- November 25, 2024
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PALM COAST -- While Flagler Palm Coast head coach Pete Hald addressed the media after the game, one of his former players came over to tell him that FPC’s Athletic Director, Steve DeAugustino, was waiting on him so he could present the team with their regional championship trophy.
Hald carried on with the interviews, and made them wait.
After all, Hald, in his 23rd year as head coach of the Lady Bulldogs, had just clinched the school’s first ever Final Four berth in girls soccer.
“It’s a huge moment for FPC soccer,” he said, “because I thought we were a year away from getting to that point. But this group has really come on. We're playing well, and we're healthy, and everything is falling into place.”
FPC had quite a few things fall into place for them Friday night, in their 2-1 overtime penalty shootout win over Oviedo, including a clutch free-kick goal off the foot of freshman Amanda Raleigh in the 71st minute that tied the game at 1-1.
Tanagna Payne set up the situation for FPC when she put together some moves just outside of the penalty box, drawing a foul.
Then Raleigh stepped up and curled the ball into the top right corner of the goal, out of reach for the diving Oviedo goalkeeper.
“After that goal, I was like, 'We're going to win this game,'” Hald said. “We took the momentum, and we went at them with a lot of pace.”
Raleigh said that she did a lot of praying right before taking the shot, and she knew that her team needed a score.
The final 10 minutes ran down without another goal, sending the game into overtime. Both teams exchanged solid chances to score in the two 10-minute overtime halves, but again, nothing came about, sending the game into a penalty shootout.
But that situation was nothing new to Oviedo, which won its 2011 and 2013 state titles via penalty shootout. FPC, however, had not been in this situation before.
“You try to relax them as much as you can, but you want them a little edgy.” Hald said, explaining how he was preparing his young team for the big moment. “You want them knowing that they’re here for a reason, and you want them confident in their ability.”
Amanda Raleigh, Christen Barney and Madison Hald each converted to start the round, staying tied 3-3 until Leah Leach made a big left-handed save that was followed by a Josie David goal.
After another save by Leach, Sarah DiLoreto stepped up to the stop with a chance to win it for FPC. DiLoreto had missed a PK early in the game – her first miss in more than three years.
“I was actually supposed to be No. 1 in the first lineup, and (Coach Hald) pulled me out of it, and I was having a heart attack, and I was like, ‘That’s it, I've missed my chance. I’m done.’” DiLoreto said.
“But he put me back in the second lineup, and that time I knew I had to redeem myself.”
And she did, striking it straight up the middle to win FPC the game, and send them to the Final Four Friday, in Melbourne.
“Missing that penalty kick kind of threw her off a bit, but I think she recovered.” Hald said.
Hald has won nearly 400 games in his career at FPC, and Friday’s was one of his biggest yet. But he still has a chance to top it, starting with St. Thomas Aquinas at 3 p.m. Friday in the Class 5A semifinals.
FOR PHOTOS FROM THE GAME, CLICK HERE.
