Niceville girls soccer shuts out Lakewood Ranch 4-0, punches ticket to state championship

The Niceville girls soccer team has steamrolled its way through the playoffs, and Monday was no different.

• The Lady Eagles blanked Lakewood Ranch 4-0 in the Class 6A state semifinal, advancing to their second state championship appearance in program history and the first since 2016.

Their dominant postseason run now includes a 6-0 win over Navarre, a 2-0 victory against Nease, a 3-0 shutout of defending state champion Bartram Trail and now a four-goal rout of the Lady Mustangs — all without conceding a single goal.

Much of the first half was defined by missed opportunities on both sides. Abbey Kuritz had a would-be goal called back on an offside violation before Niceville finally broke through at the 26-minute mark when Molly Johnson found the back of the net. A few minutes later, Delaney Diehl added another at the 30-minute mark to give the Lady Eagles a 2-0 lead heading into halftime.

The second half followed a familiar script. While Lakewood Ranch tightened up defensively for stretches, the suffocating brand of defense Niceville has been known for all season held strong once again, denying the Lady Mustangs any real scoring chances.

• The dagger came at the 76-minute mark from the player who has arguably been Niceville’s most valuable player this postseason — Michelle Melancon — whose goal made it 3-0. Kuritz then capped off her dominant performance at the 82-minute mark with a goal of her own, adding to what was already a three-assist night on each of Niceville’s previous goals.

Now, the Lady Eagles will face what figures to be their toughest test of the season: St. Thomas Aquinas, the gold standard for girls soccer in the state of Florida with 15 state championships to its name. St. Thomas Aquinas advanced with a 2-0 win over Viera — the same program that, in an eerie coincidence, defeated Niceville for the state title 10 years ago.

The 2026 Class 6A state championship between Niceville and St. Thomas Aquinas is set for Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. ET/9 a.m. CT at Spec Martin Stadium in DeLand.

A Niceville win would deliver the first state title in girls soccer program history and the school’s 13th state championship overall. It would also mark another Okaloosa County state championship for the 2025-26 school year, following Rocky Bayou football’s SSAA 2A state title in November and Fort Walton Beach cheer’s state championships a few weeks ago.

A St. Thomas Aquinas win would give the Raiders their 16th state championship and first since 2017. It would be the school’s second state title of the 2025-26 school year after their football team won the 5A state championship in December, finishing No. 10 in the country and No. 2 in Florida — the program’s seventh straight state title.