- January 24, 2026
FPC's Katherine Ouellette (center left) and Autumn McGivney celebrate Ouellette's goal against Atlantic Coast. McGivney had the assist. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC's Hailey Sammons (right) goes after the ball with Atlantic Coast's Abby Miller. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Atlantic Coast's Finley Edwards gets physical with FPC's Isabella Kummernes (right). Photo by Brent Woronoff
Isabella Kummernes (right) and Atlantic Coast's Ella Marjenhoff try to gain possession. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Flagler Palm Coast's girls soccr players celebrate after defeating Atlantic Coast 1-0 in the District 1-7A semifinal on Jan. 22. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC's Kadyn Davis (20) eyes an airball. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC defender Marlee O'Fallon (19) shileds an opposing player. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC's Taci Cook (left) eyes the ball. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC's Autumn McGivney (right) battles for possession with an Atlantic Coast player. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Hailey Sammons (right) dribbles upfield. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC defender Kadyn Davis (20) battles for the ball. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC's Isabella Kummernes (right) shields Atlantic Coast's Finley Edwards. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC's Hailey Sammons (17) and Atlantic Coast's Ella Marjenhoff battle for the ball. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Left winger Katherine Ouellette was in the right place at the right time. So was goalkeeper Natalie Neal.
As a result, Flagler Palm Coast's girls soccer team advanced to the District 1-7A championship game with a 1-0 defeat of Atlantic Coast in a semifinal on Thursday, Jan. 23.
Ouellette scored the only goal of the game off a long cross by Autumn McGivney. Neal had 11 saves — the biggest one was stopping a penalty kick in the early minutes of the contest.
With the victory, the Bulldogs improved to 14-1-5. They will face St. Johns Creekside on the road at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 27, for the district title. The Knights are ranked third in the state in Class 7A. With a win, FPC would host a regional quarterfinal on Feb. 5.
I was definitely not expecting it. “But coach (Pete) Hald always tells me to be on the backside, so I stayed on backside just in case it would go over there.”
— KATHERINE OUELLETTE on her goal.
“I was definitely not expecting it,” Ouellette said of her goal. “But coach (Pete) Hald always tells me to be on the backside, so I stayed on backside just in case it would go over there.”
Sure enough, she got the ball and took advantage of some miscommunication by the Stingrays.
“My mark was telling the goalie to save it, but the goalie was too far away,” Ouellette said. “So I went by her and took a shot.”
Atlantic Coast (7-8-2) got the early PK opportunity after a ball hit Skyler Strickland’s arm. Neal dove left on the kick and got the save.
“I don’t really guess which side to take,” she said. “I just see what foot they're kicking it with, and I dive to (the other) side. She was kicking (with her) right, so I dived to my right, which would be her left, because I feel like most players go across. I just hoped it was on the ground. I dove and I saved it. So, It was a good PK (save), I feel like.”
Neal’s save and Ouellette’s goal likely preserved a spot in the playoffs for the Bulldogs. They were ranked seventh in the region heading into the game. Eight teams make the playoffs in each region — the four district champs and the next four highest ranked teams. With nobody in District 2 ranked among the top 10, the champ in that district will bump the eighth-ranked team, so, No. 7 will get the last spot. Heading into the district semifinals, the Bulldogs were less than half a rating point behind No. 6 Timber Creek.
The Bulldogs knew the home game with Atlantic Coast would be close. The Stingrays came in with a .500 record, but they had played a very difficult schedule.
FPC had two shots that bounced off the crossbar which could have given the Bulldogs a cushion. But Neal made several key saves in the final minutes to preserve the win.
“A number of times they were able to ping the ball all the way to the front,” Hald said. “But Natalie played well in the goal, Eva (Sites) played really well at center back and Makayla (Barbel) played really well at that holding mid position. We played with a lot energy.”
Neal had to dive on one of her saves after it bounced off her hands. An opposing player was ready to pounce on the rebound, but Neal got to it first.
“It was a very intense game,” she said. “I was hoping my team would keep it in the other half, but the other team, they were getting very aggressive.”
The Bulldogs advanced to the district final for the 26th time in Hald’s 35 years as the team’s head coach. The last time was two years ago. FPC lost to Atlantic Coast in last year’s district semifinals, 2-1. The Bulldogs have not advanced to the regional playoffs since 2021.
