At the start of the prep soccer season there were a pair of Keys teams that set lofty, yet, reachable expectations. As play progressed, a few other teams realized their potential and set similar goals for the year. However, over a three-week span to open the postseason, only one of the teams was able to return with any golden hardware, and sooner than hoped for, the season for most came to a crushing end.

In Key West, before the first kickoff of the year, boys coach Jason Clifford said that he knew his senior-laden squad would have little problems running past its opposition. Combined with a ton of speed and athleticism, the Conchs did as their coach expected, losing only twice all season -- one game to forfeit -- and were the top seed in District 16-4A going into the tournament.

Like the Key West boys, the Coral Shores girls team, which was coming off a successful season, also had big aspirations. Hurricanes coach Arthur Paterson said he made that clear to his team in the preseason. Opening the year with a 9-0 rout over Key West, the Coral Shores players showed they were driven to succeed. The Lady 'Canes continued to roll over the competition throughout the year, losing only twice in the regular season -- both times to District 16-3A rival Gulliver Prep -- and earned a first round bye going into the district playoffs.

The Marathon High girls squad may not have begun the season with as grand of dreams, but just a few games into the schedule, coach Lynn Landry said he believed there was enough talent among his players to hang with any team. Losing only a pair of times across their first dozen games, the Lady 'Fins showed the public what their coach knew and sealed a winning season with the Dolphins' first-ever victory over Key West.

For the Coral Shores boys team, the season ran its course similar to the Lady 'Fins' year, as the 'Canes built momentum early on and finished with a winning record.

The Lady Conchs, on the other hand, took a little longer to get started. Key West coach Scott Paul said that his team would have to find the will to win, and begin to work for it, in order to achieve the level he expected. It took the team awhile, but as the postseason play arrived, Key West seemed to find its grove.

Then the postseason hit and most of the momentum that was built by all the teams came to a crashing halt.

The Marathon girls and Coral Shores boys squads -- along with the Island Christian and Marathon boys teams -- were ousted during the opening rounds of the playoffs, ending the year in the district tournaments, and short of the Lady 'Fins' goal of a berth in the state playoffs.

The Coral Shores girls and Key West boys teams both reached their respective district finals, but both returned as runner-ups.

In fact, the Conchs' season ended with a postseason losing streak that matched their regular season total. Making the losses tougher to swallow, on both occasions Key West held a second half lead but lost in extra time.

The sting for the Lady 'Canes might be just as bad. In the postseason, the girls from Coral Shores had little problem moving through the brackets-- except for when they faced Gulliver. The Hurricanes reached the district and regional finals during the playoffs, and both times could not advance past the Raiders.

The Lady Conchs' late-season push proved to be just enough, at just the right time, as the Key West girls were the lone team to bring back a championship to the Keys. However, the high of winning a fifth straight District 16-4A title and 12th consecutive trip to the 4A State Playoffs, would come to an abrupt end in their next match. Playing at home in the regional semifinals, a penalty kick at the end of the second extra time flattened Key West's run.

Sure, it may have been a quick ending after so much work was put in, but I'm sure the players will tell you it was worth it. In one season, the Key West boys eclipsed their win total of its previous two seasons combined, while the Key West girls reached inside and found what has made Paul's Lady Conchs soccer program so successful in the past decade.

The young Coral Shores and Marathon girls teams continued to build toward a promising future and, with little loss on the roster for next year, things should continue to be bright for those programs. On the boys side, the Hurricanes and Dolphins were able to send off a pair of players to college scholarships, which is the most important part of a high school program.

All in all, despite the hasty end to the season, it was a fun year and it will surely be tough to sort through all the talent in the Keys and choose an All-Monroe County team. However, now the season is over and it's time to move on to the ball fields and the expectation of the postseason in those sports.

Staff Writer J.W. Cooke's Home Field Advantage column appears exclusively each Wednesday in The Citizen. He can be reached at 305-292-7777, Ext. 261, or at jwcooke@keysnews.com.