- April 25, 2024
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The Seabreeze boy’s soccer team was handed their first and only loss of the season Tuesday, ending their year with a 14-1-3 record.
BY SHANNA FORTIER | COMMUNITY EDITOR
ORMOND BEACH — The Tuesday night Class 3A Region 2 semifinal between the Seabreeze Sandcrabs and the Matanzas Pirates was nothing short of a battle. It was the fourth time these squads have squared up this season, each time Seabreeze coming out the victor, handing Matanzas its only three losses of the season.
The tables turned in the overtime battle this week, though, and Seabreeze lost 1-2 in overtime: their first and only loss of the year.
“A one-loss season is hard to take,” said Seabreeze Coach Nik Efremoski. “We know we are good enough, we truly believe that we are good enough to get to the Final Four. I still think that — it’s unfortunate — the game could have ended the other way with a couple seconds left in the second half for us. ... They’re a good team; this is just how it works out sometimes.”
The first half of the game went scoreless, with an even match on both sides. Peter Filipovski scored midway through the second half to give Seabreeze the lead. About 20 minutes of play later, with less than 10 left on the clock, Dakotah Casale tied up the game for the Pirates. By this time, both student sections had vacated their seats at the Ormond Beach Sports Complex to lean on the field fence, instead, closer to the action.
At the end of regular play, the score remained 1-1 and déjà vu was setting in. Overtime play would start.
The intensity stepped up a notch in the 10-minute overtime and, as the clock counted down, Casale sunk another shot.
The Piarates took the win.
“They’re a heck of a team,” said Matanzas coach Rich Weber about the Sandcrabs. “We have two different styles, but it’s awesome. They’re big and very athletic, and we’re a little more technical and moving the ball, and it contrasts well. It’s a battle every time.”
Efremoski said that although his team has several seniors leaving, the program has a lot of potential with its younger players.
“We will miss these guys; they’re a big part of this program,” he said of his seniors. “But our program will continue to grow.”
