The Mustangs will host Riverview on Friday in the Class 5A-District 8 title game
LAKEWOOD RANCH
The powerful locomotive that is the Lakewood Ranch soccer team remained right on track Wednesday night in a Class 5A-District 8 semifinal match.
The visiting Manatee Hurricanes struck first, but the Mustangs (14-1-4) would not be denied in their quest for a school-record sixth straight district championship.
Lakewood Ranch erased the early deficit andcame roaring back to defeat a game Manatee squad, 4-1.
The Mustangs will host Riverview on Friday night for the district crown. The title match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
The Hurricanes (8-10-1) took a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute of the match. Junior Connor Mulhearn delivered a textbook, curling corner kick in front of the Lakewood Ranch goal that enabled sophomore Luke Greaves to score on a header.
“They scored first the last time we played them,” veteran Lakewood Ranch coach Vito Bavaro said. “I think it gave our guys a little charge. It gave us a little ambition to come out and play harder.”
The Mustangs tied it with 18:32 left in the first half on a left-footed kick by junior Wilmer Yanez. Senior Aystin Martinez set him up with an assist.
Lakewood Ranch took the lead for good less than seven minutes later, when sophomore Giovanni Christiano punched in a rebound goal.
“Half of our guys have had the flu,” Bavaro said. “Trevor Franko has been sick for a couple of weeks. He was playing center-mid and we could see he was hurting. So we put Martinez there and switched Trevor up front. As soon as we did that, it changed the whole outcome of the game.
“It’s nice that we have guys who can step in and pick up the spots we need to pick up. It was a good switch for us.”
The 2-1 margin in favor of Lakewood Ranch remained intact until junior Josh Hays gave the Mustangs a little breathing room, scoring from 22 yards out after another assist from Martinez with 15:30 left in the match.
Yanez scored his second goal of the match less than two minutes later to provide the final score.
The Mustangs made their way to the Class 5A State Championship game last season.
“We just keep working on the fundamentals, like trying to get three passes on the offensive side,” Bavaro said. “Controlling the ball and sending it through. We just keep pounding it, fundamentally. That’s why we have successful teams.”
It was the final soccer match in a Manatee uniform for seniors Daniel Sosa, Sam Marchbank, Julian Rodriguez and Gildardo Guzman.