Gulliver girls' soccer rounding back into form after first playoff win in three seasons
But in recent years, the Raiders had lost their way and fallen from their lofty status.
Seniors like Samantha Ehrenreich have been part of Gulliver's journey back to prominence.
And on Tuesday afternoon, Ehrenreich sparked another big step on that road when she kickstarted a 3-2 comeback win over MAST Academy in a Region 4-3A quarterfinal at the Makos' home field.
'It's a younger team this year, and the younger girls have brought a new vision for the team,' said Ehrenreich, who has played for the Raiders for three seasons and is one of three seniors along with goalkeeper Ana Levy-Armesto and defender Vicky Sanz. 'Since the beginning, we've been about winning every game and that hasn't always been the case.'
This is Gulliver's first winning season in girls' soccer since the 2019-2020 campaign.
The Raiders (12-6-2) did not even make the regional playoffs the past two seasons, going a combined 9-22-9 over that span. They advanced to the regional semifinals for the first time since 2022 and will next travel to Davie to face NSU University School on Friday at 7 p.m. The Sharks, who advanced via a forfeit by Pine Crest, have advanced to at least the state semifinals each of the past two seasons.
But it almost didn't happen had the Raiders not overcome the odds.
MAST (14-4-2), which was eliminated in the regional quarterfinal round for the fourth consecutive season, notched the first two goals of the game within the first 20 minutes of play with the second coming on a defensive miscue by Levy-Armesto when a clearing kick ricocheted off Makos' Violeta Tuneus and into the Raiders' goal.
Eight minutes later, Ehrenreich answered with a spectacular jump kick goal in which she kicked the ball back over her head and into the goal to cut the deficit to 2-1.
With Levy-Armesto making multiple stops to keep Gulliver in it, the Raiders found their offense and scored twice in a roughly 10-minute span with goals from junior Miranda De Armas and sophomore Nora Henein to put Gulliver ahead for good.
Levy-Armesto made two more big stops to preserve the lead over the final 10-plus minutes.
'The first goal always sets the mood. It's based on the reaction of the person that scored. I wanted to make sure everyone around me was in it,' Ehrenreich said. 'And I encouraged everyone to keep going and make them believe we could do it. I just threw my leg back and hoped I could make contact with the ball.'
Ehrenreich said she has seen signs the Raiders could put together such resilient performances all season - something that was missing in recent years.
On Tuesday, she and her teammates backed up that belief.
'It was really just about motivation,' Ehrenreich said. 'We hadn't come this far in a while and so just being everyone's motivators is such a big thing and we've instilled that into everyone on the team. Every time there was a break we told each other to keep going.'
MORE SCORES
▪ Region 4-3A quarterfinal - Cardinal Gibbons 8, Monsignor Pace 0: Mia Conard scored four goals and added two assists to lead the top-seeded Chiefs (11-5-2) to the mercy rule victory in a game that ended after halftime. Caroline Findley scored three goals and Brooke Catronio had three assists. Abby Gillette had a goal and an assist. Gibbons will host Coral Springs Charter on Friday at 6 p.m.
▪ Region 4-3A quarterfinal: Coral Springs Charter 4, La Salle 1
▪ Region 3-3A quarterfinal - North Broward Prep 7, Cape Coral Oasis 0: Jayda Palumbo scored three goals and had one assist to lead the Eagles (12-3-2), who will travel to Fort Myers next on Friday night to face Bishop Verot. Kaiden O'Neill had one goal and three assists while Isabella Cancelier had one goal and one assist. Ella Munoz and Kaylee Forcione each had one goal and Lila Brown had two assists. Zoie Brown posted her 10th shutout and had two saves.
▪ Region 4-2A quarterfinal - Palmer Trinity 2, True North 1: Brooklyn Schiffrin scored both goals for the Falcons (11-4-3) to help oust the Titans (8-6), who had advanced to state in consecutive seasons. Palmer will next travel to Boca Raton on Friday to face St. John Paul II.
▪ Region 4-2A quarterfinal - Ransom Everglades 1, Carrollton 1 (Ransom wins 5-3 PK): The Raiders (12-4-3) will host Boca Raton St. Andrews on Friday night in the regional semis.
▪ Region 4-2A quarterfinals: Boca Raton St. John Paul II 2, Miami Country Day 0; Boca Raton St. Andrews 1, Westminster Christian 0.
▪ Region 4-1A quarterfinal - Sheridan Hills Christian 5, Greater Miami Academy 2: Junior Eva Hendriks scored all five goals for the Sharks (11-4). Junior Gina Cepeda had two assists and senior Valentina Escobar had one assist. Sheridan Hills Christian will face South Florida HEAT on Friday afternoon at Tequesta Trace Park.
▪ Region 4-1A quarterfinal: South Florida HEAT 8, Highlands Christian 0.
▪ Region 4-1A quarterfinal - Westwood Christian 3, Archimedean 2: The Warriors (11-1-2) will host West Palm Beach Berean Christian on Friday afternoon in the regional semifinals.
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