TAMPA -- For Varela, the difference between a third consecutive appearance in the state final and a disappointing trip home was a steady wind, a round piece of metal and 18 seconds.

Varela, the two-time defending Class 6A champion, missed the opportunities it was given, and Boca Raton took advantage of its limited chances.

The result: A 2-0 victory for Boca Raton and a trip to the Class 6A title match.

''We hit posts, the crossbar, everything. It was extremely frustrating,'' Varela coach J.C. Gonzalez said. ``The soccer gods did not smile upon us today.''

Instead, they snarled.

A steady wind with gusts up to 25 mph crippled the efforts of the team kicking into it. Varela wanted to start the game with the wind at its back. Instead, Boca Raton won the toss, took the wind and scored twice before intermission.

Boca Raton's first goal was a Sevin Barnes offering off a pass from Justin Diaz.

The second put Varela away.

With 18 seconds left in the half, Lucas Diniz headed a corner kick from brother Vinicius Diniz into the net, giving Boca Raton all the momentum and a sizable advantage going into intermission.

''That's a killer,'' Gonzalez said.

Boca Raton (25-1-1) did a relatively good job locking down Varela's best player, forward Jhonny Vidales, but he -- like many of his teammates -- had some great looks. He just couldn't convert.

Between the 16th and 18th minutes, Varela (16-7-3) twice saw shots glance off the crossbar.

First was a punching save by goalkeeper Jon Ross, which carried the ball behind him and off the crossbar. Then there was a redirect by Varela midfielder Victor Cortez, which also smacked aluminum.

With under 11 minutes remaining, Vidales drilled the right upright with a free kick, spoiling Varela's last good scoring chance.

''After the game, you think about what could have been,'' said Vidales, who finished his junior season with 23 goals.

Varela's best opportunity of the game came in the first half, when a flurry of shots went for naught.

Alex Joseph headed a ball that Ross deflected; Joseph blasted a rebound that hit the post; and then a teammate took another shot that was stopped by a Boca Raton defender.

Against a team the caliber of Boca Raton -- which is ranked second in the latest NSCAA/adidas national poll -- the number of missed chances leads to a loss.

''We are everybody's biggest game,'' Boca Raton coach Marcelo Castillo said. ``A state championship is our goal. National rankings mean nothing without it.''

For his part, Gonzalez said he doesn't think Boca Raton would even be the best team in Miami-Dade County.

''Killian is a much better team,'' said Gonzalez, referring to the team Varela beat in the regional semifinals.

On Wednesday, however, Boca Raton was the best team on the field. And with one more victory Thursday, it will earn the right to call itself the best team in Florida.

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