Girls soccer: Boca advances to state

Friday, February 05, 2010
by Jason Lieser

As soon as Kelly Costopoulo saw her game-winning penalty kick hit the net, she was overcome with joy as her teammates rushed the field in celebration.

"That's who I do it for," she said. "That's the best possible feeling."

Costopoulos' goal gave the Bobcats a 2-1 win over Cypress Bay in overtime and sent Boca Raton to its first state final four since 1997.

With 5:38 left in overtime, Cypress Bay goalkeeper Andrea Abed was called for a foul against Boca Raton's Becky Bodken in the box. When Costopoulos took the penalty kick, Abed punched the ball with her fist, but the ball bounced up into the netting for a goal.

The win puts Boca Raton (22-4-2) in next week's Class 6A semifinals at the University of Tampa. The Bobcats will face Winter Springs on Friday.

Costopoulos also scored Boca Raton's other goal in the match, doing so with a header off a long pass from Casey Davis to tie the match 1-1 early in the second half.

Goalie Caitlin Woody, who signed with Georgia on Wednesday, preserved the tie with an impressive save two minutes later. With 31:04 remaining, Cypress Bay forward Steffi Maiman shot from the right side, but Woody dove to her right for the stop. It was her only save of the night.

"She makes those saves a lot," coach Rachel Grimes said. "They look fantastic and crazy, but we see her do it all the time."

Boca Raton had three shots on goal in the final 18 minutes of regulation, but Lightning goalie Andrea Abed stopped all of them. Abed saved 8 of the 10 shots she faced.

Cypress Bay (15-6-4) only had one shot on goal in the first half, a penalty kick, but sophomore Hollie Aleman drilled it into the net for a 1-0 lead with 23 minutes left.

The Bobcats ended each of their past three seasons with disappointing playoff losses. They fell against Wellington in the first round in 2007 and '08, and Parkland-Douglas beat them in last year's regional final.