DELAND — Gulf Breeze saw its first state championship since 2001 fall just out of reach in the thrilling cruelty of a penalty kick shootout.
Merritt Island retained its Class 3A state crown with a 3-2 (3-1 PK) win over the Dolphins on Friday at Spec Martin Stadium in DeLand.
No matter that the Dolphins overturned a 2-0 halftime deficit, played on the front foot over the final 60 minutes and finished the match with just 10 players. Gulf Breeze’s state championship drought will continue despite all efforts.
“(Merritt Island) made some huge plays right there at the end because we were pressing hard,” Gulf Breeze head coach Ryan Williams said. “That whole second half was us. We just could not find that third goal unfortunately.
“You never want to go to PKs, but we had to this time and unfortunately we ended up on the wrong end of it.”
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That the Dolphins (24-2-1) would force a 2-2 draw at the end of regulation seemed nearly impossible after the first half.
The Mustangs (24-3) stormed out of the gates as senior midfielder Julia Martin capitalized on shaky back line play to assist Samantha Parker on the match’s opening goal in just two minutes.
Martin – a signee with Division I North Florida – was dominant in the midfield over the opening 40 minutes as the Mustangs largely snuffed out any hint of a Dolphin attack.
They found their second goal seven minutes from halftime as Martin got out on the break with top scorer Aimee Vance, feeding her through for a seemingly insurmountable second goal.
