Two wins and a tie made the Weston Fury 87/88 boys’ soccer team one of eight to play directly into the Challenge Round of 16 for the 2006 Florida Youth Soccer Association Premier State Cup. Weston first tied the Port Orange Stingrays, from just south of Daytona Beach, 1-1, and then defeated the Northwest Florida Wave Football Club 7-2, on April 1. Needing at least a tie to play through, the Fury beat the Sarasota Storm 1-0 on April 2. Vista Park in Weston hosted the matches.
Coach Alvin James’s vaunted “relentless attack” was on display throughout Round 1, but the offense repeatedly failed to finish, often on what seemed like sure goals. Weston took at least 20 shots in every match, but put less than half on goal.
Midfielder/forward Luis Alva led the scoring, with a pair of goals and a pair of assists. Central midfielder Josep Sagarra scored twice and assisted once. Forward Leo Caldeira scored twice. Forward Jaime Saenz had a goal and a game-winning assist. Midfielder/forward Rodrigo Paredes and defensive midfielder Craig Whitmore, new to the team, each tallied goals and each were game winners. Midfielder Iker Ibanez assisted a goal.
In the opening match, James and assistant coach Rene Osorio started Caldeira and Saenz up top, and Ibanez, Alva, Sagarra and newcomer Jon Degia across the midfield. Luis de la Puente started at stopper, Andes Velez at sweeper and Matt Mobley and Mario Figueroa at fullback. Michael Anderson patrolled the nets.
Forward Jonathan Thiel, midfielder Manuel Sotelo, midfielder/defender Juan Pablo Ruiz and defender Juan Lopez were unavailable due to injury.
Weston dominated the Port Orange match – taking 27 shots, 12 on goal, to the opponent’s eight shots, four on goal. The Stingrays keeper came up with four saves, each with the scored knotted at one. The Fury’s Anderson had a pair of saves, one before the Port Orange goal and one after, to preserve the tie, with only eight minutes left in the match.
The Stingrays scored first, in the eighth minute. Paredes scored the equalizer for Weston, off a free kick just outside the box, in the 25th minute. The Fury missed at least five excellent opportunities to win the match: Alva in the third and 38th minutes, David Gordon (just returning from injury) in the 34th minute, Sagarra in the 53rd minute and Saenz in the final minute.
The Fury came back strong in the afternoon, clearly overmatching the Wave. Adjustments to the starting lineup included captain Eugenio Lascurain in the midfield and Chris Bent in the backfield.
With the score close at 3-2, Weston pumped in four unanswered goals. The Fury took 20 shots, putting 12 on goal, and held the Wave to just six shots, only three on goal. Neither keeper recorded a save. Mistakes by the Weston defense gave up both Wave goals.
The match that mattered came the next day. An injury to central defender Velez forced Ibanez to move to stopper, De La Puente to sweeper and Mobley to the midfield. Paredes started at forward.
Once again, Weston dominated the run of play, but could put the ball in the net only once -- Whitmore in the 46th minute on a drop pass from Saenz. With the Storm playing a man down the last 18 minutes due to a second caution, the Fury defense held Sarasota shotless the rest of the way.
The Fury pounded out 22 shots, but only eight were on frame. The Sarasota defense saved four goals. The keeper stopped three, saving shots by Sagarra, Caldeira and Paredes. Paredes nearly scored twice more, but he hit the post once and a defender blocked another with the keeper out. Alva had an excellent chance off a corner, but he put a header over the top.
Jeremy Weber played throughout Round 1, on defense and in the midfield.
The seven teams that also played straight through into the U18 boys’ Challenge Round are Hillsborough County United, Brandon, Team Boca White, Jacksonville Youth Soccer, Strictly Soccer of St. Petersburg, Kendall Soccer Coalition White of Miami and Miami Lakes. Second- and third-place teams from Round 1 will compete in Round 2 for the remaining eight spots, May 13 and 14 at the Seminole Soccer Complex in Sanford.
Then each of the winners of four groups of four playing in the Challenge Round will advance to the Final Four. The Challenge Round is scheduled for Memorial Day weekend at Ed Radice Soccer Complex in Tampa, homefield of Hillsborough County United.
Eugenio Lascurain is the Weston team manager.
