By Gary Curreri
The final chapter to the girls’ soccer season at Highlands Christian Academy wasn’t quite the storybook finish the Knights had hoped for.
Stephanie Perret-Gentile and Erica Johnson each scored second half goals to lift Boca Raton’s Pope John Paul II to a 2-0 Class 2A regional quarterfinal victory over the host Knights on Jan. 27. First-year goalkeeper Dani Chase earned her 15th shutout of the season as she made three saves.
Despite the defeat, Highlands Christian Academy girls soccer coach Shelly Wik was pleased with the effort of her team as it made history by winning its first-ever girls district soccer championship in the 10-year history of the program last week. It was also the first time the Knights (16-3-1) ever hosted a regional quarterfinal contest.
“We played a great game and we are just excited that we got to play in this game for the first time in school history,” Wik said. “This is the first time they got this far. They played hard. I am proud of them.”
“They definitely have more experience than we do,” Wik added. “The level of skill they have on that team is phenomenal. They are crying now, and it’s not because they lost the game, it is for the seniors because they are not going to play another game together. It is always an emotional time when they realize that. I started coaching two years ago and these girls are like one big family. We have a rough middle, but they just championed on. They did well, and they were rewarded by winning districts. They are upset – not that they lost, but that they don’t get to play as a team anymore.”
The best chance the Knights had to score came in the 68th minute when Kaitlyn Leta’s left-footed shot, following a poor clearance by the Eagles’ defense, was saved by Chase.
One minute later, Johnson put the game away; she scored from 18 yards out for the victory.
As she has been all season, Knights’ sophomore goalie Kayla Wincko was stellar with 13 saves in the match.
Jackson to coach Deerfield Beach
Allen Jackson, who has coached at Coconut Creek the past three seasons, was named the football coach at Deerfield Beach earlier this month.
Jackson replaces former Bucks coach Adam Ratke-vich, who stepped down after the 2010 season which Deerfield finished 2-9, yet still qualified for the postseason.
“It’s an honor and privilege to coach at Deerfield Beach,” said Jackson, who was an assistant coach at Deerfield Beach for 13 years before coaching at Monarch and Coconut Creek High Schools. “I’m happy to be here and hopefully we can get back to the big stage.”
Highlands’ boys fall in district soccer final
Calvary Christian defeated Highlands Christian Acade-my’s boys’ soccer team, 3-0, for the district title. The Knights will travel to American Heritage-Delray on Thursday for a regional quarterfinal game.
