Special to the Lake Okeechobee News/OHS Lady Brahmans
Isabella Saucedo and Laura Sanchez work together to move the ball down field against Glades Day on Jan. 23

OKEECHOBEE– The Okeechobee High School Lady Brahmans soccer team is preparing to play in the district semifinal on Wednesday, Jan. 29, with a chance to advance to the district championship.

The Lady Brahmans finished the regular season with back-to-back wins over John Carrol Catholic and Glades Day on Jan. 21 and 23. Okeechobee beat John Carroll 2-1 and Glades Day 4-1 to improve to a 10-6-1 record.

The Lady Brahmans completely turned the program after going 2-11 last year and are back in the district playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Special to the Lake Okeechobee News/OHS Lady Brahmans

Kaitlyn Guerrero fights for the ball against a Glades Day defender.

They got off to a fast start this year, winning seven games and losing one before the Christmas break. Early January saw the girls lose their first back-to-back games of the season when they fell to South Fork and LaBelle. But the Lady Brahmans shook off the rust as they approached the end of the season and appear ready to make a run in the district playoffs.

Thanks to their success this season Okeechobee will have a bye during the first round of the playoffs, and will first hit the field on Jan. 29 in the district semifinal when they host Port St. Lucie.

Special to the Lake Okeechobee News/OHS Lady Brahmans
Aracely Cisneros and her Lady Brahman teammates pose before Okeechobee faced Glades Day on Jan. 23.

Okeechobee and Port St. Lucie played each other two weeks ago, and the Lady Brahmans won that match easily 6-1. If they win the district semifinal they’ll move on to face the Suncoast Lady Chargers in the district championship.

“We’re feeling pretty good,” said Lady Brahmans coach Eric Swant. “We beat Port St. Lucie two weeks ago, so if girls don’t become overconfident we should do well. Friday’s game is a different story. Suncoast is having one of their best years and they have always been a powerhouse with girls that play year round in club and have been together for years and years.”

Suncoast is undefeated this year and currently have a 11-0-5 record. Last season they advanced all the way to the regional semifinals. When you compare common opponents between Okeechobee and Suncoast, you get a sense of just how good the Lady Chargers are. Okeechobee faced Jensen Beach on Jan. 13 and lost 8-0. Suncoast had played that same Jensen team on Nov. 13 and won 8-0.

Still, before they cane worry about that powerhouse Suncoast team, the Lady Brahmans will have to get past Port St. Lucie.

The district semifinal between the Lady Brahmans and Port St. Lucie will be played at 5 p.m. at Okeechobee High School on Jan. 29.