The Portal Panthers women's varsity soccer team hosted the Aquinas Fightin' Irish in the Elite 8 of the GHSA State Playoffs on Tuesday Evening. The Panthers lost 4-0 in what will be the final game of the season.
The Panthers struggled to take care of the ball in the first half and were not able to put much pressure on the Fightin' Irish. Portal found themselves in a 3-0 hole going into the half. Aquinas' Maeve Detchemendy scored a goal in the 27th minute of the second half that put the game out of reach. For the final 26 minutes, the Lady Panthers played the best they played the entire game.
The Fightin' Irish had control of the ball for the majority of the game and got several shots on goal in the first half. Portal's Millie Scarborough made several saves including a diving save on the edge of the net to keep the score blank early in the first half. Despite her efforts, their opponents scored 3 goals in the first half. Scarborough had to leave the game after the half.
"We just started slow, we knew it was going to be a tough game going into it," Coach Johhnie Sanchez said. "Just being honest, they were the better team." Sanchez believes that the speed of play was a difference maker in the game.
After the final horn sounded, emotions ran high for the Portal players and fans. The fans gave the team a final round of applause on a historic season. Coach Johnnie Sanchez shed a few tears as he had one last talk with his team. "Madison, Millie, Gina, and Sarah were apart of the first team that I have ever coached here and now they're graduating," Sanchez said. "It means a bit, but I'm very proud of them."
The Panthers are retaining majority of their team for next year and can expect to have some success with the players developing and growing together.
