The Apopka Blue Darters hosted round one of the Class 7A District 3 tournament and rolled past fifth-seeded Ocoee, 8-0, Tuesday night to advance to the second round. 

“We have a great group of girls and the whole thing is for them to come in mentally ready,” Sangster said after the match. “Remember who we are, because once you know that, then you know who and what you’re playing for. And I think that’s been the message this whole time.” 

Apopka wasted no time turning that mindset into goals. On the opening run of the match, the Blue Darters earned their first corner kick. After the initial attempt was cleared, the ball found Sydney Chandler on the right side, who played it back to Jillian Kurz nearly 25 yards out. Kurz unloaded a perfectly struck shot that sailed over the goalkeeper’s outstretched hand and into the net just 2 minutes and 40 seconds in to give Apopka a 1-0 lead. 

The early goal set the tone. Apopka kept Ocoee pinned in its own half, controlling possession and attacking in waves. Near the eighth minute, the Blue Darters fired two more shots on goal, and their pressure paid off again moments later. 

Nevaeh Nguyen found space and calmly picked out Ava Croeze at the top of the box. Croeze slipped a pass through to Robyn Pickard making a run, and Pickard rolled a low finish past the keeper to make it 2-0 just over 10 minutes into the match. 

Apopka struck again before Ocoee could regroup. Eighteen minutes into the game, Ariana Obregon carried the ball up the left side and delivered a pass into the box to Croeze, who ripped a clean finish for her first goal of the night, pushing the lead to 3-0. 

After the water break, Ocoee found possession in Apopka’s defensive third for the first time in the match, but it was short-lived. The Blue Darters quickly regained control, and Addison Kramer found Nguyen outside the top of the box. Nguyen fired a blistering shot to the left side that the goalkeeper couldn’t reach, extending the lead to 4-0. 

Apopka continued to pile on late in the half. With 2:25 remaining before the break, Croeze struck again, ripping a long-range effort from the top of the box to give the Blue Darters a commanding 5-0 advantage at halftime. 

The second half followed the same script. Just 4 minutes and 30 seconds in, Apopka earned a free kick from about 25 yards out. Kramer lined it up and drilled a shot that deflected off a defender and into the goal for a 6-0 lead. 

Just over a minute later, Nguyen found space inside the box and buried another, making it 7-0 with more than 34 minutes still to play. 

With 17:59 remaining, Kramer rang another free kick off the post, and Croeze crashed to the net to finish the rebound for her third goal of the night, triggering the mercy rule and ending the match at 8-0. 

Croeze finished with three goals and an assist, while Nguyen added two goals and an assist. Pickard, Kramer and Kurz also scored, with Kramer contributing two assists. Chandler and Obregon each recorded assists as well, helping drive Apopka’s relentless attack. 

Captain Nevaeh Nguyen was smiling throughout the match as she enjoyed the offensive outburst. 

“I had a lot of fun,” Nguyen said. “It was great to be out here with my team and score as many goals as we did, especially on this field since it’s our last home game.” 

As a top two goalscorer for Apopka, she’s happy she had this opportunity. 

“It’s awesome because I don’t usually get to do this during club,” she added. “I’m a center back, so it’s great to be able to contribute to this team.” 

With the win, Apopka advances to the second round of the district tournament, where it will face top-seeded Lake Mary (13-2-1). Lake Mary won last year’s state championship and currently sits sixth in the national rankings. 

“I think they know it’s going to be a difficult one,” Sangster said. “We have to make sure that we work together, communicate, attack and defend as a team. Hopefully we can catch them on a counter. We just have to come up with the right game plan and compete.”