Bartram Trail blanks Boca Raton 7A girls soccer state championship

Olivia Bori, Sophia Magdalein and Reese Henley all score as the Bears finish undefeated

DELAND, FLORIDA – Olivia Bori scored on a penalty kick Friday, and the Bartram Trail Bears overwhelmed Boca Raton 3-0 in the FHSAA Class 7A girls soccer state final to win their third state title in four years.

Sophia Magdalein and Reese Henley each added goals for the Bears (21-0-2), who also won the 2020 and 2021 titles.

They rebounded from a 2022 7A Region 1 final loss to eventual champion and neighbor Creekside 3-2.

Bartram Trail midfielder Malia Roberts lifts the 7A girls championship as her teammates celebrate their 3-0 victory over Boca Raton / Photo by Lynn Ramsey

Bartram Trail coach Jen Rodriguez said the Bears learned a hard lesson in the value of details. She said her nine-player senior class provided the example in how to value those details.

“Just learning that you have to stay focused the entire season. I felt last year we got a little complacent,” Rodriguez said. “We were 18-0 going into that game. When I look back at it, did we give our very best? I don’t. That could’ve been the difference.”

Boca Raton (20-4) equalled its best finish, tying a 2010 6A and a 2015 7A final finish. The Bobcats also were derailed last year in the state semifinals.

The Bears finished the season with their only blemishes from 1-1 ties to 2A finalist St. Johns Country Day and 3A champion Montverde, which returned to the FHSAA after playing an independent schedule the last three years.

Bartram Trail unleashed an arsenal of offense that kept Boca Raton on the defensive most of the night. Kelly White, however, proved to be unbreakable in the first half, making eight saves. She finished the match with 11 saves.

White’s excellence was on no better display than midway through the first half. Three Bartram Trail players got shots on frame against White. White repelled them all.

“We kept in a normal formation for ourselves. We were a little more defensive,” Boca Raton coach Rachael Grimes said. “This is the way we played all season, 4-5-1. We tried to make it physical for them.

“(White) hasn’t been under this type of pressure in the games we’ve played in, but her performance was outstanding. Without her, it would’ve been a different score. In the playoff run, she’s risen to the occasion, made the big saves when she needed.”

The Bears eventually found chinks in the Boca Raton armor. Bori drew a foul just inside the Bobcats’ penalty area, then buried the penalty kick low right with 32:13 left in the second half.

“We’ve been here before, so we knew how to start, and we knew how to give our all the whole half, and we never let go,” Bori said.

Magdalein added a goal. Carolyn Johnson sent a through pass into the box to Magdalein, who then beat the keeper right with 19:08 left to put the Bears up 2-0.

Henley made it 3-0 with 19 seconds left when Emma Revels headed a corner kick in front of the goal. Henley then headed it into the goal.

Bartram Trail midfielder Malia Roberts served as the transition point for the offense, sparking several breakaways. She also had three shots on goal.

“The strategy was to stay compact, and they were able to pass and move the ball, even off the ball, providing opportunities for other players,” Roberts said.

Bartram Trail’s defense remained solid as Boca Raton sent a center back into the offensive half. Lily Holden had one save, mostly because the Bears held the Bobcats to five shots.

Boca Raton returns all but two seniors. Bartram Trail, however, graduates nine seniors. Roberts said she’d encourage her returning teammates to keep working hard.

Rodriguez said the returnees would be wise to follow this group of seniors.

“They’ll need to remember this feeling. They need to remember what the seniors brought to the training field and the game field every day, because they were special. They gave that extra effort. They gave that extra training. Over there, I looked at them, I ended up with all the seniors on the field. I looked to (the returnees) and said, ‘Remember this feeling. If you want to be back here, you’ll have continue to grow as a player.’ ”