After a thrilling trio of district championship games last Friday, including DeLand's landmark victory over Spruce Creek, playoff time has arrived for five area boys soccer squads.
DeLand and Seabreeze will enjoy the comforts of home-field advantage, while Spruce Creek, Taylor and Matanzas hope to play spoiler on the road. Here's a preview of Wednesday night's regional quarterfinals — all kickoffs are set for 7 p.m.:
REGION 1-5A QUARTERFINALS
Sandalwood (16-4-1) at DeLand (16-3-0)
DeLand showed tremendous composure in crunch time Friday, converting all five penalty kicks against Spruce Creek to secure its first district title in 35 years. Goalkeeper Jaime Lopez has as many clean sheets (10) as goals conceded this year, and Jose "Chelis" Fuentes paces the attack with 28 goals. It's fair to wonder how DeLand will regroup emotionally and prepare for its first home playoff game in decades. Jacksonville Sandalwood went 45 years without a postseason appearance in boys soccer, but returns for the second consecutive season. Top scorers Justin Uhrmacher (24 goals) and Noah Lepore (18 goals) complement a strong Saints midfield.
Spruce Creek (22-2-1) at Forest (16-4-0)
Suffering only its second defeat of the season, the Hawks must now prepare to hit the road, likely for the entire postseason. The Hawks still have plenty of reasons to believe they can make a deep postseason run. Sam Abraham and Tate Grant carry the scoring load, while Graham Geis and Branton Saunders lead a physical, rugged defense. Goalkeeper Jack McDevitt has allowed just 20 goals in 25 matches. Spruce Creek will need to slow down Maliek Jackson, who is coming off a hat trick in Ocala Forest's District 1-5A championship win over Sandalwood.
REGION 1-3A QUARTERFINALS
Matanzas (13-7-0) at Paxon (10-8-0)
Thanks to a resurgent second half, the Pirates are back in the postseason. Matanzas won eight of its final 10 games, good enough to secure the runner-up spot in its district after a penalty-kick shootout win over top seed Ponte Vedra. Versatile senior Nathan Hubbs leads the team with 14 goals, and Brandt Herron boasts a 1.00 goals-against average with 112 saves. Jacksonville Paxon has been a bit of an enigma en route to its district title, but features four double-digit scorers (Dobbin Holmes, Ethan Ferrell, Bryant Brodeur and Ronan Felice).
Citrus (11-5-3) at Seabreeze (13-2-4)
The reigning 3A champions will have the luxury of at least one home playoff game in regionals this time around. Franco Perez's two goals were the difference in Friday's win over Taylor, revenge for a district championship loss in 2017. Perez, The News-Journal's reigning Player of the Year, leads the Sandcrabs with 18 goals and 22 assists. Cameron Bowling has posted 10 shutouts with a 0.68 GAA. Inverness Citrus was the top seed in District 5-3A, but lost to Gainesville Eastside, 4-2, in the title game.
Taylor (13-5-3) at Eastside (10-5-1)
Taylor's grip on the District 6-3A title is gone, but this is the time of year when the Wildcats shine. The team has advanced beyond the first round in each of its last 10 postseason appearances, according to FHSAA records. For those wondering, Taylor's last opening-round exit occurred in 2005. Gainesville Eastside pulled away in the second half, scoring twice after the water break to put the win on ice. Jesse Landis tallied two goals, while David Ekakitie and Lucas Vegas tacked on one apiece for the Rams.