Lady Sharks Season Ends At State Championship Final
The Lady Sharks soccer season ended with a 1-0 loss to Daytona State College at the Florida College System Athletic Association Division I Women’s Championship.
Both teams were tied 0-0 until Falcons freshman forward Susu Roberts scored a goal at the 71-minute mark.
“Even though we lost, keeping it tied that long showed how much we’ve grown,” said sophomore forward Tessa Abreu. “We truly believed we could win and created opportunities—we gave 100%.”
Miami Dade College qualified for the FCSAA Division I Women’s Championship final after beating Eastern Florida State College in the semifinals. The Lady Sharks trailed for most of the match before scoring two goals—including a dramatic penalty kick goal at the 84:50 mark that tied the game at two—to win 3-2.
Lady Sharks star forward Julia Gurgel scored both of those goals for MDC, including the game winner at the 88:06 mark.
Miami Dade College started the season sluggish. They struggled to show a semblance of consistency, going 3-5-2 in their first 10 games. But the Lady Sharks recovered, winning their last two matches to end the regular season with a 5-5-1 mark and a 6-5-2 overall record, including the playoffs.
“It might not look as strong as last year’s 10-5-2, but I think this team was actually stronger overall,” said assistant coach Mario Concha. “Last year we started well but finished with injuries; this year it was the opposite, we finished stronger than we started. The girls stayed focused and committed, and we just kept them engaged and concentrated on the end goal, which was to reach the final and keep improving.”
Leading the Lady Sharks offensive attack was Gurgel, a sophomore, who led the team with 11 goals. Abreu added three goals and was tops on the squad with two assists and midfielder Betzael Contreras added three goals and three assists.
Standout freshmen included forward Luna Matsduo, who scored two goals, defender Olivia Verbeet, who led all first-year students in games started (12), followed by defender Dorina Feherto, who started 11 games.
“A lot of players really stepped up, especially in those tough games at the end of the season,” Concha said. “Players like Juju and our center backs—especially Olivia—did extremely well for us. Some were consistent all year, and some really peaked at the end. Overall, I think the players were mentally ready. They were locked in. It was a very even match that could’ve gone either way. They just got us on one individual play—a great finish by their player—but collectively, we did amazing.”
Gurgel, Contreras and goalkeeper Ashley Fonesca were selected to the Division I All-FCSAA first-team.
At the end of the season, Concha reminisced and saluted the group of players who started the Lady Sharks soccer program two seasons ago.
“They’ve made history: starting a new program, earning a national ranking, and reaching a final. They’ve laid the foundation for what’s to come,” Concha said. “My message was simple—be grateful, be proud and keep working. Many of them have the potential to play at the next level and I hope they keep pushing toward that.”
