Playoff lacrosse: Vero Beach girls storm back to beat Viera in sudden-death overtime

VERO BEACH -- Coaching for nearly 30 years, Shannon Dean has seen plenty on the lacrosse field.

The gutsy performance by his Vero Beach High girls lacrosse team Tuesday night will no doubt create a lasting memory.

Trailing by four goals in the third quarter, seven-time FHSAA state champion Vero Beach stormed back to take a 12-11 victory over Viera High in sudden-death overtime in the Class 2A-Region 2 semifinals in front of a nice crowd at Billy Livings Field at The Citrus Bowl.

“This is one of the grittiest teams,” Vero Beach coach Shannon Dean said. “They never quit.”

Second-seeded Vero Beach (15-4) advances to the 2A-2 final 7 p.m. Friday at top-seeded Hagerty High, a 22-5 winner over fifth-seeded East Ridge High.

Sophomore attacker Savina Magaro accounted for the game-winning goal, her first goal of the night, 13 seconds into overtime to set off a wild celebration on the home side.

In overtime, junior Amelia Elliott picked up the loose ball from the draw won by junior Erin Dermody. Elliott got the ball to Magaro, who fired a shot into the goal. However, a whistle had blown the play dead, and Magaro was awarded a direct shot from 8 meters.

Magaro duplicated her effort with a shot to the high right side.

“I just felt I needed to make it for my team because we were all really upset,” Magaro said. “We were down by a lot at the beginning and we did not want to lose to Viera.”

Trailing 10-6 with 2 minutes, 38 seconds gone in the third quarter, Vero Beach scored six of the final seven goals of the game, including the only goal in the fourth quarter and the one that counted in overtime.

“For a playoff game, what a heckuva ending,” Dean said. “The main thing is we did not panic.”

That started with the Vero Beach coaching staff and it trickled down to the players.

“We tried to remain composed on the sideline as coaches, and that resonated to the players,” Dean said. “And we executed right at the end there.”

Vero Beach did not look as if it would need any last-second heroics. It jumped out to a 4-0 lead 3:32 into the contest on two goals each from Dermody and Elliott.

“We accomplished our goal of coming out 4-zip, a quick lead,” Dean said. “But then, of course, we had a little lapse.”

That lapse lasted nearly two quarters.

The Hawks, who have been inching closer and closer to Vero Beach this season, exploded for five straight goals, three by junior Katie Merritt, with the third coming on a fast break down the right side.

After Vero Beach tied it on the third of five goals by Dermody, Viera notched the next three and five of the next six goals. Isa Brown had four of her five goals during the stretch that put Vero Beach in a 10-6 hole.

“Lacrosse is a game of runs, a game of streaks and they caught it,” Dean said of Viera. “We have dug ourselves some holes this year, but we have battled back. So we always know as a coaching staff and a team that we have the ability to come back.

“This one was a tight one, a little too close. Not something I prefer.”

Kalli Sellers scored twice, the first on an assist from Jazmyn Morris, a faceoff specialist who picked up her second yellow card late and was forced to sit out the rest of the game. Dermody had a goal and assisted on Elliott’s goal that made it 11-10 entering the fourth quarter.

Dermody had the only goal in the final 12 minutes of regulation with 1:36 left to tie it at 11-all.

“We had to make some good coaching decisions at the end of that game,” Dean said. “Like I said last game (a 19-7 win over Lake Howell), there is an expectation of anyone on this team, if they are going in, they are going to perform and execute.”

It was a bitter loss for the Hawks (13-3) who lost to Vero Beach 17-7 in the regular season and 15-12 in the district final in Coach Bayleigh Keator’s first season.

Brown finished with five goals and Merritt three for the Hawks, who are 0-10 against Vero Beach in the series dating back to 2021.

“It is so hard. When you play a team three times, the numbers say you are going to lose one,” Dean said. “You could see each one getting tougher and tougher and tougher.”

Friday, Vero Beach will head to Oviedo to face a Hagerty team it lost to 13-11 in the regional final a year ago.

“It’s going to be a shootout, a heavyweight title match,” Dean said. “We’re excited."

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Vero Beach girls lacrosse storms back for playoff win over Viera