Gulliver boys’ soccer earns shot at state title repeat; Hillel to chase first since 2016
Gulliver’s boys’ soccer team is used to wearing the bullseye.
In fact, the Raiders embrace it.
So when top teams come for their spot at the top, Gulliver continually responds to the challenge.
Wednesday afternoon was no different as the Raiders struck quickly and early to hold off a spirited Mater Lakes squad for a 3-1 victory in the Region 4-4A final at Sean Taylor Memorial Field.
The Raiders (23-0-1), who are ranked No. 1 in the nation by MaxPreps, will next chase their second consecutive state title and try to tie Clearwater Central Catholic for the most in state history if they can win their ninth next week. The road to that continues next Thursday at 7 p.m. when Gulliver takes on Santa Rosa Beach South Walton in a Class 4A state semifinal at Lake Myrtle Sports Park in Auburndale.
“We’re fortunate that we’re the team that everyone wants to take their best shot,” Gulliver coach Scott Davidson said. “In the postseason every game kind of feels like this. We like it and we’re happy to play the opponents we do and I think it’s fortunate we can play 22 guys again because it prepares a lot of our players for these types of situations in the future.”
The Raiders survived a scare against Boynton Beach Somerset Canyons last week in the regional semifinals, prevailing in penalty kicks after a scoreless draw. Gulliver didn’t leave anything to chance against Mater Lakes (14-1-1) as junior Taro Ochi and senior Joaquin Beker-Flah each scored goals in the first half to ensure Gulliver led wire-to-wire.
“We’re definitely mentally tough and seasoned,” Davidson said. “That last (game) was kind of like this one where we were dominant, but couldn’t find the goal. In this one, we found the goals early and then we had to weather the storm of them coming back at us. I think what we’ve proven is that we can deal with different circumstances.”
The Bears, who were making their first appearance in a regional final under second-year coach Davide Favaro, drew a penalty just before halftime that was converted by senior Henry Mantilla to cut Gulliver’s lead to 2-1. Prior to coach at Mater Lakes, Favaro led St. Brendan to a state title during the 2021-2022 season.
But the Raiders held off any other scoring chances throughout a closely-played second half and put the game away when junior Jorge Gouvea fired a close range shot into the net with just under 10 minutes remaining.
Seniors Daniel Ortiz and Rodrigo Navarro and junior Nicolas Pineiros each had one assist. Senior Cosme Salas, a Duke signee, returned to Gulliver’s lineup after missing the prior two games with an injury and helped the Raiders keep Mater Lakes from scoring with solid play at both ends.
“We missed a couple of opportunities and then there was the penalty kick and that changed the tenor of the first half. But you have to keep playing,” Davidson said. “They made it as difficult on us as they could. But we’re happy to move along.”
▪ Region 4-2A final - Scheck Hillel 1, Pompano Beach Highlands Christian 0: The Lions (12-3-1) secured their second trip to the state final four in the past three seasons when Adam Waich scored the lone goal in a victory at home on Wednesday night. Eli Fischbach had the assist on the goal and David Bentolila recorded the shutout.
It’s Hillel’s fifth regional championship overall as it chases its first state title since 2016 and second overall. The Lions take on Maitland Orangewood Christian on Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Lake Myrtle Sports Park in Auburndale.
This story was originally published February 15, 2024 at 7:13 AM.
