Girls State Lacrosse: Vero Beach's journey to break a nine-year title drought begins Friday

The wait for the next banner has reached nine years for the Vero Beach girls lacrosse program.

But in a season defined by overcoming adversity, and lately, riveting victories, the girls donning the red and white may be taking a fitting path back to the top of the mountain.

Vero Beach continues its journey as the team takes on the two-time defending champion Bartram Trail in a Class 2A state semifinal at 5 p.m. Friday from the Paradise Coast Sports Complex in Naples.

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The Indians are the No. 2 seed in the state bracket while the Bears are seeded third. After those two teams are finished, No. 4 Stoneman Douglas takes on unbeaten top seed Plate in the other state semifinal. The winners will play at 2:30 p.m. Saturday with the state championship on the line.

Following yet another district title, Vero Beach has at least displayed the resolve of champion, earning the right to advance by emerging through high-pressurized situations in its last two games.

The Indians trailed Viera by four goals in the second half of their regional semifinal. Vero tied the game with 96 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter before Savina Magaro ended it 13 seconds into overtime. Then in the regional final, the team upset top seed Hagerty on a goal from Presley Carroll with 0.1 seconds left in regulation.

Those victories improved the Indians record to 16-4 this season. Vero Beach has won its previous nine games, last falling on March 21 when the team was held to - you guessed it - nine goals in a loss to St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes (Va.).

Given that the number nine is a fairly popular number surrounding this team, here’s nine facts about the Indians heading into Friday’s semifinal.

There it is again

Like an antagonist in a horror film, there is that number, again. That’s the amount of current players that were on the roster the last time Vero Beach played in the Final Four back in 2022: Belle Fettig, Erin Dermody, Bryce Forrest, Amelia Elliott, Grayton Del Tufo, Addison Parris, Edy Dowd, Lily Rhue and Paige Medlin.

Who wears No. 9?

Kalli Sellers, a sophomore attacker and midfielder for the Indians.

That close

During the Final Four, the Indians eked out a 7-6 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas in the state semifinals, but were denied the top prize with an 8-7 loss to the same program they’ll see on Friday, Bartram Trail.

Historic nemesis

The Bears and Indians have met seven times over the past decade. While Vero has the edge 4-3, Bartram Trail has the most significant victories in the series, including an 8-7 overtime win in the 2016 state title game to break the Indians’ streak of titles.

Player to key an eye on

Vero’s hopes of breaking their nine-year drought hinge on slowing down Ryann Frechette. The senior attacker and University of Florida commit tops the Bears with 140 points. Her 109 goals this season ranks 14th nationally, according to MaxPreps.

Short-handed

Slowing down Frechette won’t be easy, especially for a team that'll be without several key contributors. Dowd, Parris and Sydney Pridgeon have been on the mend with season-ending ACL injuries.

Almost a sure thing

Vero Beach is almost unbeatable in the state semis, producing a 10-1 record. The team’s lone loss came in 2018 at the hands of American Heritage.

Solid under pressure

The Indians are 4-0 this season in matches decided by one goal.

Life in 2015

Here are facts from the last time the Indians hoisted the state title: Star Wars Ep. VII: The Force Awakens was the top grossing movie that year, pulling more than 700 million dollars. “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars was the top song on Billboard’s Hot 100. Vero Beach graduate Bryan Stork was the starting center for the New England Patriots, helping the team win Super Bowl XLIX.

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 pbernadeau@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Girls Lacrosse: 9 facts leading up to Vero Beach's state semifinal Friday