Boca Raton High School boys’ soccer coach Marcelo Castillo said he wasn’t sure what to expect from this year’s team.
After all, the Bobcats were coming off a year where they finished 17-2-2 and fell in the regional semifinals in a 1-0 loss to Palm Beach Central.
They graduated several key seniors and returned a handful of players who played major minutes, yet they find themselves in the Class 6A state semifinals where they will play Clermont East Ridge following a 2-1 home win over visiting Celebration on Feb. 15.
Boca Raton (22-4) has been resilient this season as it has run off a 13-match winning streak. They began the season 3-3 and have lost just once after back-to-back losses to Key West and American Heritage in Plantation in November. The lone blemish was a 1-0 loss to Doral Academy at home in late December.
“We manipulated the game very well,” Castillo said after the win over Celebration. “We took advantage of the opportunities very well. I knew that my team was solid defensively. We gave up one goal right there at the end and that was a mental breakdown. We defended really well for 79 minutes.”
Castillo emphasizes to his team that they have to both attack as a team and defend as a team and admitted the season is a “grind” with 26 games and counting.
Castillo said it could have also triggered Celebration’s frustration, resulting in a postgame melee. Celebration lost in the regional finals in 2010 and the State semifinals in 2011, 2018 and 2019. The team has 17 seniors that played their final game.
“A lot of testosterone and a lot of emotion,” he said. “Anytime your season is over, there is a lot of emotion. If you look at their roster, they’re senior-loaded. I guess they can tell that their high school career is over. It was unfortunate. I am just happy we got out of here safe with a victory.”
Boca Raton grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second half on goals from juniors Christian Gonzalez in the 54th minute on a penalty kick and John Stevenson in the 64th minute off a cross from senior Caleb Chapman. It was the first time since a 2-0 loss to Montverde Academy that the Storm surrendered two goals in a match.
Celebration (14-3-1) wasted little time in answering as junior Anyelo Castelano scored his fifth goal of the season in the 66th minute to trim the deficit to 2-1.
The Bobcats return to a familiar spot in the state semifinals. The school is just two years removed from a perfect season when they finished 28-0 and outscored the opposition 107-3. The school won state titles in 1990, 2010, 2016 and 2020. Castillo is also optimistic that two injured seniors — Joao Oliveria and Lucas De Silva — will be able to return and play.
Boca Raton sophomore goalie Carmine Ricciardi made several key saves in the match, including one in the 79th minute to seal the win. That came one minute after a 15-minute delay when the lights in the stadium went out.
“I knew we were good,” Castillo said of his expectations at the beginning of the year. “We were 3-3 and the year we won our first state championship, we were 8-8, so I gave them that example. I gave them the analogy that we don’t play the Super Bowl at the beginning of the season. Let’s make sure we stay healthy and let’s make sure you buy into my system.
“They trust each other,” he said, “they fight for each other. They battle for each other and at this level, all of the teams are good.”
