JESUIT HANDS STANTON HEARTBREAKING LOSS IN STATE SEMIS

BY FABRIZIO GOWDY | FEB. 26, 2021 | SPORTS

For the second consecutive year, the Stanton College Preparatory School Boys Soccer team was eliminated from the 5A State Semifinals by the Tampa Jesuit High School, falling 2-1 to the Tigers in Tampa, Fla. Friday.

Like every postseason game thus far for Stanton, it was the Blue Devils who got on the board first. In the 16th minute, senior back Chris Russell booted the ball down the left sideline after stealing the ball from a Jesuit player. Senior forward Jake Faltemeir closed in on Russell's ball as it rolled down the left sideline, prompting senior Jesuit mid Hyat Sbar to pass it back to his keeper. However, Sbar underestimated Faltemier's sprint speed; Faltemeir beat Jesuit keeper Phillip Falcon III to the ball and knocked a low shot into the net for a pivotal early goal.

The Blue Devils managed to maintain their 1-0 lead through the half, but it wasn't easy. The Tigers had several promising free kicks and controlled the time of possession, especially after the water break, but Stanton's top-tier defense held firm. 

Jesuit might have been stifled in the first half, but the Tigers answered in the first minute of the second. Senior forward Azis Pantzalis got past Stanton's line of defensive backs and snuck a shot past poorly positioned senior Blue Devil keeper Sebastian Brunner.

The remainder of the second half was a tense and filled with fouls, with the majority being called on the Blue Devils. After the game, Stanton head Coach Steve Stone was critical of the officiating.  

“Every time you come South, and you get the refs from this area, that's what you get. They think this is the better soccer down here and you can’t play as well as they play,” said Coach Stone, who also pointed out that in recent years, FHSAA seeding has allowed Jesuit to enjoy home field advantage during the postseason.

The Tigers’ go-ahead goal came in the 74th minute, when junior Jesuit forward Ty Cabassa drew a controversial foul in the box. On the penalty kick that followed, junior mid Baylen Young capitalized, his shot finding the bottom left corner. The goal was devastating for the Blue Devils, whose one-goal lead at the start of the half had become a one-goal deficit with little time on the clock. Coach Stone later expressed his displeasure with the call.

“There was no foul, none whatsoever,” said Stone. “That was the worst call to decide a game I have ever seen.”

Starting Jesuit keeper Phillip Falcon III was injured making a leaping save in the 77th minute, and had to momentarily come out, but his replacement, senior Nicholas Parisi, also made a leaping save to preserve the Tiger lead. In the end, Jesuit hung on for the win, handing the Blue Devils a gut-wrenching loss after being so tantalizingly close to the State Championship.

Friday’s game was a rematch of last year’s State Semifinals (also played in Tampa), in which the Tigers bested the Blue Devils 3-0; Jesuit went on to win the State Championship.  Stanton (13-2-5) got to the State Semis by easily winning its district, edging out Gulf Breeze High School in the 5A Regional Quarterfinals, defeating Fort Walton Beach High School in the Regional Semis, and knocking off Seabreeze High School in Finals. 

With the loss to Jesuit, the Blue Devils are once again denied what would have been their first trip to the State Championship since they lost to St. Thomas Aquinas High School in the 1996 5A State Championship in Coach Steve Stone’s 5th season as Stanton head coach. Stanton’s seniors have played their final game, but can boast two trips to States in their time on the varsity squad.

For Jesuit (17-1-2), the win is another chapter in the history of its illustrious soccer program. Jesuit boys soccer is second all-time in most state championships (7) and most tournament appearances (36) according to the FHSAA record book. The Tigers advance to the State Championship game, which will be held at Spec Martin Memorial Stadium in Deland, Fla. on Mar. 6, where they will face the winner of the other semifinal between Lely High School and Belen Jesuit Preparatory.