February 17, 2017
There would be no denying the Merritt Island girls soccer team. Not this time.
Facing a penalty-kick round to decide the Class 3A championship against Jacksonville Stanton, the Mustangs got two saves from goalkeeper Jordan Tomberlin and a game-winning kick from Jordan Michaels on their way to a 1-0 (4-2 PKs) victory at Spec Martin Stadium.
“It’s amazing,” Tomberlin said. “The only way I could describe it is … you (take) every happy moment you’ve ever had combined into one. It’s over-the-charts amazing.”
It was the second title in school history for the Mustangs (22-0-1) and came in Merritt Island’s fourth straight trip to the final four. Merritt Island was the runner up in 2014 and lost in the semifinals each of the past two years.
It was a sweet moment of victory for the seniors as they watched Michaels drill her game-winning penalty kick high and to the right.
“Oh my gosh. All I wanted to do was hug Jordan and tackle her,” senior forward Keli Lindquist said. “It’s the best feeling ever. “We worked so hard for it. We wanted it so bad.”
