Ocala Forest Ousts Gainesville From District Soccer Semifinals

By Victoria Riccobono and Heather Mckenzie

The Ocala Forest Wildcats scored their goal in the first half Monday and made it stand up the rest of the way for a 1-0 win over the  Gainesville Hurricanes in the girls soccer 6A-District 4 tournament semifinal at Citizens Field.

Gainesville (11-4-2) entered as the second seed in the tourney, while Forest (15-4-1) is the third seed. Forest will now play top seed  Spring Hill Springstead (17-3-1) for the title Wednesday.

Steady start

The Hurricanes, looking to avenge last year’s loss to Forest during the district semifinals, had defeated the Wildcats 2-1 earlier in the season, so the playoff matchup was a toss up.

The game started slow, with the teams showcasing strong defense. However, Forest quickly began to dominate, with more shots on goal. Gainesville senior goalie Sophie Vaughan protected the net with numerous saves throughout the match. 

HUGE SAVE #29 @GHSHurricanes pic.twitter.com/eTxI3pi9xy

— Kennedy Lerner (@Kennedy_Lerner) January 30, 2024

Forest Leads

The Wildcats scored on a free kick by Janellie Castillo. Although the Hurricanes’ defense did its best to stop their opponent from scoring, the Wildcats’ electric offense triumphed.

Forest scores on a free kick! Wildcats take a 1-0 lead! @FHS_Athletics1 pic.twitter.com/VU6CBM0Ibd

— Kennedy Lerner (@Kennedy_Lerner) January 30, 2024

Final Hopes

The Hurricanes came out determined to score and tie the match in the second half. They had numerous scoring opportunities behind the crowd cheering the team on. However, Forest’s defense successfully kept the ball away from the net.

Emotional Season End

After the devastating season-ending loss, the Hurricanes, including coach Jeremy Witt, got emotional because they have nine seniors graduating this year. 

Senior captain Evy Malone led the Hurricanes in goals this season, with a career high of 19 goals, averaging 1.2 goals per game.