VERO BEACH — Courtney Swan and Erin Schroeder each scored five goals to lead Vero Beach High School to a 24-1 win over Jensen Beach at the Citrus Bowl to claim their seventh-consecutive district title in a row Wednesday night.
The win kept Vero Beach’s winning streak going at 55 games, and extended its in-state streak to 71 games. Jensen Beach, just in its second season of fielding a lacrosse team, defeated St. Edward’s for the right to face the defending state champs in the district title game.
“There was a lot of parity in the state this year, and I think you saw a young program (Jensen Beach) ride on a little passion and skill to the district final,” Vero Beach High School Coach Shannon Dean said.
To go with her five goals, Swan also had five ground balls and seven ball controls. Lucy Sexton contributed four goals, and goal keeper Caitlyn Miller registered seven saves. Kalani Peirce and Samantha MacCurdy dished out four assists apiece.
“It feels great to win this one,” Swan said. “We practice so hard, it feels really good to come out here and reap the rewards of our hard work.”
Vero Beach kept a steady stream of substitutions going into the game throughout, with the exception of the seniors, who Dean kept on the field because it was their last game at the Citrus Bowl.
“I did want to keep a lot of our sophomores and juniors going in and out in a constant stream. As the games get going here, we’re going to be more focused on our game play,” Swan said. “We may not have the luxury of doing all of that (substituting).”
The Fighting Indians will likely travel to Naples to play Barron Collier for their first-round matchup on April 29.
“This is our second season, and we love playing this time of year,” said Coach Dean. “We’re still chasing perfection, and it’s not easy. We want to be more balanced in our attack. We think we have seven threats on offense at all times. We want to make it so teams don’t have any idea of where we’re going.”