Braden River High boys soccer team enters district tournament on a hot streak
BRADENTON - One of the hottest teams entering the postseason is the Braden River High boys soccer team.
The Pirates (9-3-4) have gone unbeaten in 11 straight, seven wins and four ties, and drew the No. 1 seed in the Class 5A-District 10 tournament.
“The players knew what it felt like last year having that losing record. They just kinda bounced back and showed some resiliency through it.
“The biggest change between last year and this year is the maturity. They were able to respond.
“The talent was always there. It was just the belief themselves they could always follow through and get the job done,” Braden River coach Braden Chandler said.
The season did not start on a promising note. The Pirates opened with a couple of wins that were followed by losses to Bradenton Christian School, Inspiration Academy and Lakewood Ranch, teams that combined to go 28-9-10 throughout the regular season.
A 5-0 whitewash of Saint Stephen’s Episcopal got Braden River on the right track.
“Once they had a good result after that third loss, it kinda kept rolling from there,” Chandler said.
Playing with a number of sophomores last season, the Pirates defeated Boca Ciega in the opening round of the district before falling to eventual district champion St. Petersburg, 1-0, in the semifinals.
The 6-8-3 campaign left a bitter taste in the mouths of the eight underclassmen, many sophomores, who were starters a year ago.
The Pirates are led offensively by junior Joseph Joumayyed and freshman Esteban Bejoud, who Chandler calls a “nice surprise.”
Like last year, the key to Braden River is the defense.
Allowing 17 goals in 17 matches a year ago, the Pirates are on pace to better that, surrendering nine goals in 16 matches this season.
It helps that all four defenders, along with junior goalie Joey Hannaseek are back, and two of the three senior starters Will Key and Jonah Patterson are on the back line, joining juniors Kyle Langley and Zack Groth.
“That makes a big difference,” Chandler said of his experience on defense.
The Pirates drew the top seed in a close race with Parrish Community (8.380-7.933 power points) and a bye in the opening round of the district playoffs. They await the winner of fourth-seeded Port Charlotte and fifth-seeded Sebring in the semifinal round at 7 p.m. at home either Friday or Saturday. The match is originally scheduled for Saturday, but the teams are looking to move it to Friday.
A win places Braden River in the district final at home against either second-seeded Parrish or third-seeded Southeast High.
The fact the Pirates will be home is key since they are 7-0 on their turf this season.
BOYS SOCCER
DISTRICT TOURNAMENTS
Matches at 7 p.m., unless noted
Class 7A-District 8
Thursday, Jan. 26
No. 5 North Port at No. 4 Venice
No. 7 Lehigh at No. 2 Lakewood Ranch
No. 6 Sarasota at No. 3 Riverview
Tuesday, Jan. 31
Venice-North Port winner at No. 1 Gulf Coast
Lakewood Ranch-Lehigh winner vs. Riverview-Sarasota winner, higher seed
Thursday, Feb. 2
Championship match
Class 6A-District 11
Thursday, Jan. 26
No. 5 East Bay at No. 4 Tampa Bay Tech
No. 7 Armwood at No. 2 Palmetto
No. 6 Manatee at No. 3 Lennard
Monday, Jan. 30
Tampa Bay Tech-East Bay at No. 1 Bloomingdale
Palmetto-Armwood winner vs. Lennard-Manatee winner, higher seed
Wednesday, Feb. 1
Championship match
Class 6A-District 12
Thursday, Jan. 26
No. 5 Ida Baker at No. 4 Charlotte
No. 6 Palmetto Ridge at No. 3 Immokalee
Monday, Jan. 30
Charlotte-Ida Baker winner at No. 1 Fort Myers
Immokalee-Palmetto Ridge winner at No. 2 Riverdale
Wednesday, Feb. 1
Championship match
Class 5A-District 10
Thursday, Jan. 26
No. 5 Sebring at No. 4 Port Charlotte
Saturday, Jan. 28
Port Charlotte-Sebring winner at No. 1 Braden River
No. 3 Southeast at No. 2 Parrish Community
Wednesday, Feb. 1
Championship match
Class 4A-District 11
Thursday, Jan. 26
No. 5 Boca Ciega at No. 4 Bayshore
No. 6 Gibbs at No. 3 Lakewood
Tuesday, Jan. 31
Bayshore-Boca Ciega winner at No. 1 Robinson
Lakewood-Gibbs winner at No. 2 Booker
Thursday, Feb. 2
Championship match
Class 4A-District 12
Wednesday, Jan. 25
No. 5 Estero at No. 4 Lemon Bay
No. 6 Hardee at No. 3 Gateway, 6 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 26
Lemon Bay-Estero winner at No. 1 DeSoto County
Gateway-Hardee winner at No. 2 LaBelle, 5 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 31
Championship match, 5 p.m.
Class 3A-District 8
Thursday, Jan. 26
No. 5 Gateway Charter at No. 4 Cardinal Mooney
Monday, Jan. 30
Cardinal Mooney-Gateway Charter winner at No. 1 Bishop Verot
No. 3 St. Petersburg Catholic at No. 2 Oasis
Wednesday, Feb. 1
Championship match
Class 2A-District 10
Thursday, Jan. 26
No. 5 Admiral Farragut at No. 4 Northside Christian
No. 6 Indian Rocks Christian at No. 3 Keswick Christian
Tuesday, Jan. 31
Northside Christian-Admiral Farragut at No. 1 Bradenton Christian
Keswick Christian-Indian Rocks Christian at No. 2 Saint Stephen’s
Thursday, Feb. 2
Championship match
Class 2A-District 11
Thursday, Jan. 26
No. 5 Southwest Florida Christian at No. 4 Evangelical Christian, 6 p.m.
No. 6 Sarasota Christian at No. 3 The Classical Academy of Sarasota, 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 31
Evangelical Christian-Southwest Florida Christian at No. 1 Fort Myers Canterbury, 6 p.m.
The Classical Academy of Sarasota-Sarasota Christian winner at No. 2 Out-of-Door Academy
Thursday, Feb. 2
Championship match, 6 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Braden River High boys soccer team enters district tournament on a hot streak
