Region Boys Soccer roundup: Booker T. Washington, Gulf Breeze stamp ticket to semifinals

Here's a roundup of regional quarterfinal matches involving Pensacola-area boys soccer teams on Wednesday, Feb. 8.

Region 1-5A quarterfinal

No. 4 Booker T. Washington 4, No. 5 Menendez 1

The difference between Wildcats and Falcons on Wednesday night was a matter of halves.

The two teams played to a competitive draw through the first 40 minutes of their Region 1-5A quarterfinal. But once they returned to the pitch, the hosts were simply overwhelming.

Booker T. Washington piled up three second-half goals to sail to a runaway win from Sherman L. Robinson Stadium.

“They’re young and this is a big stage for them,” Wildcats head coach Felipe Lawall said of his players. “Once we got our nerves down after the first half, we dominated, created the chances, minimized (the Falcons’) chances to almost zero and we were able to finish our chances. That’s a good win for our team and for our program.”

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Booker T. Washington controlled the second half simply by being first to the ball. Every 50/50 ball seemingly went the home team’s way, and as a result, play stayed in its offensive third.

Additionally, with the hosts subbing more players in and out, Menendez didn’t have the legs to keep playing on its heels.

“(The Wildcats) had a bit more experience,” Levy said. “They had a little deeper bench than we did and could rotate a lot more players. I think that’s what it boiled down to, but credit to them. They played well.”

The Wildcats didn’t cash in immediately on their opportunities, but Ryan Chandler got the snowball rolling in spectacular fashion. After a free kick was briefly cleared, the sophomore midfielder fired a sensational shot past freshman goalkeeper Lucas Ellison for the go-ahead score in the 59th minute.

The home team added to its advantage when Ellison was carded for an illegal touch just right of the box. With a new keeper in goal, senior forward Jackson Callaway knocked in the free kick from a tight angle to make it 3-1 in the 68th minute.

Four minutes later, Menendez dealt itself the final dagger when it allowed an own goal.

“The momentum did shift after the second goal,” Chandler said. “Once the ball got rolling, we were able to keep it going in this game.”

Booker T. Washington was the No. 4 seed in the region while the Falcons were the No. 5 seed. Improving their region to 9-6-3 this season, the Wildcats advance to face Arnold, who is not only the top seed in the region, but is also the No. 1-ranked program in the state overall.

Here are three takeaways from Tuesday night.

'Fantastic'

Chandler's igniter was far from a cheap goal. His strike was as clean as it gets.

"I connected really well," he recalled.

He sure did.

The sophomore took the free kick that set up the goal. Possession was kept alive when Ellison could not secure the ball despite coming out of goal.

From there, sophomore defender Noah Toben delivered a through ball to Chandler, who took on touch before sending a missile from the edge of the 18-yard box that curled just inside the crossbar and into the back of the net.

The midfielder's game-winner was a fair result considering the numerous chances that proceeded it. Junior forward Kyle Hunnicutt nearly put one away on a strong strike that rose over the crossbar. Then, following a run down the sideline, senior forward Jackson Callaway just missed sophomore forward Anthony Kuba for a header from in close.

But at the rate in which the Wildcats were on the attack, it was just a matter of time.

"I got to give a lot of credit to Menendez. They do a good job of defending," Lawall said. "They are very organized and are really well-coached. We knew we needed to have a special moment to break that wall and I think Ryan's goal was fantastic. ... I think that goal was the piece that was missing to really pump our team up and was a huge turning point."

Happy Birthday Mom

Wednesday's opening score also doubled as a birthday present.

Booker T. Washington got on the scoreboard first when senior captain Fatobi White put in a corner kick in the 23rd minute.

As a celebration, White sprinted toward the home sideline where he lifted his jersey and unveiled a special message to his mother, Keisha, in the stands. And if she couldn't see the message, he shouted it: "Happy Birthday Mom."

"It feels great, I really wanted to score for my mom," White said. "I felt amazing.

"I did it for her."

Goliath awaits

Lawall was encouraged by his team's production without receiving scores from Kuba and Hunnicutt, who each have 15 goals to lead the team.

Similarly, the Wildcats will need all hands on deck to pull off an upset Saturday in Panama City Beach against the Marlins, who defeated No. 8 St. Augustine 2-0.

Arnold is unbeaten at 18-0-2 and ranked No. 2 in the country according to MaxPreps. Outscoring opponents by a 76-10 margin this season, the two-time defending state champions beat Booker T. Washington 3-1 in the District 1-5A semifinals on Jan. 30.

"They are the No. 1 team in the state and the No. 2 team in the country for a reason," Lawall said. "But I think we had a good game against them in the district semifinals. We're just going to prepare and go there to give them a game. I think we're capable of winning there. We're going to fight from the first whistle to the last one and the best team that day is going to win."

Region 1-6A quarterfinals

No. 3 Gulf Breeze 4, No. 6 Fleming Island 1

A trifecta of first-half goals propelled the Dolphins past the Golden Eagles in a regional quarterfinal from Dolphins Stadium. Stats were unavailable.

Winners of its last 10 games, Gulf Breeze (19-2-1) faces its toughest test yet as it plays at 7 p.m. EST Saturday at No. 2 Gainesville, who advanced with a 4-3 triumph over Oakleaf.

The undefeated Hurricanes (15-0-1) are ranked fourth overall in the state while the Dolphins are seventh.

No. 1 Chiles 2, No. 8 Tate 0

Held off the scoreboard in its second-straight match, the Aggies were upended on the road against the Timberwolves.

Senior forward Garrett Elebash notched two goals while senior goalkeeper Alex Garcia had five saves to collect a clean sheet.

Blanked for just the second time this season, Tate ends the 2022-23 campaign at 10-4-3.

Region 1-4A quarterfinal

No. 4 Yulee 2, No. 5 West Florida 0

Following a scoreless 40 minutes, the Jaguars couldn't keep pace after halftime in a road defeat to the Hornets. Sebastian Joinville put in both scores for Yulee.

West Florida ends the season at 11-9-2.

Region 1-3A quarterfinal

No. 1 Maclay 3, No. 8 Pensacola Catholic 0

The Crusaders' Cinderella run fizzled out in a tough road loss to the Marauders.

Zac Scovotto, R.J. Hosay and Tyler Keller each had goals for the home team while Luke Daunt contributed two assists.

Just a week removed from capturing the District 1-3A title, Pensacola Catholic ends the season at 8-12-1.

Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached at (850) 503-3828, on Twitter @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Region Boys Soccer: Washington, Gulf Breeze earn quarterfinal victories