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back to the State soccer finals recap.Unfortunately, I couldn't
find the article I wrote on-line,
and I didn't feel like re-typing it. So, instead, you get the
Miami Herald's perspective on the title game...
Boys fall in state final on sudden-death kicks
By RANA L. CASH
Herald Sports Writer
©1998, Miami Herald
TALLAHASSEE -- The bright side in the Western High boys' soccer championship game late Saturday night was that no other Western soccer team has come close to achieving what this year's Wildcats did.
The dark side, however, may linger in the players' minds a bit longer than it would have if Western had lost badly in the Class 6A state championship game against Valrico Bloomingdale.
Instead, the Wildcats were literally inches away from the first state title in school history, losing, 1-0, in sudden-death penalty kicks at chilly Capital Stadium.
The teams had finished regulation and two overtimes knotted in a scoreless tie and headed into penalty kicks.
The score was tied, 4-4, in the first round of penalty kicks, with Western's Nick Lucena taking the final shot after a Bloomingdale miss. Lucena's soft shot rolled gently to the left of the goal post, devastating the team's championship hopes.
Bloomingdale then won, 2-1, in sudden-death penalty kicks.
Although the Wildcats can rejoice in making it to the Final Four, it will likely never forget how close it came to an upset win.
Bloomingdale had knocked off Miami American, the nation's No. 1 team, 1-0, in the semifinal, leaving many predicting a walk-away victory for the Bulls in the championship, especially since Western entered with five losses.
But the Wildcats (17-6-3) shut Bloomingdale (25-1-1) down on offense, and took plenty of shots of their own to keep the Bulls on their heels.
A shot from sophomore forward Chris Soler was headed into the net, but hit off his teammate, Jason Crellin. Another attempt from Soler, this one a header, was just off the mark, and Bloomingdale's John Gustafson came up with the save.
Bloomingdale took three dangerous shots in the final five minutes of regulation, but was turned back.
Western goalkeeper Billy Whitton was solid throughout, and got help on close calls from Eduardo Lopez and Russell Villamil. With a solid defensive effort from both teams, the game headed into overtime.
Freshman goalie Jordan Lounsbury replaced Whitton in the shootout. On Bloomingdale's fifth attempt, he recorded a masterful save against Brandon Hancock. Anticipating victory, Lounsbury's teammates rushed toward him to celebrate, but Lucena missed the kick to send the match into sudden-death kicks.
In sudden death, a save by Gustafson on Hugo Arce's shot sealed the victory for the Bulls, who also won in 1993 and 1995.
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