Lakewood Ranch girls soccer falls short of state final

There was a time when winning was a struggle for the Mustangs. 

Through their first three games this season, they tallied a loss and two draws. They scored once on each occasion.

When they notched their first victory, it came by a not-so-comfortable 1-0 margin.

"The fact that we made it this far with the same squad is incredible," said coach Cole Richardson. "It's a testament to their coach-ability, their desire to win and to play strong."

Her team wound up one victory shy of the first state final berth in program history.

Lakewood Ranch girls soccer (16-3-3) was knocked out, 4-0, by Niceville (19-1-1) in the FHSAA Class 6A state semifinals Feb. 23 at DeLand's Spec Martin Stadium. For the first time all season, the Mustangs were held off the scoreboard entirely.

Advancing to the state final was a tall task. The team standing in their way wasn't just ranked No. 5 in the state, as of Feb. 17, by the FHSAA.

Niceville entered the game at No. 5 in the nation, per MaxPreps.

"They were just a very strong attacking team, and they were relentless," Richardson said. "They had good finishers and good players to distribute and build the ball."

Falling down 2-0 by halftime proved to be too big of a hole for the Mustangs to escape. Their top trio of freshman midfielder/forward Alyssa Pistone (15 goals), senior striker Aubrey Mau (13) and junior midfielder Merritt Shea (12) was silenced.

In an effort to generate more scoring chances, Lakewood Ranch played a heavier attacking style for the last 20 minutes of the contest. But Niceville simply sliced through the defense and tacked on two more.

"We have a history of winning at Lakewood Ranch, and there's an expectation to win," Richardson said. "We're not used to playing when we're down."

Last season, this team mustered one shot on goal against St. Thomas Aquinas in the state semifinals en route to a 2-0 defeat.

The Mustangs had multiple opportunities, per Richardson, this time around. That's something she believes they can build on.

"Did we improve from season to season? And game to game, did we improve?" Richardson said. "The answer is absolutely yes."