North girls down Mariner to win 5A District 11 soccer championship

A rivalry took center stage Tuesday night, as two familiar foes battled to earn a girls soccer district championship.
When all was said and done, it was North Fort Myers that came out on top, taking down Mariner 4-1 en route to a FHSAA 5A District 11 crown.
“I thought we played really well,” said Red Knights head coach Nick Erickson. “We finished opportunities in front of the goal. We were aggressive taking shots on goal.
“In terms of finishing, and being aggressive and taking shots, I thought we really, really did a nice job there.”
The No. 1 seeded Red Knights (18-2) opened the score in the eighth minute, as junior standout Hannah Busenbark netted her 50th goal of the year. Busenbark received a centering pass on a counterattack, settled the ball and sent it towards the net. The ball deflected off of a Mariner defender and found the back of the net.
The Tritons (17-3) answered not too long after, as Caroline Orth showed off some great dribbling prowess in the box, evaded a few North defenders and buried her chance to equalize the game just 15 minutes in.
North regained the lead in minute 29, as a clearing attempt from Mariner found the boots of Jaelyn Hoefer, who dribbled towards the keeper and found the back of the net inside the right boat with her left foot.
The Red Knights extended their lead during stoppage time before the half, as Lexi Neumann took a free kick just outside the box, floating a beautiful shot into the top right corner of the net.
The Tritons were unable to muster many chances in the second half, as the Red Knights continued to dominate possession.
“Defensively, we played well,” Erickson said, adding that his team gave the Tritons a different look in the second half. “We’re fast. We’re athletic. For the most part, we’re well positioned. I think the goal we did give up was a miscommunication type-thing.”
Erickson also praised the play of his goalkeeper, Brooke Hankinson.
“I thought she set the tone for her game on that very first difficult ball that they played in, where she had to dive and catch, and no rebound,” he said. “That set the tone. Not giving up rebounds and not doing that kind of stuff is what’s going to stop the ball from getting into the back of the net.”
Busenbark scored once again, this time in the 43rd minute, to put the game away for North.
“It’s the greatest offensive season I’ve seen in (all of my years) doing this,” Erickson said of Busenbark. “And there’s been a lot of excellent offensive players, and she’s certainly in that class. But in terms of a want and to score goals — I haven’t seen that before. She’s just a machine when it comes to putting balls in the back of the net. She’s just a great player.”
Last season, it was Mariner who won the district championship, but then fell to North in the state tournament. These teams are all but destined to meet again in the very near future.
Tritons head coach Jami Hagy said, “The game with North is always a competitive game. We have been battling injuries all season and the team has stuck together. It’s unfortunate we came up short and North played their game and came out on top. Caroline Orth really stepped up for us by putting the ball in the back of the net to tie it early on. Trishelle Lopez was back and came up with some big saves. Our defense with Bella Resto, Adriana Lopez, Madison Arch and Olivia Hinote I thought did a great job with the offense that North threw at us.”
Erickson said he’s immensely encouraged with the way his team is playing at this point in the season heading into the state tournament. The Red Knights are looking to punch a ticket once again to the state finals, as they did last year, falling to American Heritage in penalty kicks.
“I think if we can stay healthy and we finish opportunities in front of the net that are reasonable, I think we’ve got a very good chance to advance,” Erickson said. “I think we’re playing well. We’re gelling. If we play clean and we limit our mistakes…and we’re playing behind the ball moving forward versus chasing and reacting to things, we’re going to have a good shot against most teams.”
The Tritons are certainly not out of the picture when it comes to making a deep run, and Hagy has faith in her team to take on adversity and shake off the district loss.
“The team is concentrating on one game at a time and practicing hard,” Hagy said. “They are resilient and will bounce back. They have shined throughout the season and I have confidence they are going to correct what they need going into tournament play.”
The brackets for the FHSAA 5A State Championships will be released soon.