- April 26, 2024
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Savannah O'Grady (14) and Rayliana Giaccone each scored a goal in the win against St. Johns Country Day. Courtesy photo
How shocking was Flagler Palm Coast's 2-1 girls soccer win over St. Johns Country Day?
The Spartans have won 10 consecutive state championships. United Soccer Coaches selected them No. 1 in the nation in its 2021 season-ending poll.
Before the Dec. 3 game, they were ranked No. 5 nationally by MaxPreps. And they came into Sal Campanella Stadium riding a 44-game winning streak.
The streak is now history. The Bulldogs, who have battled injuries throughout the season, handed St. Johns Country Day its first loss since Nov. 22, 2019.
So how shocking was it?
"A lot of people asked me if they should come to the game, and I told them, 'I think you should skip out on this one,'" said FPC assistant coach Cat Bradley.
"My phone was blowing up after the game," she said. "I even told my boyfriend not to come. You just think the worst. They're the No. 5 team in the nation."
Those who were in attendance got to celebrate with the players after the win, the news of which started reverberating around the state minutes after the result.
"It was awesome," Bradley said. "The girls were jumping and hugging. There were tears. All the odds were against us the last few weeks. We've had ups and downs with injuries and everything. I think it all just came out. It was exciting but also very emotional."
Two days earlier, FPC lost to DeLand for the first time in over a decade. It was FPC's third loss in four games. The Bulldogs (5-3-1) were missing four injured starters.
Goalkeeper Kaitlyn Holley returned against St. Johns Country Day after missing two weeks with a concussion. Holley and the Bulldogs' defense turned away a relentless barrage of shots after FPC had taken a 2-0 lead.
"The most dangerous lead to have is 2-0," FPC head coach Pete Hald said.
The Spartans turned up the pressure and scored two minutes before the mid-period water break.
"That kind of disrupted their momentum," Hald said. "It gave me a chance to talk to them, calm them down."
FPC took a 1-0 lead in the first half on Savannah O'Grady's free kick from 25 yards that landed near the upper right corner of the net.
"It was a really good shot from the right side of the field," Hald said. "It was one of those swingers. She hit it perfectly into the right upper panel."
"The girls were jumping and hugging. There were tears. All the odds were against us the last few weeks. I think it all just came out. It was exciting but also very emotional."
CAT BRADLEY, FPC assistant coach
Rayliana Giaccone made it 2-0 in the second half with a left-footed goal from the penalty spot.
FPC's defense then withstood the Spartans' unyielding attack. The visitors had 16 corner kicks in the game, 12 in the second half. But they could not score off any of them. Holley finished with nine saves.
"We were back on our heels," Hald said. "Our back four (Hailey Tucker, Makayla Catalan, Jada Williams and Ariana Johnson) and our holding mids (Emma Swearingen and O'Grady) really got after their assignments against some really good players. These are players that don't stop moving."
"They bombarded our net," Bradley said. "It took a total team effort. Hats off to St. Johns Country Day. They're still one of the best teams in the state and in the country."
With six games scheduled over 11 days, including matches against three undefeated teams as of Dec. 5, Hald wanted to make sure FPC's signature win is a starting point, not an exclamation point.
"We've got to move on," he said. "Hopefully, we can keep going with this."
