- January 11, 2025
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Seabreeze's Ava Arnold (6) battles FPC's Skyler Strickland. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Seabreeze players celebrate after Olivia Chase (7) scored the go-ahead goal. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC's Isabella Kummernes (right) controls the ball as Sophia Fabulich defends. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Seabreeze's Gabrielle Dioquino controls the ball. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Seabreeze's Hunter Byers (17) takes the ball in the air against FPC's Isabella Kummernes. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC goalkeeper Natalie Neal kicks the ball out. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Seabreeze's Olivia Chase dribbles between two FPC players. Photo by Brent Woronoff
The Seabreeze and Flagler Palm Coast girls soccer teams both felt they should have been playing for the Five Star Conference tournament championship.
Instead, two days after suffering frustrating one-goal losses in the semifinals, the Sandcrabs and Bulldogs met in the consolation final.
“I’m not sure why they even have a third-place game,” said Seabreeze junior forward Olivia Chase, who scored the go-ahead goal and then added an insurance goal to give the Sandcrabs a 3-1 victory Friday, Jan. 10, at FPC’s Sal Campanella Stadium.
While they weren’t playing for the the title, the Sandcrabs hope the consolation victory was the beginning of an offensive resurgence after they were shut out by Spruce Creek 1-0 in the conference semifinals.
“We finally finished tonight,” Seabreeze coach Eli Freidus said. “We’ve had problems finishing all year.”
The Sandcrabs improved to 5-6-4, while the Bulldogs fell to 10-6-2 two days after suffering a 3-2 loss in double overtime to New Smryna Beach. New Smyrna tied the score on a penalty kick with less than 15 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime before outlasting the Bulldogs.
New Smyrna defeated Spruce Creek 2-0 on Nov. 10 to win the conference title.
Seabreeze and FPC played to a scoreless tie the first time the rivals met this season on Nov. 19. The defense dominated again for most of the rematch. FPC’s Erin Hughes ended the stalemate nearly 12 minutes into the second half, drilling her 19th goal of the season from just inside the 18-yard box into the left corner.
But the Sandcrabs responded with three consecutive goals. They tied the score at 1-1 with 16:32 left on a bad bounce for the Bulldogs. Seabreeze defender Hunter Byers launched a high blooper that FPC goalkeeper Natalie Neal reached up and tipped. But instead of the ball going over the goal and out of bounds, it hit the crossbar and bounced in front of the goal where Ashlyn Colley was able to tap it into the open side of the net.
Seabreeze took the lead a minute and a half later, when Neal came out of the box to play the ball but missed the kick, and Chase buried the ball into the open net.
“I was in the right place at the right time,” she said. “Natalie’s a great goalie. I played with her for a long time (in club)."
Chase added her team-leading 13th goal of the season with 5:10 left to put Seabreeze up 3-1.
(The Bulldogs are) one of our bigger rivals. We know they're a good team.
— OLIVIA CHASE, Seabreeze forward
“I saw an opportunity. I had a (defender) on my right and I turned and shot it,” she said. (The Bulldogs are) one of our bigger rivals. We know they're a good team.”
Neal had five saves in the loss.
“The game is based on momentum,” FPC coach Pete Hald said. “We had momentum, and then we lost it and never got it back. They were just hungry. When blood is in the water, the sharks go to feast.”
FPC and Seabreeze both return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 15. FPC hosts Timber Creek, the third-ranked team in Class 7A, while Seabreeze is home against Matanzas.
