Stanton Comes Back To Tie Gainesville

BY FABRIZIO GOWDY | JAN. 21, 2021 | SPORTS

In a battle of one-loss teams, the Stanton College Preparatory School varsity boys soccer team came from behind to tie the Gainesville High School Hurricanes 1-1 at home Thursday.

Thursday’s game at Stanton was a rematch of last year’s 5A Regional Final in Gainesville, Fla. In that game, an early header by then junior midfielder Jacob Faltemier gave the Blue Devils a 1-0 win and a ticket to the State Semifinals.

Each side had its share of opportunities in the evenly matched opening 10 minutes. Gainesville's Connor Kinsell nearly scored on a long free kick in the third minute, while Stanton seniors Miles Andre and Zach Wagner nearly scored a Blue Devil goal in the seventh minute. But it was the Hurricanes who ultimately took the lead in the 11th minute on the foot of Eliseo Perez. The junior Gainesville mid scored from the top of the 18-yard box, his high shot just out of reach of junior Stanton keeper Sebastian Brunner.

With Perez's goal, the first goal allowed at home by the Blue Devil defense this season, Stanton found itself in an unfamiliar position: trailing. The Blue Devils were eager to avoid back-to-back losses, but struggled to pass well and control the ball as they've so reliably been able to do this season. A frustrated head coach Steve Stone, usually a laid back presence on the sideline, could be heard yelling at his struggling team. Stanton came off the field at the water break angry and frustrated, shouting amongst themselves. 

“It was pitiful. We didn’t deserve to be on the field, we gave them the goal,” said Coach Stone of his team’s first half performance.

Even after the water break, Stanton was unable to score before the half. Junior back Kristen Fischer came close with a header on a corner in the 37th minute, but his ball sailed over the crossbar. The Blue Devils entered halftime trailing for only the second time all year, still in search of an answer. Coach Stone tried to regroup his team at the half.

“I told them our season is in the balance. I’m not feeling very confident in your passion, your hustle, your desire,” recalled Coach Stone of his frank halftime talk. “I said ‘you have to show me in the second half that we are going to be the Stanton team that we had before, or we are going to exit [the playoffs] right after districts.’”

It did not take long for Stanton to give Coach Stone what he was looking for. A long free kick in the 42nd minute by senior back Ethan Alesch slipped by Hurricane keeper William Clavier. Several Blue Devils closed in on the tightly spinning ball hovering just outside the goal line; senior striker Brandon Diaz got there first and tapped in the easy equalizing goal. 

Diaz's goal was a badly-needed momentum-shifter for the newly energized Blue Devil side. Stanton had switched formation at the break from a 4-4-2 to a 4-3-3, allowing its mids to play more balls down the sideline and push forward toward the Hurricanes’ net. The halftime formation change seemed to work, as Stanton went on the attack, creating several quality scoring opportunities in the early minutes of the second. Miles Andre in particular had a pair of solid shots, but the Hurricanes managed to hold the line and keep the game tied. 

With the arrival of the second half water break, both sides settled in for the critical final 20 minutes. Ball possession shifted clearly in Stanton's favor, but the Blue Devils got few good looks. Senior mid mid Faltemier nearly found the back of the net in the 72nd minute, and an Ethan Alesch free kick bounced off and over the crossbar less than a minute later, but the score remained 1-1 as the time remaining continued to dwindle. 

The match came down to the dramatic 80th minute, when an Alesch free kick was juggled by keeper William Clavier. The ball was headed twice precariously inside the box before Clavier managed to punch it out. The ball went to junior mid Joe Alberto, who's last-minute shot smacked the crossbar and bounced out of bounds, sealing the draw.

Stanton (8-1-5) begins districts next week, which will be hosted by Orange Park High School. Gainesville (11-1-3) plays Suwanee High School at home next Thursday, Jan. 28.