Middleton, Fla. — A three-goal night from Samaya Khaleel helped The Villages High School girls soccer team get its home slate off to a strong start Wednesday night in Middleton.

The Buffalo rolled past South Lake for a 5-0 decision in their first home match of the 2025-26 campaign at H.G. Morse Stadium, improving to 2-2 overall on the young season.

"This is a young team but one of the more talented groups I've had the pleasure of coaching the past few years," VHS head coach Brian Rausch said. "We played three really tough teams to open up the season, so this was a great team win."

After a slow start, The Villages broke through in the 12th minute when Ana Porras found Sofia Florian for the opening goal. Two minutes later, the sophomore Khaleel doubled the lead with her first tally, then later struck again in the 17th to put The Villages in control with a 3-0 advantage.

Khaleel completed her first hat trick of the season with 4:48 left in the first half, giving the Buffalo a 4-0 lead at the break.

"Samaya is such a high-energy player," Rausch said of Khaleel. "She helps coach the girls on the field, and this was a great confidence boost for her and our team."

In the second half, Rausch used the comfortable advantage to experiment with player rotations and lineups. The move paid off late when junior Alexa Foster netted her first goal of the year off a corner attempt with just over a minute remaining.

The Buffalo will return to the pitch next Monday night, when VHS hosts Wesley Chapel at 7 p.m. in Middleton.


Kyle Coppola can be reached for questions or comment via email at kyle.coppola@buffalostampeders.com.