The P.K. Yonge Blue Wave pose for a team photo following their regional semifinal victory over Wolfson. The Blue Wave will play in the regional final on Tuesday, Feb. 15.

P.K. Yonge Girl’s Soccer Advances to Regional Final

Ethan Eibe February 12, 2022 High School Sports, PK Yonge High School, Soccer 1,009 Views

For just the third time in its history, the P.K. Yonge girl’s soccer program is headed to the regional final of the Class 3A state championship tournament. The Blue Wave outlasted the Wolfpack of Jacksonville’s Samuel W. Wolfson High School in an extra-time comeback thriller Friday night. 

A close-range goal from freshman Faith Hardy with three minutes remaining in extra-time secured the 2-1 regional semifinal victory for the Blue Wave, sending their bench and fans into a frenzy. Hardy’s goal, her second of the match, sealed the comeback win for P.K. Yonge after being down 1-0 to the Wolfpack with just five minutes to go in regulation. 

The Matchup

P.K. Yonge (13-1-2) and Wolfson (11-6-4) came into this game having won four of their last five matches, including the playoffs. The top-seeded Blue Wave took down Florida State University High School 4-1 in their first postseason bout earlier this week, while the number five Wolfpack upset the number four North Bay Haven Academy Buccaneers on penalties to advance. 

Friday night’s affair was a rematch of last year’s regional quarterfinal, where P.K. Yonge bested Wolfson in a 5-0 trouncing. Despite now having their season ended by the Blue Wave in back-to-back playoffs, Wolfson has come incredibly far over the last several years, emerging as a formidable program under the leadership of second-year head coach Jef Taylor. 

The Wolfpack won a combined five games in three seasons from 2017-19. Since then, Taylor and his coaching staff have managed to adjust the team culture while persuading their players to buy into what they have been building. The previous two seasons have seen Wolfson take their game to new heights, reaching the district or state championship tournament in both campaigns.

On the other hand, P.K. Yonge has long since established itself as a force to be reckoned with in 3A competition due in no small part to the efforts of fifth-year head coach Rebecca Schackow. The revamped Wolfson squad proved to be a suitable test for a Blue Wave team that has dismantled most of their opponents this season with relative ease.

First Half – Missed Opportunities

P.K. Yonge retained the majority of possession throughout the opening 40 minutes but was unable to find the back of the net despite multiple chances. Wolfson senior goalkeeper Abigail Whitcomb made her presence felt early on by stopping four shots on goal. 

Hardy, playing left forward, fired a shot from the left edge of the 18-yard box, but was denied by Whitcomb, who dove low and to her right, deflecting the ball out of bounds. 

It took just about 20 minutes for Wolfson to find their first real scoring chance of the evening. Sophomore Eden Camacho launched a high, arching ball towards the net from about 10 yards in front of the center-line. Her long shot landed just to the right of the goal and beyond the reach of Blue Wave goalie Norah Pancoast.

Pancoast, an eighth-grader, made her first start of the season in the net, taking over for sophomore Jadyn Marks, who was unable to play due to an undisclosed injury. According to Schackow, Pancoast had received some reps as a goaltender during practice and was prepared to take over if necessary, despite the obvious stakes involved in a playoff game. 

“Talk about courage, Norah did not hesitate,” Schackow said. “She went and got that pink uniform on and she came out strong and played an awesome game.”

P.K. Yonge had just two more chances in the first half. In the 30th minute, junior Madison Buss unleashed a free-kick from just outside the 18-yard box on the left side which sailed over the top right portion of the net. The Blue Wave had perhaps their best opportunity yet just a few minutes later, where another free-kick, this time by senior Livia Mendes, was sent away by an acrobatic Whitcomb dive to her right. 

The Wolfson defense held up in the first half despite the constant pressure from the Blue Wave.

Second Half – A Pair of Breakthroughs

About 10 minutes into the second half, Wolfson’s Camacho ended the scoring drought with a perfectly placed free-kick from 25 yards out that edged its way between the crossbar and the outstretched arm of Pancoast. Her breakthrough in the 54th minute swayed the momentum back towards the Wolfpack. 

The Blue Wave focused their attack on the left side of the field, with a few crosses from junior Chloe Westbrooks yielding no results. Senior Karuna Leslie had a golden opportunity to touch one in from within the six-yard box on a P.K. Yonge corner kick but lost her footing trying to recover after the ball was deflected by her teammate Buss. 

In the 72nd minute, Blue Wave freshman Mae Dodd collided with the goalkeeper Whitcomb after Dodd received a looping cross from Buss. Whitcomb was down for a couple of minutes, and at first, it appeared as though she would have to exit the game. However, the senior was able to find the resolve to continue after a quick breather and check-up from the team trainer.  

Although the cheers from the Blue Wave bench and grandstands never wavered, the desperation began to set in as the final 10 minutes of regulation ticked away. 

Just when all hope seemed lost, it was Faith Hardy who saved the day for P.K. Yonge with five minutes remaining. The freshman created enough space between a Wolfson defender to blast a shot low to the ground past Whitcomb from the middle border of the 18-yard box.

Extra-Time Heroics

With the score knotted up at one after the end of regulation, the two squads were forced into two 10 minute periods of extra time to decide a winner. P.K. Yonge and Wolfson matched each other step for step in the opening period, with neither side having any prominent chances at goal. 

The battle between the defenses resulted in the ball ping-ponging around midfield for the majority of the period. 

Nearing the end of the second extra-time half, Hardy decided she would rather not have her Blue Wave squad endure the agonizing suspense of penalty kicks. In the 97th minute, Hardy seized what was likely to be her only chance to capitalize on a brief Wolfpack opening. She chased down a Mae Dodd cross, running towards the right side of the six-yard box. Without stopping to control the ball, Hardy quickly pivoted to shoot with her left foot. 

The wall that was Abigail Whitcomb had the ball catch her flush on her torso and rebound back towards Hardy. This time, Faith struck true. Her magical left foot again going to work, Hardy finished the job and put P.K. Yonge ahead for good. Hardy’s pair of goals extended her team lead to 32 on the season.  

“My team passed perfect balls to me and I was just able to finish them,” Hardy said. “It’s great [to have had so much personal success], but in the end, it’s a team sport so I can’t really take the credit.”

Schackow echoed Hardy’s style of humility and team-oriented thinking.

“Faith’s consistency is what she had brought all season long. To our team, Faith is a great example of hard work. She is not a selfish player, in fact, she is more selfless and gets just as much joy setting up her teammates for goals instead of just taking them all,” Schackow said.

“Her consistency and hard work set an example that helps pull the best out of everyone.” 

The final three minutes came and went, the blow of the referee’s whistle extracting the tension and giving way to pure elation from the Blue Wave bench. 

Post-Game Reactions

Jef Taylor felt his Wolfpack fought valiantly despite giving up the lead in the final moments of regulation.

“I can’t be more proud of any one of them. They fought harder than I have seen them fight all season and they held it all the way until the last couple of minutes,” Taylor said. “[The Blue Wave] won, they deserve it. We will be out there one day.”

Rebecca Schackow was very pleased with her team’s attitude as the optimism dwindled late in regulation.

“It says a lot about our team that we did not give up and that we felt like that we were dominating a lot of the play…we just could not seem to quite put it in the back of the net until those final moments, and that’s okay because we just had to keep at it and not give up,” Schackow said. 

What’s Next For The Blue Wave?

P.K. Yonge will suit up again on Tuesday, February 15, against the Stallions of the Providence School of Jacksonville for the regional final match. The kick-off is set for 7 p.m. at P.K. Yonge’s Booster Field, with the winner advancing to the Class 3A State-Semifinal. 

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