Immaculata-La Salle�s history-making run ends � for now

By Lynn Ramsey - Florida Catholic

Photography: LYNN RAMSEY | FC

DELAND | Immaculata-La Salle made school history by reaching the FHSAA Class 2A boys state final – the first time the school, currently marking its 60th year, had vied for any state championship in any sport.

But in a battle of teams seeking their first state title, Garrett Anderson and Lake Highland Prep denied the Royal Lions, tying 1-1 and winning the penalty-kick shootout 5-4 Thursday night.

Lucas Rodriguez scored a goal off a free kick, and Iker Sanchez had four saves for the Royal Lions (22-6-2), who surpassed their 2017 state semifinal appearance.

“The (2017 team) had more talented players, maybe two or three more that you’d look for,” said Immaculata-La Salle senior Lucas Rodriguez. “This year, I feel all of us worked together. We were more like a family this year.”

Lake Highland Prep (16-3-2) won its first state championship in its second appearance in the state final. The Highlanders had five other state semifinal appearances, most recently in 2013, before finishing with the trophy. “That’s the best part,” Anderson said.

Both teams had control of the midfield for several stretches all match. Lake Highland Prep’s stretch led to the penalty kick goal. Immaculata-La Salle’s chances set up their goal. Both teams used through balls and tried to kick over and around the midfield.

“We put the ball on the ground and we played soccer,” Immaculata-La Salle coach Richard Jobson said. “If you look at the stats, we had 14 shots on goal, and they had two shots on goal. We were a better team. We possessed the ball better. We were just unlucky.”

Preston Brown scored on a penalty kick to put the Highlanders up 1-0 in the 45th minute.

Rodriguez tied the match with a free kick just outside the Lake Highland Prep penalty area in the 58th minute.

“In our case, we tried to put the ball down, because that’s our game,” Rodriguez said. “In the second half, 20 minutes into the second half, we played side to side. But they still played the long ball with their tall players.”

In the shootout, Anderson saved the Royal Lions’ first kick by Kamani Turner. Then Sanchez dove left to save a shot by Lake Highland Prep’s Thiago Pinto.

After LHP’s Jake Fadool and ILS’ Gustavo Chreem scored to force an extra round, Jack Garrity put the Highlanders up 5-4, then Anderson dove right to save Mohamed Elshafie’s kick and clinch the Highlanders’ state title.

“I wasn’t looking for anything,” Anderson said. “It’s just what I do sometimes. I line up on the other side and try to come back. It worked twice.”

Immaculata-La Salle’s fans gave the match a home-game atmosphere for the Royal Lions. “I’d like to appreciate everyone coming to support us,” Rodriguez said. “I had no clue all these people would show up. The energy worked for us and helped us.”

Jobson said the Royal Lions set the goal of winning state from the first day of training. He credited their work ethic in the offseason. “From the first day we started touching the ball, we saw something special,” Jobson said. “We found that we had to work hard.”

Before the Royal Lions could reach state, they had to conquer a familiar rival – Mater Lakes. ILS had lost to Mater Lakes twice in close games. The first was a 1-0 loss in district play on Nov. 30. In the district championship game Feb. 1, the Royal Lions forced a 2-2 tie and a penalty-kick shootout, which Mater Lakes won 4-3.

“A loss kind of opened our eyes,” Jobson said. “We lost the district finals to Mater Lakes. We had a 2-0 lead and we lost the game with 10 minutes left. It showed some character that we had to work a little bit harder. That’s what we did.”

Sanchez added, “The key to the team’s success was that we are a family. We actually worked for each other. We actually played for each other. We left everything on the field.”

Jobson credited the seniors with strong leadership. Stephen Linton earned a scholarship to Florida Gulf Coast University, and Enrique Mejia will play for Eckerd College.

But he also mentioned that the seniors had several unsung heroes. He admitted that losing senior defender Jamie Gomez hurt. Gomez suffered a broken bone in his leg in the district championship match against Mater Lakes. He tried to return in the next round but could not continue.

“Our goal is to try to get there every year,” Jobson said. “Maybe it’s a blessing and we haven’t identified it yet. This will make us stronger, and we’ll work a little bit harder.”