Energized in second half, Mater Lakes boys’ soccer advances to first state title game
For the Mater Lakes boys’ soccer team, ramping up their energy on the field when needed most has been a key to its breakthrough season.
The Bears did it again on Tuesday morning.
Locked in a scoreless stalemate with Orlando Bishop Moore in its state final four debut, Mater Lakes turned up its attack in the second half and found the mark twice to keep the Bears’ season going following a 2-0 victory in a Class 4A state semifinal at Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale.
Mater Lakes (23-1-1) will try to win its first state championship when it takes on Naples Barron Collier (19-2) at 4 p.m. on Friday in the final.
Junior midfielder Gabriel Coots tallied the first goal on a well-timed strike with 32:50 left in the second half.
It was then up to senior goalkeeper Anthony Roman and his defenders to hold off multiple pushes up field by Bishop Moore (24-4-2) - a four-time state champion, which had lost in the final each of the past three seasons.
Senior forward Gabriel Zapata put the finishing touches on the victory when he dribbled past a Hornets defender and gained a clear path to their keeper, Matthew Ryan, firing the ball past him and into the back of the net with 5.4 seconds left.
“A very good game against a super team to be honest,” said Mater Lakes coach Davide Favaro, who is in his third season coaching the Bears after a successful stint at St. Brendan where he led the Sabres to a state championship at the end of the 2021-22 season. “It was a very balanced game and we were able to keep our level. We have smart players who understand and apply themselves and follow instructions. We’ve been very consistent and that’s thanks to the players.”
Mater Lakes nearly grabbed the lead in the match with four minutes left in the first half with consistent pressure on Bishop Moore’s goal. But the Hornets’ defense was up to the task.
Coots’ breakthrough shot energized the Bears, who stood up strong against one of the state’s all-time best programs.
Under Favaro’s tutelage, Mater Lakes has elevated itself as a program with its transformation from average squad to state title contender taking its first big step last season when the Bears reached the regional finals before losing to eventual state champ Gulliver Prep.
This season, Mater Lakes navigated through the regular season nearly unblemished and secured a pair of one goal victories over TERRA and Belen Jesuit in the final two rounds of regionals to reach state.
The Bears will now rest and prepare for the next two days before taking the field again Friday for a shot at the title.
“The key is just recovering their energy,” Favaro said. “It was a very demanding match both physically and mentally.
“It’s been an amazing journey and it’s for the kids more than me. They make things great. It would be an amazing thing for them to win a state title. I hope they get to feel the same emotions that my players at St. Brendan experienced.”
