St. Johns wins 2A state soccer title

It’s their second crown in 3 years; they were No. 2 the other year.

By BILL JOHNSON
Clay County Line
Hayley Flynn scored two goals, including an early 35-yard free kick that sailed untouched into the upper right corner of the net, as the St. Johns Lady Spartans blew past defending state champion Delray Beach American Heritage 5-0 on Thursday night in Fort Lauderdale to claim their second 2A state soccer title in three years.
Tyler Law, Molly Richardson and Amanda Martorana also scored for the 27-1-3 Spartans, but it was their dominating defense that once again proved impenetrable. The Spartans, coached by Mike Pickett, had 23 shutouts in 31 games and didn’t allow a single goal in five regional playoff games.
“This was really amazing. We’re all psyched,” said Amanda Martorana, who got a “sister assist” on her final Lady Spartan goal from Nikki Martorana.
Amanda, who has netted plenty of sweet shots in her career, said Flynn’s first goal, only seven minutes in, “was one of the sweetest shots I’ve ever seen.” Flynn totaled 25 goals this season.
American Heritage is the same team the Lady Spartans defeated to win the 2005 state championship, and the same team they lost to in the 2006 championship game.
On Wednesday, St. Johns powered its way into the championship final with a solid 4-0 win over St. Petersburg Shorecrest.
Kara Moore, Molly Richardson, Amanda and Nikki Martorana did the scoring for St. Johns in the semifinal-round win, while the Lady Spartans’ brick-wall defense produced yet another shutout, allowing only two shots on goal.
The Spartans had allowed only 72 shots on its goal heading into the championship game, an average of 2.4 per game. The Spartans allowed American Heritage four shots.
Senior forward Amanda Martorana, who signed with the University of Central Florida while in Fort Lauderdale, ended her Spartan career with 194 career goals. She now has been on two state championship soccer teams and won two individual state track titles.