3A girls soccer: Berkeley Prep rolls into state semis

FORT MYERS —Berkeley Prep used relentless offensive pressure and a stifling defense to defeat Bishop Verot 4-1 in Friday's Class 3A, Region 3 final.

With the victory, the Buccaneers (20-4-2) advance to next week's state semifinals at the University of Tampa's Pepin Stadium. It is Berkeley's first trip to states since 2005. The Bucs face Pensacola Catholic on Thursday.

"I'm so happy for these girls, especially the seniors," said Berkeley Prep coach Ken Roberts. "Some of them have been playing for us since the eighth grade so this is special for them."

Three of those seniors — Amber Famiglietti, Sam Newhaller and Danielle Manning — combined for all four of the Buccaneers' goals.

Berkeley Prep controlled the game from the outset, pressuring the Vikings defense and creating a handful of quality scoring opportunities. Famiglietti, the team's leading scorer, got the Bucs on the board in the 15th minute, converting on a header off a corner kick by Manning.

"That was a big confidence builder for us," Roberts said. "We worked on our positioning for corner kicks and set pieces all week."

Newhaller made it 2-0 in the 31st minute when she beat Bishop Verot goalkeeper Cailyn Rizzo with a blast inside the left post.

Famiglietti scored her second goal three minutes into the second half and Manning tallied five minutes later, giving the Buccaneers a commanding four-goal advantage.