Gulliver boys’ soccer calls on penalty kick specialist to survive and advance
A.J. Febo takes on many roles as a Gulliver Prep athlete.
He’s a linebacker and a kicker on their football team.
He’s the starting goalkeeper on the Raiders’ junior varsity boys’ soccer squad.
But his superpower, and the reason he’s on the varsity squad these days, is his ability to stop penalty kicks.
It’s why Gulliver is still alive and kicking in the regional playoffs following Tuesday’s dramatic comeback win over Doral JC Bermudez after a 4-2 penalty-kick shootout triumph in a Region 4-3A quarterfinal at Sean Taylor Memorial Field.
Febo, a junior, calmly came in off the bench once the two sides had dueled to a 1-1 draw after 100 combined minutes of regulation and overtime.
He proceeded to stonewall two attempts by Thunder shooters, which allowed the Raiders (11-4-6) to gain the decisive advantage in the tiebreaker and advance to the regional semifinals next Tuesday where they will play SLAM Academy at 6 at Curtis Park.
“This is my specialty. My instincts, I don’t know. Since I was little, I’ve been able to save penalties,” Febo said. “There’s just ice in my veins.”
Febo stopped the first two shots he faced from JC Bermudez shooters Auber Delgado and Mateo Bermudez. On the flip side, senior forwards Gonzalo Senior and Pepe Lopez converted their kicks to give Gulliver a 2-0 edge after three kicks. From there, the Raiders converted two more with senior Sawyer Davidson making his, and Dante Cerrone providing the match-clincher.
“I’m just grateful to these coaches for giving me this opportunity,” Febo said. “I can’t even describe it. I’m feeling out of this world right now.”
Febo capped a resilient afternoon for the Raiders, who had to erase an early 1-0 deficit and play with 10 players for most of the match after junior Roberto Caporal drew a red card for a foul in the game’s 18th minute.
Santiago Figuera gave the Thunder (10-6-1) their lone lead and a potential path to their first ever regional playoff win in what was their first regional playoff appearance.
But Gulliver evened things up with 19 minutes left in regulation when senior Marco Balestrazzi knocked home a rebound in traffic in front of the goal following a free kick.
“I’m proud of how hard we fought. We had the red card and four of our regulars were injured,” Gulliver coach Scott Davidson said. “I don’t think we showed our best quality today, but we have another week to practice and get ready.
“(A.J.)’s an incredible athlete and has a great mentality. To sit on the bench all game and then come in and do that is indescribable.”
Gulliver is looking to extend a streak of three consecutive seasons, advancing to at least the state final four and hoping to win a third state title in four seasons and 10th overall. But it won’t be easy as the Raiders are the No. 3 seed, forcing them to play SLAM away from home next week in a rematch of last year’s regional semifinal encounter between the two sides which Gulliver also won in penalty kicks.
“We’re in the toughest region around, and we’ll face another strong opponent, and we’ll have to play better than we played today, but we’ve been here before,” Davidson said.
Region 4-3A quarterfinal - Downtown Doral 6, Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons 0: Luca Cianci led the Dolphins (15-1-3) with two goals. Rodrigo Perez, Eduardo Jerez, Edgar Mata and Victor Villalobos each had one goal. Santiago Ramos, Jesus Escalona and Gianluca Tortolani each had two assists. Downtown Doral will next host MAST Academy next Tuesday at 7 at Belen Jesuit.
Region 4-1A quarterfinal - Miami Pinecrest Prep 2, Boca Raton Christian 0: Anthony Recinos and Romario Farinas each had a goal to lead the Crocs (14-6). Brandon Cardona had an assist. Pinecrest Prep advances to face top-seed Miami BridgePrep Village Green next Tuesday at 4.
Region 4-1A quarterfinal - Pompano Beach Highlands Christian 3, NMB SLAM 0: Hopeny Louis scored all three goals for the Knights (13-11), who advance to play at West Palm Beach Berean Christian next Tuesday. Braden Francis, Corbin Shein and Tyrese Hutchinson each had an assist.
MORE SCORES
Region 4-3A quarterfinals: Miami MAST Academy 1, Davie NSU University School 0; SLAM 3, Aventura Don Soffer 0.
Region 3-3A quarterfinal: Delray American Heritage 3, Coconut Creek North Broward Prep 2
Region 4-2A quarterfinals: Palmer Trinity 3, Boca Raton St. Andrews 0; North Miami Beach Scheck Hillel 1, Miami Country Day 0; Westminster Christian 3, Hialeah Educational 1.
Region 4-1A quarterfinals: BridgePrep Village Green 6, Hollywood Sheridan Hills Christian 1; Berean Christian 3, Archimedean 1.
This story was originally published February 4, 2026 at 8:13 AM.
