her sixth goal of the season.

Harmony would get the equalizer in the 13’ when Jada Bloodworth took a pass, dribbled through traffic and found the right corner of the net.

Although Celebration controlled the second half, Harmony had its chances to win in the final minutes of regulation. One goal was called back by a close off-sides call; while Bloodworth had two breakaways down the left flank in final three minutes of the game, only to see goalie Allyson Witt make two sensational saves.

Neither team could do much in regulation, which Marlega attributed to being a combination of fatigue and solid defense. “It was 50-50. Neither team substituted much in the game, so both teams were tired,” the veteran coach said. “But defenses were also really cautious, no one wanted to make a mistake in overtime that would cost them the game.”

The shootout would go the way of Witt and the Storm.

After both teams converted their first two chances. Witt stopped a Sarah Harris attempt and Mayah Casamalhuapa converted to give the Storm a 3-2 lead. Witt then got enough of a hand on Jadyn Frost’s blast to send it harmlessly off the left post. Leandra Oliveira would clinch the win — sending a shot left that goaltender Hyzer guessed right on for the 4-2 shootout victory.

“I need to give a big shout out to Ali (Witt) and our defense,” an elated Camis said after the game. “They stood up to a lot of pressure early and came up big in the second half and shootout.”

The Storm and Longhorn girls will not be the only ones from Osceola advancing to regional soccer action.

Last Friday night, Carlysle Lewis and Alejandro Echevarria scored second half goals to lead the Harmony boys team to a 2-1 come-from-behind road win over Celebration to capture the 7A, District 7 title,

“We are definitely not the same group we were at the beginning of the season,” Coach Brett Ballard said of his 9-6-3 Longhorn team. “Scoring twice in the second half at Celebration really showed what type of team we are and can be. It was our first district title in 13 years but we know the job is not finished. We have the pieces and depth to make a run in regionals no matter who we play.”

Box Score

Celebration Defeats Harmony (1-1, 4-2 Penalty Kicks)

Celebration 0 1 — 1

Harmony 0 1 — 1

Goals

C: Emerlynn Albarran 59’

H: Jada Bloodworth 67’

Match Statistics

Shots: Harmony 16, Celebration 13

Shots on Goal: Harmony 10, Celebration 7

Corners: Harmony 6, Celebration 2

Fouls: Harmony 9, Celebration 19

Overtime Penalty Kicks, Celebration wins 4-2: Jada Bloodworth (H) Good; Indee Morris (C ) Good; Gabriella Guzman (H) Good; Zoe Avila Herrera (C) Good; Sarah Harris (H) Miss; Mayah Casamalhuapa (C) Good; Jaydyn Frost (H) Miss; Leandra Oliveira (Good)

District Girls Soccer Results

7A, D6 -Semifinals

Celebration 10, Poinciana 2

Harmony 2, St. Cloud 0

Final

Celebration 1, Harmony 1 (4-2 PK)

5A, D7-Quarterfinals

Lake Buena Vista 4, Gateway 0

4A, D7-Quarterfinals

Mulberry 8, Liberty 0

6A, D7-Quarterfinals

Lakeland 9, Osceola 1