All three Okaloosa County girls’ soccer teams advanced to the Sweet 16 after winning their opening-round playoff games.
Niceville 6, Navarre 0
Michelle Melancon picked the perfect time to deliver a standout performance.
- One day after signing with Mississippi College, the senior netted a hat trick to power Niceville past Navarre on Thursday night at Twin Oaks.
Melancon opened the scoring seven minutes into the match, but the Lady Eagles struggled to convert on several chances and took a 1-0 lead into halftime. The second half was a different story. Melancon struck twice in quick succession to complete the hat trick and put the game out of reach.
Jezlyn Nelson, Payten Hart and Molly Johnson added goals to close out the 6-0 victory.
“Hat trick says it all,” Niceville head coach Kelly Fernandez said of Melancon. “She signed yesterday with Mississippi College and they’re getting a heck of a player.”
“I think it’s incredible,” Melancon said. “I was so glad I was able to do it in this game. I think it was what we needed to keep pushing.”
Defensively, the Lady Eagles were dominant, never allowing Navarre to get a shot off.
- “I think defense wins,” Fernandez said. “Defense keeps the game out. If the other team makes a mistake, we score. Defense wins.”
Niceville will host Nease, which defeated Tocoi Creek 1-0, in the Sweet 16 on Wednesday.
“Nobody understands our field like we do,” Fernandez said.
Fort Walton Beach 3, Stanton 2
The Lady Vikings’ win over Stanton on Thursday night was a true team effort.
Stanton struck first, but Fort Walton Beach responded before halftime. Jordan Chadwell headed in a corner kick from Hannah Squire to equalize, then Madison Perez found the net off an assist from Katia Cruz to give the Lady Vikings a 2-1 lead at the break.
The Blue Devils tied it in the second half, but Cruz answered with 14 minutes remaining, converting off an assist from Perez to put Fort Walton Beach up 3-2. From there, the Lady Vikings dug in defensively and held on for the victory.
- “I’m very proud of how the girls responded to going down,” said Head coach Manny Paravalos. “They stuck with the plan, were patient, didn’t let mistakes dictate the outcome, and we’re ready for our next opponent.”
Fort Walton Beach travels to Ocala on Wednesday to face Vanguard, which rolled past Citrus 8-0 in the opening round.
Rocky Bayou 1, Christ’s Church Academy 0
Two underclassmen stepped up when the Lady Knights needed them most.
Freshman Natalie Ferguson provided the decisive moment, scoring with 14 minutes left in the first half. Ferguson took the ball and fired a shot past Christ’s Church goalkeeper Rachel Lowe for what proved to be the game’s only goal.
Sophomore goalkeeper Lily Mott did the rest, making save after save to preserve the shutout. Christ’s Church had five consecutive shots around the 19-minute mark of the first half, but none found the net. The second half was a defensive slugfest, and Mott’s presence in goal kept the Lady Eagles off the board.
When the final whistle blew, Rocky Bayou head coach Brian Alldredge and his staff rushed to midfield to celebrate the program’s second consecutive Sweet 16 appearance.
- “Our team is one of the deepest teams I’ve had,” Alldredge said. “If you would see how many ninth and 10th graders that we have that are contributing to the team, it’s exciting to see, and to see that when people need to step up, they do, and it’s great.”
The road gets significantly harder Monday when the Lady Knights travel to Orange Park to face St. John’s Country Day, the No. 1 team in 1A and the heavy favorite to win a state title. The Spartans run-ruled St. John Paul II, a team Rocky Bayou defeated for a district championship.
Alldredge welcomes the challenge.
“They’re the best 1A team in the state, and it gives us a chance to go against the best,” he said. “So it’s an exciting opportunity.”
