- April 18, 2024
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Ponte Vedra knocked off Matanzas, 3-0, on Wednesday night in the semifinals of the District 4-3A tournament, ending the Lady Pirates’ season.
Competing in one of the toughest districts in the state, Matanzas was just a win away from making the district championship game and securing a state playoff berth.
Ponte Vedra, the defending Class 3A state champs, will move onto Friday’s finals.
After knocking off Clay in the quarterfinals, Matanzas went into Wednesday’s game on a two-game winning streak. But Ponte Vedra simply proved to be too much for the Lady Pirates.
“We couldn’t do anything offensively,” coach Tony Benvenuto said after the game.
Benvenuto implemented a defensive-minded 4-5-1 formation to limit Ponte Vedra’s scoring opportunities and to try and score a goal on the counterattack.
Instead, Ponte Vedra pumped shot after shot at Lady Pirates freshman keeper Bella Benvenuto, who tallied 25 saves in the game. Benvenuto said Ponte Vedra tallied more than 35 shots in the game.
Despite the season ending before Matanzas (12-7-1) would have liked, Benvenuto said the team still had a great season.
Junior forward Gabbi Paiz finished the season with 37 goals and 20 assists. Bella Benvenuto tallied 11 shutouts and 150 saves in 20 games.
“We closed the gap with our opponents, but playing in an eight-team district is not easy,” Benvenuto said. “We are looking forward to next year — hoping to take the next step, and that’s to qualify for states.”
