Doral heads to state for fifth consecutive season; Pines Charter, Mater Lakes advance
Could there be some Pam McDonald magic in the air?
In a season where the Doral Academy boys’ soccer team has struggled much more than in years past, and one in which longtime coach Pam McDonald announced that this would be her last, the Firebirds might be pushing to send McDonald out in style.
McDonald was soaking wet from a pair of water cooler baths on Wednesday night following her team’s dramatic 2-1 overtime win over Ferguson in a Region 4-7A final at Doral’s home field.
With that comes a fifth consecutive trip to the state final four where Doral will travel to the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale next Monday, Feb. 17 to face Orlando Lake Nona in a Class 7A state semifinal at 1 p.m.
“I’ve got a bunch of big-time fighters with big hearts,” McDonald said. “They fight and fight and fight and now we’re ready to fight for two more games. Everything has to fall your way during the playoffs, you have to take one game at a time. Are the stars aligned for us? Who knows. Now we will head north and see.”
McDonald watched in frustration as her team, after not being able to cash in on three good scoring chances in the first half, fell behind seven minutes deep into the second half when Ferguson scored.
She then watched her boys rally, tying the contest with 13:36 left in regulation and then scoring the eventual game-winner on a Gabriel Escalona goal four minutes into the first 10-minute overtime.
Usually a No. 1 or 2 seed in the regional playoffs, the Firebirds (10-7-3) lost their district championship game to Columbus, and have had to go the economy route through regionals as the No. 4 seed.
Playing their first two games on the road, they emerged victorious over South Dade and then top seeded Stoneman Douglas in overtime penalty kicks in the regional semifinals. With Ferguson, making only its second-ever regional final appearance, being a No. 3 seed, the Firebirds should’ve been on the road again.
But the Falcons were unable to secure a venue, thus ultimately agreeing to just play the game at Doral’s field. And the Firebirds used that to their advantage as they fed off their noisy fans.
Despite giving up the home field, it appeared the Falcons (12-3-2) might’ve punched their ticket to a first-ever final four appearance when they executed a perfect set piece with 33:10 left in regulation. Awarded a corner kick, Alessandro Alava fired a gem off his left leg to the far post that Diego Carmona headed in past diving Doral keeper Gianfranco DeCrecenzo.
Frustrated for most of the night by not being able to cash in on scoring chances, the Firebirds finally got that crucial equalizer with just over 13 minutes left. When Doral was awarded a corner kick, Manuel Benen instead chose to short-kick it to teammate Manuel Benen. Benen then fired a perfect shot from the corner to the back post where Miguel Pacifico was waiting and right-footed it home.
“It had been frustrating all night up to that point,” said Pacifico who had one of his shots in the first half bounce off the left post. “We had quite a few chances and just couldn’t finish but we just kept battling. Finally, we had that perfect set piece from the corner that we work on all the time and once we tied the game, I knew we were going to win it. The one thing I love about this team is that we don’t give up. We’re fighters. Maybe there’s a little magic going on that we can take up to state with us.”
Four minutes into the first 10-minute overtime period, Escalona managed to break free to the right of the net and Allan Menechelli dropped a perfect pass to him from the corner. Escalona then turned and rifled a shot into the top right corner of the net as the Firebird bench erupted.
“Allan saw me and got a me a great ball,” Escalona said. “I knew exactly where I was on the field, controlled it and saw my opening in the top right corner of the net. I’m so happy to help my team and my coach tonight. I could not be more grateful for Coach Pam and everything she has done for all of us. We wanted this one for her tonight, we want to take this all the way and send her out in style. Two more to go.”
Asked if maybe there was some of that “magic in the air” and maybe destiny was clearing the way for her to go out with a third state title, McDonald did what she always does – deflect away from her.
“It’s never about me and I don’t want it to be about me,” said McDonald who is completing her 18th season and who became the first female coach to win a boys soccer state title in 2021 when she led the Firebirds to their first of back-to-back state titles. “I want it to be about these boys and how hard they work. I’ve been with a lot of them since sixth grade and maybe they feel my passion and desire but we’ve created a program of fighters. The one thing I’m most proud of is teaching the guys that passion, heart and desire. We had a lot invested tonight and when you fall behind a great team like Ferguson in the second half, sometimes that can mean the end. But not us, not tonight. Who knows, maybe something is in the air.”
▪ Region 4-4A final - Mater Lakes 1, Belen Jesuit 0: Alex Morejon was an elastic enigma, contorting his body to deny countless Belen Jesuit shots and protecting a narrow lead to help the Mater Lakes Bears advance to their first state semifinal Wednesday at Milander Park.
“I don’t have words,” Bears coach David Favaro said. “I’m super happy for them because they really deserve it.”
Senior forward Gabriel Zapata scored the game’s lone goal off an assist from senior defender Joshua Olave in the 14th minute. Morejon, a freshman, secured six saves.
“It felt amazing to score, especially in a final,” Zapata said. “We were very motivated because last year we stopped here. We were super motivated to make it to states for the first time.”
The Bears (22-1-1), who extended a 22-match unbeaten streak, will meet Naples Barron Collier in a 4A semifinal Tuesday at Lake Myrtle Sports Park in Auburndale.
The Wolverines dominated possession early on, using an organized passing scheme to trigger a melee on the Bears goal. But Morejon was steady, denying attempts with ease as the Bears gang defense forced awkward shots and deflections.
The Bears’ attack warmed when the Wolverines became careless with the ball amid constant pressure. Bears players used their physicality and aggression to force turnovers and get in transition.
Zapata then gave the Bears the lead, which they never lost. Olave set up the score by slicing his dribble through the Wolverines defense on the right flank. He then sent a short pass to Zapata. The senior striker finished the sequence by stabbing a shot past goalie Gabriel Mejia.
The Wolverines, who own three state titles, again stretched the field with precise passing in the second half, but could not find the net. The Bears also took sever shots that just missed the goal, keeping their lead narrow.
Desperation resulted in an onslaught of shots on the Bears goal in the final minutes, but their freshman goalie was up for the challenge, diving around the goal posts and punching the ball out of danger.
ALEX BUTLER
▪ Region 4-5A final - Pembroke Pines Charter 3, Varela 1: Junior defender Diego Medina-Pagan scored what would be the game-winning goal - his second of the season - from the shortest distance possible, nudging the loose ball just with inches from the goal line.
“We were sluggish at the beginning and my goal helped changed the game,” Medina-Pagan said. “Once we scored, we put on more pressure. The last time we lost in the state semifinals, but now we have more chemistry and have more fun on the field.”
The victory extends the season to a state semifinal match on Feb. 19 at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex against Tampa Jesuit at 10 a.m. next Wednesday.
The result extended the Jaguars (18-0-2) winning streak to 17 games. In the three regional games Pines Charter outscored their opponents 15-1.
“We’re very excited and have a phenomenal season so far,” said Pines Charter coach Marc Lue Young. “The boys have improved game by game. We have the mindset to go forward, and we’ve done very well with that. I’m very excited to get back to the state semis and hopefully we can bring the trophy back home to Pembroke Pines.”
Pines Charter reached the 2024 Class 5A state semifinals, losing to Arnold by penalty kicks 4-2. They lost to American Heritage in penalty kicks in the regional finals in 2023.
Junior midfielder Gabriel Calderon blasted a right-footed shot from just outside the box in the 63rd minute to take away any hopes of a Varela (9-7-2) comeback.
“We knew what we were facing, probably one of the best teams we have faced,” said Varela coach Juan Monge. “We had some players injured, but no regrets. We had a great season.”
Sophomore midfielder Aiden Toledo scored his first goal of the season as he collected a free kick near the far post kicking past Varela keeper Maximilian Rojas in the 47th minute.
DAVE BROUSSEAU
Region 4-6A final - Boca Raton Olympic Heights 2, St. Thomas Aquinas 0
This story was originally published February 13, 2025 at 1:57 AM.