AUBURNDALE — Something had to give, and when it did, Montverde Academy took the state title.
Top-seed Montverde scored two late second-half goals to break open a scoreless tie, down second-seeded Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons 2-0 and capture the Class 3A girls soccer state championship in the scorching sun at Lake Myrtle Sports Complex on Saturday. It was the fifth state championship for the program since 2018.
“I told the girls at the beginning it was going to be a one-goal game, and for the most part, it was,” said Montverde coach Robbie Aristodemo, who is in his 15th season with the program. “I have to give credit to Cardinal Gibbons. They had a game plan and they sat in deep. They ran a 4-3-3 (formation) but very deep and narrow. It made it very difficult.
“We had to be patient, and we had to wear them out. You always get nervous (as it gets late) but we controlled the tempo of the game. The longer it goes the more nerve-racking it gets. You always know there is a counter attack waiting at the other end.”
The game was a defensive struggle with escalating tension until Montverde junior forward Lola Rey struck the back of the net with 12:35 remaining in the game to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead.
“I saw a girl coming at me, and I knew she was going to dive in, so I took it a little to my right foot and scored in the corner,” Rey said. “It was a great moment and a great feeling. I am so glad that I got to contribute to us winning the states.”
Montverde held Cardinal Gibbons to eight shots in the game — two in the first half — while goalkeeper Alyssa Strausbaugh made three saves.
Montverde (21-1-1) iced the win when junior forward Marta Arbenina scored with 5:59 left for a 2-0 lead. From there, the Eagles clamped down on Cardinal Gibbons (21-1-2) and prevented any more solid shots on goal for the rest of the game.
Montverde junior midfielder Kendal Seays credited Strausbaugh and the defense for shutting out Cardinal Gibbons.
“They just had to take care of their striker and attacking midfielder and it worked out,” Seays said. “It was amazing, and I can’t wait to get another back-to-back state title next year.”
Montverde won back-to-back state championships in 2018 and 2019 and in 2023 and 2024.
“We have 20 wins, one loss and one tie, so this season has to be up there as one of my favorites because of the games we played and the number of (12) road games we had,” Aristodemo said.
