Downtown Doral boys’ soccer tops MAST as it vies to return to state finals
Downtown Doral’s boys’ soccer team doesn’t play like a third-year program.
The Dolphins already have a state runner-up trophy in their case at the school.
And it looks like they’re coming for more.
Even in a season which hasn’t always gone according to plan with key players dealing with injuries and slipping to the No. 6 seed in its region, Downtown Doral served notice it is still a state title contender following a 2-1 victory over MAST Academy on Tuesday afternoon in a Region 4-3A quarterfinal on the Makos’ home field.
The Dolphins (11-5-2), who made it all the way to the state finals in their second season last year, advance to the regional semifinals where they will face NSU University School on Friday in Davie. Downtown Doral eliminated University School in the same round last season.
“We’ve had a lot of stability emotionally throughout our matches this season,” Downtown Doral coach Jonathan Rosas said. “We have a lot of balance in all phases this season and our team plays to its strengths and they play together and complement each other well. They executed our game plan perfectly.”
The Dolphins’ aggressive game plan could have been deflated early when a penalty kick by Santiago Ramos was blocked by Makos’ goalkeeper Tomas Genatios in the 12th minute. But Downtown Doral continued to press on and secured its first goal when Diego Matos redirected a free kick from Ramos in the 32nd minute.
The Dolphins stormed downfield after the second half began and in just 10 seconds added their second goal when Ramos scored.
MAST’s David Holztreger answered one of those tallies in the 71st minute to pull the Makos (14-3-2) within a goal.
But Downtown Doral’s defense was up to the task down the stretch and kept MAST from securing the equalizer.
The Dolphins achieved a measure of payback after having lost to the Makos 4-0 in a regular season matchup on Dec. 13.
“We had a different mentality this time,” Ramos said. “The last time we didn’t have our complete team, but this time we played like a family. Thanks to that, we have 90 percent of our guys back from last year and we’re hoping to take the few that didn’t back to state so they know that feeling as well. Two more steps and we’re back where we want to be.”
The road back to state figures to be tougher this time around for the Dolphins with Class 3A now including two-time reigning state champion Gulliver Prep.
Downtown Doral is back in position to make another run with a roster that is still relatively young with only five seniors.
“We wanted to do something different when we started this three years ago,” Rosas said. “We didn’t want to just have a team of seniors because then you have to reload your roster all the time so we decided to go young and develop players. We really don’t care what age you are. Talent is talent and some of these kids are already playing in their third seasons and that makes it easier for them to perform at the level they do. We had some injuries and we’ve been able to overcome them with our depth and experience.”
▪ Region 4-3A quarterfinal - NSU University School 4, Cardinal Gibbons 2: Raul Leyva scored two goals and had one assist to lead the Sharks (15-3-1). Nicholas Marques had one goal and one assist and Daniel Ciffoni had one goal. Liam Peirce and Samuel Osorio each had one assist.
▪ Region 4-3A quarterfinal - Gulliver 2, Don Soffer 0: Cristian Murciano and Jorge Gouvea each scored goals to lead the Raiders (17-2-2). Nicolas Pinieros had two assists. Sonny Garcia recorded the shutout.
▪ Region 4-3A quarterfinal - SLAM 3, La Salle 1: Alexander Naranjo scored two goals to lead the Titans (14-5-3), who will travel to play Gulliver at 3 p.m. on Friday. Samuel Calderon had one goal and Brandon Sanchez had one assist.
MORE SCORES
▪ Region 3-3A quarterfinal: Cape Coral Oasis 1, North Broward Prep 0
▪ Region 4-2A quarterfinals: Scheck Hillel 6, Archbishop Carroll 0; COHEA 3, Divine Savior 1; Westminster Christian 2, Palmer Trinity 1; Florida Christian 4, Boca St. John Paul II 2.
▪ Region 4-1A quarterfinals: Highlands Christian 4, Cushman 1; West Palm Beach Berean Christian 1, Miami Christian 0; Pinecrest Prep 2, BridgePrep Village Green 2 (Pinecrest Prep 5-4 PK); NMB SLAM 5, Archimedean 0.
