Eagles Turn In Dominant Performance Against Difficult Foe

The sun disappeared below the horizon as Eagle fans packed the bleachers of Twin Oaks fields, despite the increasingly chilly weather, to support the Niceville girl’s soccer team for the second night in a

row. This time around, the Eagles faced yet another rival team- the Navarre Raiders. 

Over the past couple of seasons, Niceville had pulled through with a win by one or two points, leading one to conclude that this season’s match would be similar. However, by the end of the 80 minutes of play, the Eagles saw a 4-0 shutout win over the Raiders.

The first half got underway at 7 pm with Niceville’s key sophomore #13 Taylor Kerle scoring the game’s first goal just moments after kick-off. 

Despite trailing by one point early in the game, Navarre held an intense speed of play, maintaining possession for a sizable portion of the first half. However, just before the referee’s whistle sounded, signaling halftime, Niceville’s Jezlyn Nelson found the back of the net, giving the Eagles a lead of 2-0 over the Raiders.

The majority of the second half saw strong play and possession on both sides of the ball, but not many opportunities to score for the Raiders as Niceville’s strong defense whisked the ball the moment Navarre’s strikers neared the 18-yard box. With just 1:55 left in the game, Niceville leveled up their intensity on the attack, resulting in a goal by Kate Tomaschko. 

Just one minute later, a foul by Navarre gave the Eagles one more opportunity to score with a direct kick. The Raiders formed a wall as

Niceville’s Aynzlie Nelson prepared to take the kick from outside of the 18-yard box. Nelson took a beautiful shot that was equally balanced in power and height, allowing the ball to soar above the wall and

into the back of the net, sealing a 4-0 win for the Eagles.

When asked about her mindset and expectations headed into the game, Coach Kelly Fernandez responded, “I asked the girls to just go out and play because they liked to play, not because of the score,

and I think they showed up to play.”

On Saturday, the Niceville girl’s soccer team will play their third home game of the week.