Press & Video of Kaitlin Tighe

Kaitzy's tying goal with less than 4 minutes in regulation time to send the state championship game into overtime

St. Thomas 2012 State Championship game summary

Disney Showcase 2013

Aquinas beats Palm Coast 1-0 in overtime

Raiders advance to 5A title

By Steve Gorten, Sun Sentinel

6:33 p.m. EST, February 7, 2014

MELBOURNE – Before there was triumph in sudden-death overtime for St. Thomas Aquinas in the Class 5A state semifinals Friday, there was a frustrating six-minute sequence of squandered chances.

Isabella Dorosy's header from close range clanked off the crossbar. Her older sister, Dallas, ripped a long shot that Flagler Palm Coast goalkeeper Leah Leach intercepted.

With two minutes left in regulation, Isabella sent a beautiful through-ball to Dallas. Leach blocked it. With 1:15 left, Leach again charged out of the goal and deflected a shot from Isabella Dorosy.

But then just 2:36 into overtime, a scoreless game suddenly ended.

Dallas Dorosy took a pass from Kaitlin Tighe, dribbled and booted the ball into the lower right corner of the net for a 1-0 win against Flagler Palm Coast at Eastern Florida State College.

St. Thomas vs. Vero Beach 5A Championship

( Jim Rassol / Sun Sentinel / February 8, 2014 )

Kaitlin Tighe (10) and Dallas Dorsey (3) celebrate a goal by Connor Lhota to the Raiders ahead 2-0 over Vero Beach in the 1^st half. St. Thomas Aquinas vs. Vero Beach. 2014 FHSAA Class 5A Girls Soccer Championship. Eastern Florida State College, Melbourne, FL. 2/8/14. Jim Rassol, Sun Sentinel.

The Raiders (19-3-2), ranked No. 6 in the nation by the NSCAA, will try for a record 13th state title Saturday at 5:35 p.m. against the winner of Friday's other semifinal between Vero Beach and Palm Harbor University.

Making its first appearance in the state semifinals, Flagler Palm Coast (15-7-4) was outshot 25-2 by St. Thomas, but stayed even on the scoreboard due to Leach, who finished with 17 saves.

"We were all really frustrated and a lot of people were really emotional," Dorosy said. "But we just kept our heads up. We knew we had them on their heels and we were going to get more [chances]."

Said St. Thomas coach Carlos Giron: "We controlled the game and played the game we wanted to play. It was just a matter of putting the ball in the net. …[Going into overtime] I told them if we got another break, we would score. And we did."

sgorten@tribune.com. Follow him on Twitter @sgorten

Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012 in Tampa, Fla.

St. Thomas Aquinas comes back, wins FL state title

Kaitlin Tighe's tying goal in the final minutes led to Ashley Cardounel's overtime winner.

TAMPA — St. Thomas Aquinas sophomore midfielder Kaitlin Tighe admitted it — she was freaking out.

Nationally-ranked St. Thomas (24-1-1) doesn't find itself behind often, so Tighe and her Raider teammates wondered if they knew how to come back from a 2-1 defect in the final five minutes of Saturday's Class 5A state championship game.

They proved that they could — something their coach knew all along.

Tighe's tying goal with just over three minutes remaining brought a sigh of relief to the St. Thomas bench and Ashley Cardounel's winner in the first overtime period brought a celebration, as St. Thomas stunned Hagerty-Oviedo 3-2, to clinch a second consecutive state championship.

St. Thomas Aquinas' Kaitlin Tighe (10) is congratulated by teammates after scoring the tying goal in the second half of their FHSAA Class 5A Girls Soccer Championship against Hagerty Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012 in Tampa, Fla. The Raiders won 3-2 (OT). Phil Sears / Photo by Phil Sears

While the St. Thomas players were bound by anxiety in the final minutes, coach Carlos Giron said he remained calm and confident and he instructed his team to be the same.

Giron has seen scenarios more dire that Saturday's in 29 years of coaching, and he knew what to do in the final minutes.

With Hagerty's team stamina fading fast, Giron went to his bench for "fresh legs." He also told to his team, pressing to tie the game, to slow down the attack.

"If we continued to be patient, and played the way we were supposed to play, something will come in," Giron said. "We told them to take your time"

Maggie Falter came into the game and assisted on Tighe's tying goal: a header from point-blank range. Falter's cross was a bit low for Tighe, who dipped down to head it in and tie the game.

For the run-down Hagarty (25-4-2), the tying goal was crushing. The Huskies never recovered and Cardounel scored the winner 10 game minutes later.

"We thought we might have it," Hagerty coach Rodney Kenney said. "We just kind of ran out steam in the last four minutes... Right at the end, it was a matter of not having the legs to finish it off."

The winner was set up by Hoyt's magisterial cross from the right flank. With a 15 mile-per-hour wind whipping through USF's Corbett Stadium, the ball knuckled, jived and dived as it cut across the gusts. Hagerty keeper Nicole Mattson, a freshman, was unable to read the trajectory, allowing Cardounel to jump in front of her and knock it in with her knee.

Controversy reigned with 16 minutes remaining in the game when Hoyt was taken down inside the penalty area. A free kick was awarded, but it was not a penalty shot, as referee Jamie Willis decided that Hoyt was taken down outside the box. The resulting free kick proved lackluster and St. Thomas was back defending against a relentless, inspired and not-yet-faded Hagerty attack.

The state championship is St. Thomas Aquinas' 12th. The Raiders did not lose a game in the state of Florida all season.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/highschool/broward/fl-soccer-girls-state-aquinas-0212-20120210,0,4834210.story

Aquinas rallies for Florida 5A state crown

February, 11, 2012

Feb 11

By Sheldon Shealer ESPN.com

Florida State Champions

Kaitlin Tighe scored late in regulation to tie the match and Ashley Cardounel netted the winner early in overtime as St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) rallied for a 3-2 victory over Hagerty (Oviedo, Fla.) in the Florida Class 5A state final Saturday.

The victory marked the second straight state title for St. Thomas Aquinas and the program's state-best 12th overall. In addition, the Raiders, who finished 24-1-1, posted a perfect season against Florida programs for the second straight year. St. Thomas Aquinas was ranked No. 14 in last week's POWERADE FAB 50 national rankings.

http://espn.go.com/blog/high-school/girls-soccer/post/_/id/1618/aquinas-rallies-for-florida-5a-state-crown

MIAMI HERALD TEAM PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Sophomore midfielder Kaitlin Tighe’s goal with three minutes left forced overtime, and Ashley Cardounel scored the game-winner as the ESPN FAB 50 No. 14 St. Thomas Aquinas girls’ soccer team (24-1-1) rallied for a 3-2 overtime win over Oviedo Hagerty (25-4-2) in the Class 5A state championship game. In capturing its 12th state title, the Raiders finished perfect against Florida competition for the second consecutive season.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/02/16/2644076/cypress-bay-uses-depth-to-defend.html#storylink=cpy

Girls’ soccer | Class 5A final

St. Thomas Aquinas rules state again

BY CHRISTINA DE NICOLA The Miami Herald

The St. Thomas girls’ soccer team outlasted Hagerty in overtime to bring home its 12th state championship.

TAMPA -- Heading into this season, the St. Thomas Aquinas girls’ soccer team constantly heard comparisons about the previous year’s squad that won a state and national championship.

On Saturday, this new group of Raiders took home the Class 5A title with a 3-2 overtime win over Hagerty on junior midfielder Ashley Cardounel’s golden goal.

It came at 3:43 of the first extra period on a cross from freshman forward Jessica Hoyt that Cardounel deflected in with her knee...

St. Thomas captured its Florida-best 12th state championship and finished its second season in a row of undefeated soccer against state opponents. The lone blemishes came in January at the National Elite Prep Showcase in Texas, where the team lost 1-0 to Coppell, the nation’s 11th-best team, and tied Rosary (Calif.) 1-1.

Hagerty (Oviedo), which ranks No. 43, was making its first state final trip. The Huskies (25-4-2) appeared on their way to the upset, twice holding one-goal leads.

St. Thomas Aquinas' Kaitlin Tighe (10) celebrates with her team after winning their FHSAA Class 5A Girls Soccer Championship against Hagerty Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012 in Tampa, Fla. Tighe scored the tying goal with only 3:19 left in regulation time to send the match into overtime. The Raiders won 3-2 (OT). Photo by WTC

Down 2-1 with 3:19 left in regulation, sophomore midfielder Kaitlin Tighe set her feet and bent low as she watched Margaret Falter’s cross approaching, heading it just inside the left post to tie the game. “[Carlos] told us to calm the game down and just try to get a goal, and that’s what we did,” said Tighe, who came in as a sub to bring fresh legs and speed. “We were freaking out a lot. It was pretty nerve-wracking. Once we scored, we were determined to get one more goal and win the championship.”

Saturday marked the third time St. Thomas won at least consecutive titles in program history. Last year, the Raiders beat Newsome (Lithia) 2-0 in the final. Ten of 11 starters graduated, leaving new faces with the task of leaving their own mark on the nation’s 15th-ranked team.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/02/12/2637384/st-thomas-aquinas-rules-state.html#