Middleton, Fla. — There's still plenty of work to be done in the regular season, but Thursday night was an evening to celebrate for The Villages High School girls soccer team.
The Buffalo recognized nine members of the Class of 2024 on their Senior Night, many of whom have enjoyed long careers with the varsity team, which culminated in a 3-1 win over Citrus (Inverness) at The Range at H.G. Morse Stadium.
"(A lot of us) have played together for the last 10 years — the same girls on the same team with the same coach playing the game we love — so finishing it out with this group, it means the world," senior striker Emma Johnson said. "These are my sisters, this is my family."
Earning the victory with a senior having a hand in every goal made the night doubly special and came at a critical time in the season, following a three-week layoff for the winter break.
"We'd been on a two-game losing streak prior," senior Katherine Probola said. "So it was good to get off that losing streak as well, and it meant a lot to be out here with these girls."
The Buffalo dominated the game from the opening whistle, keeping the Hurricanes pinned back in their defensive third. Despite owning the bulk of the possession and seeing plenty of opportunities for shots, though, The Villages remained scoreless through the first 30 minutes.
The breakthrough came in the 30th minute when a pass from Johnson found Probola, who tucked a shot inside the right post after winning position on a run up the middle.
"Once we knew how they were playing, we were able to start getting around them and that's when we started scoring goals," Probola said.
Moments later, Johnson notched her own tally, a strike from 30 yards out that buried itself in the upper right corner of the net, well out of the reach of Citrus goalkeeper Riley Tirrell.
"At 1-0, we're cool with that, but 2-0 is even better for the team," Johnson said, "I told myself, 'Next time I get the ball, I'm going to shoot it,' and that's exactly what I did."
After halftime, Probola completed a brace, finishing off a pass from senior winger Anna Rausch. By the time Citrus scored its lone goal in the dying moments of the match, the result was already in hand.
The current crop of seniors — Gianna DiMaggio, Kayleigh Ducharme, Taylor Fugate, Amelia Goller, Johnson, Bailey Keller, Molly Parady, Probola and Rausch — currently owns a four-year record of 38-16-4 and five consecutive district titles. Perhaps even more significant to the program is the blueprint they laid for the young squad coming up behind them.
"So many of them being here for six years, seven years … these younger girls are seeing that and saying, 'In these next four or five years, we want to be there and do the same thing,'" VHS head coach Brian Rausch said.
The Buffalo will return to action next Tuesday night at Vanguard (Ocala), before they conclude the regular season Jan. 18 at home against Springstead (Spring Hill).
Drew Chaltry can be reached for questions or comment by calling (352) 259-6890.
