- April 20, 2024
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Merritt Island (22-2-0) dominated on possession, created chances and scoring opportunities, but it was the Seabreeze Sandcrabs who concluded the 2017 soccer season as the 3A state champions with a 2-0 win on Saturday, Feb. 18, at Spec Martin Stadium in DeLand.
The Sandcrabs (23-1-2) ended their 24-year championship drought by taking down the best teams Class 3A has to offer, leaving nothing to debate about the best team.
After losing the district championship — its lone loss of the season — Seabreeze would go on to avenge that loss by eliminating Taylor, which has taken out Seabreeze in the last three postseason. The Sandcrabs then beat four-time-defending region champ Sun Lake to win the region title. Next, they came from behind to beat defending state champion Ponte Vedra, and lastly Seabreeze completed the mission by shutting out two-time state champion Merritt Island.
“I’m so happy for my boys,” said first-year head coach Nathan Murphy. “To see these guys pull this off with the amount of hard work we put in is just crazy. I played in a national college championship but lost, so this win is No. 1 all-time for me.”
Seabreeze scored an early goal, when star player Franco Perez’s throw-in bounced away from the keeper in a crowd of Island players and Sandcrabs and then bounced into the net. And, in the second half, Perez — scorer of 23 goals and 35 assists this season — put the Sandcrabs up comfortably with a little dribbling trickery and a long-distance curling shot.
“What can you say?” Murphy said. “He’s been an amazing leader and player for us. He’s awesome, and he’s only a junior.”
During the hour-long post-match celebration, several players from the Sandcrabs’ 1992 and 1993 championship teams stood and applauded celebrated with the new champions on returning the state title to the Seabreeze.
Seabreeze’s all-time leading goal scorer Trent Lind (111 career goals) was in attendance, and he said, “We have a strong soccer tradition at Seabreeze, so it feels good to have the title back where it should be.”
On watching Perez, Lind said, “He incorporates his teammates and plays off them, and that’s what I love most about him. They had a teamwork approach, and that’s why we had so much success back in the day.”
Seabreeze becomes the first team from Volusia County and second from both Flagler and Volusia (Flagler Palm Coast won in 2000) in this millennium to win a soccer state title.
“I’ve been dreaming of this moment ever since I was a freshman,” Perez said. “When we play united as one on the field, we can do anything we want, and now we have this baby right here.”
To see more photos, click here: http://www.ormondbeachobserver.com/photo-gallery/photo-gallery-seabreeze-wins-the-3a-state-title?time=1487565555
Say that again: “I played in a national college championship but lost, so this win is No. 1 for me.”
NATHAN MURPHY, Seabreeze soccer head coach
