- April 3, 2025
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Like an underdog fighter hunting for a knockout blow, the Lakewood Ranch girls soccer team isn’t too concerned with playing it safe.
The fourth-seeded Mustangs will find out if that strategy can send them to the 6A state championship match on Feb. 20 when they face top-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas in the state semifinal round at Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale.
Lakewood Ranch has scored 73 goals (3.47 per game), nearly double the national average, behind a team loaded with talented attacking players.
Senior Olivia Hadad has spearheaded that offense with 35 goals. She proved to be a true difference-maker for the Mustangs in the 6A Region-3 final against East Lake on Feb. 12.
Her goal in the 13th minute was the difference in a 1-0 win that sent Lakewood Ranch to the state semifinals for the first time since 2014.
However, Hadad and Co. wouldn’t be able to unleash that offensive onslaught without the trust coach Cole Richardson puts in her defense.
Most soccer teams, especially at the high school level, play with four defenders.
Not only is that a common formation in soccer, but it tends to be an easier way to protect leads and keep opposing teams within reach.
Lakewood Ranch isn’t like most teams.
The Mustangs have relied on just three defenders — freshman Makenzie Ryan, sophomore Jessica Squitieri and senior Savannah Adams — to hold down the defense so that they can stay aggressive with an extra player up the field.
Those who haven’t followed the Mustangs might be tempted to think that means they’ve won some high-scoring shootouts this season, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Lakewood Ranch’s defense hasn’t allowed a goal for five straight matches and has allowed more than two goals just once this season.
“At half (against East Lake), the defenders were like, ‘Can we play four back?’ I was like, ‘You’re going to feel the pressure, but it’s still one to zero,’” Richardson said. “My fear is we play four back and it’s one to one and now we don’t have scoring opportunities.
“We tell them, ‘Believe us, trust us, and stay back.’”
Lakewood Ranch also takes a unique approach to its last line of defense.
The Mustangs have two goalkeepers who are more than capable in starting in senior Emma Chapman and sophomore Avary Shirley.
Lakewood Ranch simply goes with the hot hand.
That’s a lot to ask from a position as mentally demanding as goalkeeper, but Shirley said her friendly competition with Chapman has given them both an edge they wouldn’t otherwise have.
On Feb. 12, Shirley didn’t know she would be starting in the biggest game of the season until lineups were announced, but she wasn’t fazed.
“I tend to be quiet,” Shirley said of her pre-game routine. “I’m kind of in my own zone. I’m always telling myself, ‘The Lord is with me. God is with me. I’m fearless. I just have to step out onto that stage and give it my all.’”
Shirley made several leaping and diving saves for Lakewood Ranch in the regional final, and could be needed to have a repeat performance with the season on the line going forward.
“During the season we play them half and half. We switch who starts to see and feel who we’re going to have for these games,” Richardson said. “We’ve seen Ava step up in her leadership and her confidence. From a freshman last year on varsity, she was a shell of herself that she is now.
“We have two very strong keepers, and I’ve told them, ‘We’re blessed to have even one and we have two.’ Just because the other doesn’t get in isn’t a reflection of them. If our starter is doing her job, I can’t pull her.”
Richardson said Lakewood Ranch opened this season with one simple goal — win the district championship.
Looking beyond that didn’t serve the Mustangs any good.
Now that they’ve made it to the state tournament in Auburndale, and the end is in sight, however, it might be tempting to steal a glimpse at what could be.
That can’t be afforded at this stage in the game.
Lakewood Ranch’s 6A state semifinal opponent St. Thomas Aquinas is formidable. The Raiders (18-1-3) are ranked No. 4 overall by the Florida High School Athletic Association and have won more state championships (15) than any other team in the state.
The Mustangs (15-4-2) are ranked significantly lower at No. 29, but Richardson said that doesn’t matter at this point.
“They’re always a very good program, but I think we can play with anyone,” she said. “We’ve made it to states. We had goals earlier this season. One was to win districts, and then make a run at states. Each game our goal is to win that game and move on.”
Lakewood Ranch will need its defense to keep playing at its best now more than ever.
St. Thomas Aquinas has proved to be dominant on both sides of the field. It’s scored 33 goals over its last six games and 96 on the season (4.36 per game) led by a trio of attackers who have each scored 15-plus goals.
It might be even better on defense.
The Raiders have allowed just nine goals the entire season (0.4 per game).
All of those impressive stats won’t matter, however, if underdog Lakewood Ranch can land its best punch of the season.
