State champion boys’ soccer coach embracing new challenge at Mater Lakes

There won’t be an encore for St. Brendan.

At least not with Davide Favaro.

This past February, St. Brendan defeated Orlando’s Bishop Moore, 1-0, to win the first boys’ soccer state championship in Sabres history.

Favaro, who coached that team, has since bolted to Mater Lakes, in part because the school is just three miles from his home in Miami Lakes.

“It wasn’t an easy decision,” said Favaro, 38. “I had an amazing experience in my six years (at St. Brendan).”

However, although there are roughly 1,200 students at St. Brendan, only about 300 of them are boys.

At Mater Lakes, there is a larger pool of boys and thus more prospective soccer players. In addition, Favaro will also coach Mater Lakes’ middle-school team, which will allow him to give those players a huge head start years before they reach the varsity.

“Mater Lakes has a tradition of good players in this area,” Favaro said. “It’s an ambitious school. They want to win in all sports.”

Indeed, Mater Lakes reached the Class 4A boys’ soccer regional semifinals as recently as 2019-2020, and the program’s potential is vast now that they have a proven winner – Favaro – at the helm.

“We were looking to make a splash with this hire,” Mater Lakes athletic director and former Columbus High and St. Thomas University baseball player JC Gil said.

Gil contacted Favaro in mid-May, just three months after he led St. Brendan to that historic championship.

“As soon as we had our first phone conversation, I said, ‘We’re going to wait for this guy,’” Gil said of Favaro. “We put the rest of the hiring process on the side. It was either going to be him or … him.”

In other words, Favaro or bust.

Once Favaro was hired, he started installing his program, and it’s clear that it won’t be a quick fix.

Favaro, a former third-division pro player in his native Italy, inherits a team that graduated 16 seniors off of last season’s roster.

“He’s no-nonsense individual,” Gil said of Favaro. “He’s here for a purpose. He’s here to win.”

SEASON OUTLOOKS

▪ American Heritage returns a strong group of upperclassmen from a team that went 11-3-6 and advanced to the regional finals. The Patriots will be led by seniors Xavier Simpson, Andres Morral, Juan Otero and Hernando Ardila.

▪ Belen, which has won two straight state titles and three overall – all under coach Tanger Mendonca since 2016 – will be led by a strong core of seniors. Those seniors are Matias Perinot (14 goals, six assists); Stefano Naos (12 goals, 11 assists); Alejandro Pereyra (12 goals, six assists); Enzo Fernandez (six goals, 12 assists); and Christian Bargueiras (five goals, three assists).

▪ Cardinal Gibbons is hoping to build on a regional finals finish last season and a 19-3-2 season. The senior quartet of forward Riley Holden and midfielders Danny Perret-Gentile, Deni Rivard and Jason Trujillo lead the Chiefs.

▪ Chaminade-Madonna went 4-8-1 last season, but will seek improvement led by midfielders Sebastian Luscher and Daniel Guerrero.

▪ Colonial Christian will be led by juniors Owen Easom and Timothy Uzcategui.

▪ Coral Reef is coming off an appearance in the 7A regional quarterfinals and a district title under veteran coach Scott Bruce. The Barracudas return a strong core of seniors led by Michael Rivera, Diego Navarro, Derrick Bazoalto, Antonio Dixon and Garric Gonsalves.

▪ Coral Springs, which went 6-8-3 last season, will be led by seniors Mahmoud Kaddough, Sebastian Guzman and Christopher Baigorria.

▪ Coral Springs Charter has a new coach, Luis Valente, who will try to turn the Panthers around following a 2-14-4 season. They will be led by junior striker Elijah McDonald.

▪ Doral Academy returns 11 players from the squad that went 16-2-1 last season, winning the Class 6A state title. Further, 21 players have gone through coach Pam McDonald’s Doral program since middle school, giving the squad great chemistry. Leading the way are seniors Jorge Gonzalez, Luis Portillo and Eduardo Ramirez. Junior Tizziano Ferras is the team’s top talent, according to McDonald. Lucas Giraldo and Jose Pacifico – both juniors – are also among Doral’s top six.

▪ Gulliver, which went 13-2-3, won its district and reached the regional semifinals. Leading the team is senior forward Mateo Acosta Rubio, who had eight goals and 10 assists in 2021-2022. Junior forward Tomas Sciarra scored seven goals.

▪ Hollywood Hills, which went 4-7-2, will be led by seniors Tyler Fitch, Nicolas Montero and Juan Sanchez.

▪ LaSalle, which 13-2-3, won its district and lost in the regional finals. Top players include four seniors: forward Santiago Sanchez, defender Stefano Chiodi and midfielders Marlon Marin and Andres Gutierrez.

▪ Miami Country Day had a coaching change for the first time in a long time as Luis Velarde takes over for veteran Jeff Watson. The Spartans went 8-10-1 last season, losing in the regional quarterfinals. They are led by seniors Enzo Lagrassa-Gillet, Francesco Di Giuseppe, Lucas Crespo and Agustin Kohen.

▪ Mourning will be led by a solid core of seniors, in particular, forward Sebastian Arenas and midfielder Michael Warren.

▪ NSU University School went 14-3-2 last season and reached the regional finals. Seniors Rafael Guerra and Roger Baptiste, who each earned first team All-Broward honors, lead the Sharks along with senior keeper Nikolas Ricardo.

▪ Pine Crest, which went 7-11-2, returns seniors Luca Silveira and Nicolas Parra, who each scored five goals. Senior midfielder Paul Morrel, who has had three ACL knee surgeries, is also back.

▪ Ransom Everglades, which finished 18-2-3, lost in the Class 3A state final. Ten seniors graduated, but a solid core returns, according to veteran coach Dave Villano. Senior midfielder Nicky Goldberg, who. has committed to New York University, is Ransom’s top player.

▪ St. Thomas Aquinas, which went 16-6-4 last season and advanced to the regional semifinals, is led by senior midfielders Joaquin Querol and Gianluca Ripamonti.

▪ Varela, which went 6-8-4 last season, will be led by seniors Marko Medrano, Guillermo Rojas and Christopher Bernard.

▪ Westminster Christian, which went 8-8-1, has a senior-heavy team with vast experience. Seniors Sean Maresma, a defender, and Lucas Ruiz, a forward who scored 10 goals, lead the way.

This story was originally published November 3, 2022 at 7:30 AM.