Aquinas boys’ soccer sees state title hopes slip away in semifinal loss

A dream start turned into a nightmare finish for the St. Thomas Aquinas boys’ soccer team on Monday evening.

A program that won five state championships under legendary head coach Jobie Hughes between 1996 and 2011 was in only its second state final four game in the last 14 seasons and trying to gain a berth in its first championship game since that 2011 title.

But, after enjoying the euphoria of a goal in the first minute of the game and a second one late in the first half to enjoy a 2-0 lead, the scene on the field when it was over was anything but euphoric for the Raiders.

Instead, it was a bunch of devastated players who had to be helped off the ground following a frustrating 4-3 penalty kick loss to Land O’Lakes Sunlake after the two teams battled to a 2-2 tie through regulation and overtime in a Class 6A state semifinal at Spec Martin Stadium.

Instead, it will be Sunlake, after three state semifinal losses in 2013, 14 and 16, making its championship game debut. The Seahawks (17-3-3) will take on Jacksonville Mandarin in the 6A state title game on Wednesday at 1 p.m. after Mandarin defeated New Port Richey Mitchell 2-1 in the opposite semi.

The Raiders’ final fate was determined by a pair of missed penalty kicks in the third and fifth frames while Sunlake players made all four their kicks. Needing to score on their fifth kick to keep his team’s hopes alive, Ethan See, just like Galo Vilamayor had two kicks earlier, went a little too high over the crossbar prompting a wild celebration of Seahawk players.

The PK round aside, what was most frustrating for the Raiders (21-7) was, after Sunlake had sliced their two goal lead in half to 2-1 on a Ricky Kase penalty kick seven minutes before halftime, how many scoring chances they had in the second half that would’ve given them a much-needed insurance goal.

“We might’ve almost gotten off to too good of a start,” St. Thomas coach John Walsh. “You score a minute into the game and we start thinking we can shoot from anywhere on this guy and that it’s going to go in. We might’ve gotten out of our game a little, started taking some ill-advised pot shots.”

The Raiders still had some quality chances but whether it was a ball going just wide of the net or Sunlake goalkeeper Jack Hanzlik making one of many terrific saves, they just couldn’t find the back of the net.

Just 70 seconds into the game, Tobon found some space in the middle of the field from 25 yards out and rocketed a twisting shot off his left foot that Hanzlik went up to grab. But the ball deflected off his hands and trickled into the net.

Ten minutes before halftime, the Raiders executed terrific scoring play when Matteo Forato crossed a perfect centering pass that Rayne Archuleta, the team’s leading scorer, one-touched it into the bottom right corner of the net past a diving Hanzlik.

The Raiders clung to that one goal lead hoping it might be enough but with just over 16 minutes left in regulation, the Seahawks had a breakaway down the middle.

Nathan Combs chased Sunlake’s Elliot Hinz down but when he stretched his leg out for the ball, Hinz went to the ground inside the box prompting a whistle.

Kase took his second PK and went right down the middle with it as Aquinas keeper Jakob Hilliger dove to his left.

Of the many scoring chances for the Raiders, the best one came just as time was expiring in the first 10-minute overtime. That’s when Archuleta got in good position in front of the net and took a nice pass from See. When Hanzlik went out to meet him, Archuleta got a perfect head on the ball which then trickled just inches outside the left post.

“We should’ve won this game, we had no business losing,” said a despondent Archuleta after the game. “We just couldn’t finish our chances and get the ball in the back of the net. It can’t get more frustrating than that. This would’ve been our first state championship game in 15 years, and we were all looking forward to making history for STA. What really hurts even more is that I’m a senior, so this is a really difficult way to go out for me. I won’t get another chance.”

Walsh was also the picture of frustration. Especially since three years ago, in his team’s only other state semifinal appearance, they were 10 minutes away from a 1-0 victory over Viera and a berth in the championship game when they gave up two goals to drop a 2-1 decision.

When asked about looking back big picture over his team’s great season this year, Walsh shook his head from side to side.

“It’s different around here at St. Thomas,” Walsh said. “You get judged on whether or not you win your last game of the season and we didn’t do that. We’ll go back and try and line it up again next year.”