Boca Raton, FL – The Olympic Heights Girls Soccer Team played to a hard-fought 1–1 draw Friday afternoon against Key West High School in front of an energetic home crowd. The “Manatee Event” allowed members of the student body to attend and support the Lions, creating a spirited atmosphere for the third-ever meeting between the two programs.

Both teams entered the contest at 1-0-1, with Olympic Heights having won the previous two matchups by identical 2–1 scores. This time, neither side could find the edge in a tightly contested match that ended with honors even.

The Lions struck late in the opening half when Victoria Dasilva capitalized on a loose ball at the top of the box, finishing calmly over the keepers head off an assist from Leah Gottlieb. Olympic Heights carried a 4-3 shot advantage into halftime and nearly extended their lead, but was unsuccesful from the wings all day.

In the second half, Key West came out aggressively, outshooting the Lions 8-6. Despite several key stops from goalkeeper Ava Finnerty, who delivered another outstanding performance, the Conchs found the equalizer in the 45th minute after a misque allowed a midfielder to turn and lead to a breakaway and finish from close range.

Finnerty continued to anchor the Lions’ defense, making multiple highlight saves, including one fingertip stop over the crossbar during a sequence that ended with four consecutive Key West corner kicks. On the forth, Finnerty was forced to make a diving save to keep the score locked up. 

The Lions generated two strong late chances: a near-post deflection off a corner and a dangerous cross that sailed untouched across the goal mouth in the closing moments.

Coach Jim praised his team’s resilience and defensive effort.

“We created opportunities and defended well under the circumstances,” said Coach Jim. “If we clean up our execution in the final third, this is a game we win. But I’m proud of the effort and the way we competed.”

The Lions move to 1-0-2on the season, while Key West stands at 1-0-2 . Olympic Heights will look to return to the win column in their next match at Western High School in Davie