- April 19, 2024
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Matanzas goalie Stephanie Stuart is referred to, by some, as a cage monster. Luckily for the Lady Pirates, Stuart’s alter ego was out in full force on Thursday night, leading Matanzas to a 6-5 overtime win over Flagler Palm Coast in a heated District 4 girls lacrosse matchup.
With the win, Matanzas and FPC closed out district play. A coin toss later in the evening determined that FPC would be the top seed in the district tournament, which will begin April 16. Matanzas will be the No. 2 seed.
“Excellent game today,” Matanzas coach Anna Adair said of Stuart. “If it wasn’t, probably, for her saves today, it would have been a different story.”
Stuart fended off shot after shot, tallying 19 saves, including a one-on-one with an FPC attacker with seconds to go in overtime to secure the win.
FPC took an early 1-0 lead on a goal by Kelly Kastner.
With about eight minutes to go in the first half, Matanzas’ Danica Leili equalized the game at 1-1. Kastner netted her second goal of the night just before halftime to give the Lady Bulldogs a 2-1 lead at the midway point.
Just 30 seconds into the second half, FPC middie Kim Ramirez picked up a yellow card.
Matanzas’ Alex Normandin evened the score at 2-2 when she rifled a low shot into the net with 20:44 to go in the game.
After Kastner picked up her third goal to give FPC a 3-2 lead, Ramirez got called for another foul and was shown her second yellow card. She wasn’t allowed to return to the game.
Up 3-2 with less than 15 minutes to play, FPC’s Nicole Madalena uncorked a shot that appeared destined for the net, but Stuart snagged it out of the air with her stick. Matanzas counterattacked, and Sara Komanowski found the back of the net at the end at the other end of the field to tie the game at 3-3.
Tied at 4 with about seven minutes remaining, Normandin gave the Lady Pirates its first lead of the game when she netted her second goal.
But with about five minutes to go, FPC’s Mackenzie Way scored to tie it once again.
After 50 minutes, Matanzas and FPC were deadlocked.
In the first of two three-minute overtime periods, Pirates attackman Stephanie Giminez appeared to have scored twice, but both goals were called back because of fouls. The third time was the charm, though, as she scored on a free shot as the horn sounded for the end of the first OT.
The Lady Bulldogs couldn’t find the equalizing goal in the final three minutes.
FPC coach James Hackett spoke highly of Stuart, as well as his goalie, Iratex Vives, who just began playing in the cage this season.
Although Hackett seemed disappointed with Ramirez’s inability to tone down her aggressive style of play with one yellow card, he didn’t fault her for the team’s loss.
“Matanzas was more physical than us, honestly,” he said. “Kelly (Kastner) got the crap beat out of her.”
Hackett did question some of the calls.
“(Matanzas) did a great job going over and (complaining) to the refs at halftime about Kim’s aggressiveness,” he said after the game. “OK, great sportsmanship by them. That’s coaching. It’s fine. I don’t do that.”
Hackett continued: “No matter what happens between the lines, as an athlete, you take care of it between the lines. If the coach wants to go and complain to the refs and get a girl specifically targeted out, then that’s fine.”
If both teams win in the semifinals, it’d pit them against each other in a highly anticipated rematch of last year’s championship. Matanzas won that game, 8-3. Buckle up.
DISTRICT 4 SEEDINGS
Flagler Palm Coast (No. 1 seed) vs. St. Augustine (No. 4 seed): 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 16
Matanzas (No. 2 seed) vs. Pedro Menendez (No. 3 seed): 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 16
District championship: Two winners to play 7 p.m. Thursday, April 18
*Note: All games will be played at Matanzas High School
