Downtown Doral boys’ soccer remains hopeful after dream season falls short of state title

There’s one more step on the ladder for Downtown Doral, and the Dolphins plan to return and climb it.

Downtown Doral, just a five-year-old school, finished as Class 3A boys soccer state runners-up at the FHSAA state finals Saturday at Lake Myrtle Park after dropping a 4-2 final to Tampa Prep.

“This season has been a beautiful story,” Downtown Doral head coach Jonathan Rosas said. “We are missing some pieces, some quality pieces, but that is no excuse. We ran into a quality team, a competitive team and (Asher Jones) is a great player. We shouldn’t hold our head down, we should hold our head up.”

Jones, a senior South Florida signee, scored two goals against Downtown Doral, the game’s opening score in the first half and a dagger that broke a 2-2 tie and proved to be the game’s winner in the second half.

In the past three seasons, Downtown Doral (18-5-1) moved from a start-up program to district champions, then regional champions and state runners-up.

“We only have four seniors, so the base of the team is coming back,” Rosas said. “We are very young, but with that and the experience we just got (here today) and a very good middle school program that went 13-2-1, the program is just refueling itself every year.

“This is the standard now. Next year, we are not going to leave empty handed. The goal will be to come back and win it all.”

Despite being a young program, Downtown Doral proved to be a more-than-worthy opponent, rallying from deficits twice to tie the game.

Trailing 1-0, Downtown Doral knotted the game 1-1 on a rocket shot by junior Jose Uzcategul with 8:28 remaining in the first half. The score stood through the first half.

“It got us back into the game. I am sorry we lost but we have to wait until next year,” Uzcategul said.

Tampa Prep (19-1-2) regained the lead off a penalty kick by Danny Alvarez at the 27:16 mark to go up 2-1.

Downtown Doral tied the game for the second time 2-2 off a goal by Juan Pablo Gorrn – a 20-foot liner that found the back of the net at the 24:29 mark of the second half.

“It was a great game and we fought hard to get to this point,” said senior forward Pablo Gorrn, who is signed with Barry University in Miami. “We are very proud of how far we’ve come.”

But coming down the stretch Tampa Prep, which won its eighth state championship, pulled away on the second score by Jones with 23:58 left.

Tampa Prep iced the game at the 16:23 mark on a score by Luka Zujovic.