For the first time in school history, a team from Berean Christian School has advanced to a Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) state final four. The girls varsity soccer team, under the direction of head coach Jon Iverson, is the history-making squad.
Berean qualified for a berth in the FHSAA’s Class 1A state final four after defeating South Florida HEAT, 3-2, in the regional final on Friday, Feb. 13. As a result of that historic win — which was the first time that Berean’s girls soccer team had ever played in a regional final — the Bulldogs will play the Canterbury Cougars from Fort Myers in their state semifinal game.
The state semifinal will take place at 10 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 20 at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale, which is located in Polk County, just east of Tampa.
The Cougars (18-5) and the Bulldogs (16-4) have never played one another in girls soccer. Going into the semifinal, both squads are highly rated in the current rankings, with the Cougars listed second and the Bulldogs ranked fourth.
The winner of the semifinal will play for the Class 1A state championship on Saturday, Feb. 21 in Auburndale at 4 p.m. against the winner of the other state semifinal game — St. Johns Country Day School from Orange Park versus Victory Christian Academy from Lakeland. St. Johns (15-3-3) are a strong favorite, as they are the top-ranked squad in the Class 1A standings.
As for Berean’s win against South Florida HEAT, all five goals were scored in the second half, and four of the goals — two by each team — were scored in a 10-minute span midway through the second half.
In the game’s 51st minute, Berean’s Kira Schartner took a corner kick and was able to curl it so that the ball struck the far upright, and then ricocheted untouched into the net for the game’s first goal. Two minutes later, another corner kick from Schartner went directly to teammate Isabella Vizcarra-Flores, who was positioned near the far post. Vizcarra-Flores was able to secure possession of the ball and maneuver it across the goal line with her chest.
“The ball literally hit my body off the bounce, and I was able to chest-bump the ball into the goal,” said Vizcarra-Flores, who said that the ball was too low for a header and too high to kick.
With a two-goal lead, Berean looked strong, in charge, and ready to punch its ticket to the state final four. However, that two-goal deficit inspired South Florida HEAT to mount a comeback. Four minutes later, they responded with a breakaway goal to make the score 2-1. And, two minutes later, the HEAT received a penalty kick, which Lynn Brankamp converted by kicking the ball into the left side of the net. That tied the score at 2-2.
With 20 minutes left in the match, the game was stopped for the required second-half water break. During the break, Iverson’s message to his team was direct.
“I told my players that it was now a 20-minute game, and we must play to win,” Iverson recalled.
With nine minutes to go in the match, Schartner’s free kick from outside the penalty box narrowly missed finding the back of the net, as the ball skimmed off the top of the crossbar.
With five minutes left in the match, Berean’s Lucy Belanger kicked the ball toward the goal, and the ball was headed into the net by teammate Katharina Jochem to put Berean in front, 3-2. The Bulldogs were able to preserve that lead for the balance of the game.
When the final whistle was blown, the entire Berean squad erupted into a simultaneous, joy-filled celebration.
“It was an amazing win, and I’m so proud of my team for working so hard together, especially after giving up that two-goal lead in the second half,” Iverson said. “This win won’t sink in until we board the bus for the trip to Auburndale.”
According to Berean Athletic Director Doug Walters, a strong contingent of students, staff and teachers are expected to make the trip to Auburndale for the Friday morning semifinal.
“This win was historic for our school, and the girls deserve all the fan support that we can give them,” Walters said.
