BRADENTON — Seminole nearly forced overtime against Lakewood Ranch but their unbeaten foe denied the Warhawks.
Delaney Riggins’ goal with 5:21 remaining, off of a feed from Maria Miller, gave the Mustangs a 1-0 victory in the Class 4A-Region 3 final.
The game was delayed by one day because of electrical issues with the lights at Lakewood Ranch High.
In its second region final in three years, Seminole was denied its first trip to the state semis since 2011.
The Mustangs (23-0-1) controlled play for the first 10 minutes. Then, Seminole (23-5-2) took over.
“We pretty much knew what they were going to do, and we handled it pretty well most of the game,” Warhawks coach Gary Kolb said. “It was back and forth. Tough match. They’re a very sound team. They played very well.
“I thought the game was going to be 1-0 or go into overtime, because we matched up well. ”
Even after Riggins’ goal, the Mustangs were on full alert.
“We did,” Kolb said when asked if he expected his team to get the equalizer or more in the final 5:21. “But it didn’t happen today.”