Strong second half moves Downtown Doral boys’ soccer closer to first state title
Downtown Doral might not have the extensive history of other top Miami-Dade County boys’ soccer programs.
But the 2025-26 Dolphins are showing the poise of veterans during their quest for a state championship.
On Thursday night, top-seeded Downtown Doral was a favorite against Cocoa Beach in a Class 3A state semifinal at Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale.
But early in the second half, the Dolphins found themselves level and at risk of coming up short of that goal.
That’s when three of their 14 seniors each delivered second-half goals over the final 23 minutes of play to secure Downtown Doral a 4-1 victory and a berth in the state championship game for the second time in three seasons.
The Dolphins (18-1-3), who are in just their fifth varsity season, need one more win to secure the school’s first state title in a boys’ sport and can obtain it Saturday at 1 if they beat Boynton Beach Somerset Academy Canyons in the 3A final. Canyons (16-2-2), the No. 2 seed, beat Alachua Santa Fe 3-0 in its semifinal.
Senior Victor Villalobos broke a 1-1 tie in the 57th minute when he scored for the third consecutive playoff game on an assist from junior Luca Cianci.
The Dolphins held Cocoa Beach (16-8-1), which tied the game on a goal by Jadyn Senger in the 46th minute, down the stretch with solid defensive play.
Downtown Doral then iced it when senior Alejandro Avila tapped home a cross from Cianci with 5:46 left in the match.
Senior Jesus Escalona tapped home a rebound for good measure on another Dolphins’ advance with under a minute left.
Senior midfielder Santiago Ramos opened the scoring in the 15th minute for Downtown Doral and is the team’s leading scorer with 13 goals.
The Dolphins also got some good news prior to the game as head coach Jonathan Rosas was back on the sideline after serving a three-game suspension. Rosas was issued a red card in his team’s district championship match and sat out all three of Downtown Doral’s regional playoff wins over Cardinal Gibbons, MAST Academy and SLAM Academy.
Downtown Doral appealed the suspension that was initially four games, and the FHSAA reduced it to three, which allowed Rosas to coach the team again on Thursday.
Rosas will now attempt to lead his squad, which was denied its first state title at the end of the 2024 season following a 4-2 loss in the state final against Tampa Prep.
