District Girls Soccer: Pace squeezes past haunting foe Navarre on the road, moves to 1-6A Final

Third time's the charm is an idiom that's as old as time.

Yet for the Pace girls soccer team and its seniors, it took a fourth time to construct the magic needed to take down a rival.

Navarre has ended the Patriots' season during districts each of the last three years. This time around, the girls in red, white and blue exacted some revenge in enemy territory following a 1-0 victory in a District 1-6A semifinal on Friday from Bennett C. Russell Stadium.

The Raiders won those previous three district meetings by a combined margin of 14-1, including a 8-0 blowout last season. Now, Pace has returned the favor and advanced in the process.

"It's very sweet," Pace head coach Chandler Castleman said. "Like I was just saying to the girls, we've lost three times in a row, with the last one being probably the most embarrassing result as a player or a coach, ever. ... But to then beat them in the district semifinal and be No. 6 in region, it's a good feeling. We've come a long way."

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The match's lone score was put in by Alexandra Basel at the 14th minute. The junior midfielder buried her opportunity from behind the box after a throw-in from junior midfielder Becca Ryan bounced her way.

"The whole season I've really struggled getting on top of the ball, getting it on the ground and not shooting it over," Basel said. "Being able to really get on top of it and get that goal for the team feels really good."

The Patriots are the No. 2 seed in the district while Navarre was the No. 3 seed. Pace extended its unbeaten stretch to eight matches and improved its record to 10-2-2 this season.

The team will play top-seeded Gulf Breeze for the district title at 6 p.m. Tuesday from Bennett C. Russell Stadium.

Unable to capture an equalizer, the Raiders' season likely reached its conclusion at 11-8-2. The team entered the week ranked ninth in Region 1-6A. But with every district champion earning an automatic bid, Navarre was two spots short the region's final at-large bid.

"We made one mistake in the first half and left a girl wide open," Raiders head coach Rob Simon said. "She hit a cracker, that was a great shot on her part and completed deserved. ... We created opportunities, we shot ourselves in the foot by not finishing."

Here's three takeaways from Friday's semifinal.

'All the confidence in her'

On a frigid night from the pitch, the visitors were forced to turn a cold player, both figuratively and literally, to preserve the lead.

Pace freshman goalkeeper Paityn Settlemires was inserted into the match after starting keeper Sidney Roest had to exit in the 75th minute. Sliding for a ball deep in the box, the senior took a blow to the head on a collision with Raiders sophomore forward Taylor Armstead.

Roest was slowly helped to her feet and off the field. From there, Settlemires was charged with sealing the deal against a team fighting for its playoff lives.

"I was just mentally preparing myself," the freshman said. "I was nervous going in, but once I started playing, I just calmed down."

Settlemires made two mistakes off the bat.

First, in the 76th minute, she hit a long-drive goal kick right to a Navarre player in the attacking third. One minute later, she mishandled a rolling ball in the box, allowing for a mad scramble before finally pouncing on it. However, in her next chance on a ball in the box, she secured it without an issue.

"I've known Paityn for three or four years now because she plays with my club. I've coached her on occasion and I have all the confidence in her," Castleman said. "Obviously, going in and being a freshman, she made two mistakes. But after that, she was calm, composed and solid the last five minutes, and we won the game. That's the reason why she's on varsity as a freshman."

Basel added: "Losing Sidney, our main keeper, was very stressful. But we all had faith in Paityn and she really showed up and helped the team win."

'Work and fight'

While she was unable to finish the night, Roest delivered her most impactful moment early in the second half.

Navarre senior forward Kayla Johnson controlled the ball near the midfield in the 45th minute before firing a perfect through pass to Armstead. Streaking toward goal from the left side of the pitch, the sophomore unleashed a shot, but Roest delivered with a kick save. She instinctually made a second save when Armstead got a foot on the rebound.

Roest's effort was one-upped by Raiders defender Emma Toms in the 64th minute.

Similar to Johnson's play earlier in the half, Pace senior forward Ava Grace Wheaton had possession with her back to the goal before turning and lofting an elevated pass toward the box. Navarre freshman goalkeeper Aiylah Greer charged the ball, but Patriots sophomore Emily Good broke free following a deflection and stared at an open net. Toms zoomed into the play and knocked the ball out for a corner just as Good approached the six-yard box.

"That's just the team dynamic, they just continue to work and fight," Simon said. "The game's always on, there's no time to stand and watch something. So when the keeper comes out, the defenders have to come back and cover. That's just defensive principles: defend and cover. ... Great play by Emma, heads-up play under a tough situation and then the athleticism to sprint back and get it off the line."

'Otherwise, we might as well stop now'

Castleman admits his team hasn't run the gauntlet that other elite squads have. Pace (6.39) is ninth among the region's top-10 teams in strength of schedule.

But the Patriots didn't get to 10 wins by only beating cupcakes. Their best results during the regular season include a 4-2 victory over Niceville on Jan. 11 and a 2-1 triumph eight days later at Navarre.

After guiding the team to a double-digit win total in his first season as head coach, Castleman credits heighten goals for this season's success.

"I think it goes back to standards," he said. "A couple of years ago, I don't know what the standards were, but when I came in, I had an expectation of myself and how we will play. I didn't know if I could get the team to those expectations. I didn't know if the level was truly there, but after going 10-5 last year and having decent results even against the better teams, the expectations increased, the girls met the expectations and we are where we are for a reason."

There is one team that has been Pace's kryptonite during the 2022-23 campaign: Gulf Breeze.

The Dolphins have handed the Patriots their only two defeats, first bringing home a 4-1 win on Nov. 17 before running away with 6-2 triumph on Dec. 7.

Gulf Breeze, the area's best team, is ranked third in Class 6A and 15th overall. Pace changing its fortune against a juggernaut is going to take its best performance of the year.

"I don't think Gulf Breeze is going to make it easy," Castleman said. "I think they are the favorite, I think that's clear to every one. ... But on any given day, I think we can win the game, but it comes down to how we perform. This time around, we hope to keep it close and I think the girls are in a better place than they were then. I do think we can get a result, otherwise, we might as well stop now."

Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached at (850) 503-3828 or pbernadeau@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: District soccer: Pace erases demons with win over Navarre in 1-6A semis