PORT ST. LUCIE — The Treasure Coast High School girls soccer team has played a schedule that’s been nothing less than gauntlet.
From their opening match with Pine on Nov. 7 to its most recent match against their fiercest district rival on Wednesday, the Titans have been tested in the majority of their contests. And while it stumbled the last time it walked onto the pitch, the team hopes that its tussles only sharpens its players for when it matters most.
Treasure Coast gave up a pair of set-piece goals during a 3-0 defeat against Jupiter on Wednesday from Treasure Coast High School. It was the first time the two teams matched up since the Warriors outlasted the Titans in penalty kicks for the District 10-7A title a season ago.
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“This is just another team on the gauntlet,” Treasure Coast head coach Kyle Costigan said. “Difference today plain and simple, they finish their chances and
we did not finish our chances. We had the chances, it’s not like they weren’t there. But while theirs went in the back of the net, ours were either close or nowhere near the net.”
Most of the home team’s scoring opportunities occurred in the first 30 minutes, but nothing got past Carson Proctor, who finished with five saves.
Jupiter first broke the ice shortly after the first-half water break when Abigail Nordland scored on a corner kick after she was first to a loose ball in the middle of the box. The road team doubled its cushion just prior to halftime when off a turnover, a through ball reached Lila Boes. The senior’s first touch allowed her to escape a collusion with a Titans defender and senior goalkeeper Kayleigh Marreel en route to an easy tap-in goal.
The Warriors (13-1-1) added to their advantage early in the second half. Off another corner kick, this time to the near post, Molly Gildea used a header to flick the ball home.
Meanwhile, the Titans’ chances dwindled in the final 40 minutes. Their lone shot on goal came off the foot of junior midfielder Deanna Romero, but her long-distance was easily hauled in.
Treasure Coast’s (5-4-4) loss snapped a five-match undefeated streak.
Jupiter’s offensive output on Wednesday was an outlier in the Titans’ recent run of matches as defense helped dig the team out of an early hole.
They allowed 10 goals in their first three contests this season, going 0-2-1 in that stretch. Since then, Treasure Coast has relinquished only 11 goals. Within that period, Treasure Coast has given up one goal or less in eight of its last 10 matches.
“I have a strong defensive unit, a senior-led defensive unit,” Costigan said. “We’re good in the back. We have days like this where it all tends to fall apart, but there’s a good, strong core and a leadership aspect on this field that I trust to get us past anyone. And with defeat like this, we can rebound from that.”
Marrell has long been considered one of the area’s finest keepers. But it’s been the steady play of senior defenders Sadie Magnan, Angelina Carreno, Jordan Robert and Alina Jean that have made the difference.
Carreno has played the most of the four in the back, as she entered Wednesday’s match with nearly 800 minutes played. She utilizes those minutes to contribute in a variety of ways.
“I would like to say I bring a lot of confidence to the team,” Carreno said. “I make sure my girls always keep their head up no matter what mistake they make. I try to be the voice of the team on the field; I speak out and a lot of the girls come and talk to me.”
Treasure Coast currently holds the 31st strength-of-schedule in the state with a rating of 11.51. The area’s team closest to that number is Vero Beach (8.2), which comes in at 84th overall.
Continuing with a schedule that challenges the program year in and year out, the Titans have faced seven teams that are currently ranked in the top 100: Pine, Wellington, King’s Academy, Viera (twice), Spanish River, Boca Raton, Jupiter.
They are 0-4-4 in those matchups. But the benefit of those meetings go beyond the scoreboard at the final whistle.
“A lot of times when teams have skill, it’s not always paired with mental toughness, self-confidence, and the ability to play together,” Costigan said. “We can have as much skill in the world, but if that skill only comes out when we play low-level competition, that doesn’t really help us going forward. For me, and for this team and for this program, it’s more than just the wins and losses. It’s about preparing them for the future, and that comes from mental toughness, facing adversity, going through tests and trials like this. I feel like it’s my responsibility to put them through the ringer because life is not going to let up.”
Jupiter has won four of the last five meetings between the two teams. Treasure Coast’s last victory came in upset fashion during a 2023 regional quarterfinal.
It would be no surprise if the pair battled once more for the district title, and again in regionals as they are ranked first and second in Region 2-7A.
The Titans believe another meeting this season is almost a guarantee. After Wednesday’s defeat, they understand they need to defend on set pieces better and have a stronger plan against the Warriors’ counterattacks and work in transition.
Treasure Coast has three more matches before the postseason gets under way, plenty of time to clean up their mistakes before a potential rematch.
“I talked to them at the beginning of the game and told them this is a preview of what we’re going to see at the end of January,” Costigan said. “The way you behave out there, the way you perform out there, the way you act out there, the way that you think out there is going to be the building blocks for how we play the game in January. So, with the result we have now, obviously, we’re going into it with a chip on our shoulder. We’re gonna go into that late January game with a little bit of anger on our mind, with a revenge mentality. And that can serve us very well. We could come out with that fire and that spirit because they beat us so bad out here today.”
Carreno added: “Hopefully, we’re ready to beat them next time.”
Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers. He can be reached at (772) 985-9692, on X at @PatBernadeau or via email at patrick.bernadeau@tcpalm.com.
