W.O. girls soccer falls to Lake Brantley in state playoffs

WINTER GARDEN — The West Orange girls soccer team saw its season end Jan. 22 — in the regional quarterfinals of the FHSAA Class 5A State Playoffs for a third consecutive year.

The host Warriors fell to Lake Brantley, 3-0.

A goal by the Patriots late in the first half — the first of three goals on the night by Lake Brantley’s Kasey Rakauskas — began a momentum shift that West Orange (15-3-4) could not overcome.

“We had our opportunities early on,” Warriors coach Stan Banks said. “(We) could have gone up, (in) the second half, we could have equalized early on. … (We) just didn’t capitalize when we needed to.”

Despite the loss, West Orange — which defeated Apopka a week earlier, 3-2, in the Class 5A District 4 Final — still put together a memorable season.

“It’s our third year in a -row to have made it to this spot in regionals; first year winning a district championship,” Banks said. “Everything is moving in the right direction. We’re just a few pieces away from getting past this first round of regionals.”

The district championship, in particular, is something the program’s graduating seniors can be proud of as they move on in their careers.

“(The district title) means a lot to the seniors,” Banks said. “But the underclassmen certainly have different expectations. … Hopefully, that’s what we build on moving forward.”

Contact Steven Ryzewski at [email protected].