Villatoro’s goal leads Phoenix to first-ever Final Four berth.
Sonoraville’s Villatoro leads his team to victory with second-half goal
NORCROSS — Good leaders not only show their true character when things go well but also when things do not go their way. Sonoraville’s Kevin Villatoro put that on full display on Saturday afternoon as the senior came right back from missing a big chance to put his team ahead in the second half of their Class AAA Elite Eight matchup at Great- er Atlanta Christian to come through with a game-defining play a few minutes later.
Villatoro earned a penalty kick in the 48th minute of a scoreless game but missed high. However, he didn’t hang his head, stayed focused and bounced right back with an incredible play from just outside the top of the box to free himself from multiple defenders and bury the ball in the back of the net for what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 50th min- ute in a 1-0 win to send the Phoenix to their first- ever Final Four appearance.
“When I got the PK, I knew I had to be confident and expect to score and win,” said Villatoro, who is a Dalton State commit. “Once I missed it, it really hit me in the heart. This is my team, and I put everything on my shoulders so I knew I had to make up for it with a goal.
“I love this team, and I don’t want this thing to end. We’ve come out of nothing at Sonoraville, and now, we’ve put this program on the map. We’re proud to be in the Final Four, but we expect more. We’ve got to stay focused. I feel like we can win the whole thing. This is my family, and I’m going to make sure I give it all until the end.”
The Phoenix ( 137-1) advanced to play Westminster in the Class AAA Final Four on Tuesday night. (For details on that game, see Saturday’s Calhoun Times.)
In Saturday’s game at GAC, the Phoenix used their dynamic, deep attack to cause problems all day for the host Spartans. After GAC started the game out controlling possession for the first 10-15 minutes of play but coming away without a goal due to strong defense in the back end by the Phoenix, Sonoraville took momentum from there to finish the final 20-25 minutes of the first half with several quality chances. Villatoro, Dawson Holbrook, Omar Jacobo and Alexander Soldevilla each had shots that were either saved or just missed their mark.
GAC started the second half with a shot that missed high in the 47th minute, and once again, Sonoraville gained control of possession and kept the ball on the Spartans’ half of the field for much of the final 30 minutes. A foul in the box set up Villatoro’s penalty- kick attempt, and the aggressive attack also helped set up Villatoro’s game-winning goal.
“Kevin has been on fire this whole playoff run,” said Sonoraville coach Hector Holguin. “He scored a goal and had an assist in the first round then had a hat trick in Round 2 and came up big again today. He is a playmaker. I’ve coached a lot of really good players, but Kevin is special. He does everything well on the field. Dalton State is getting a great player, and a lot of Division I schools are missing out.”
Sonoraville’s defense played a stellar game as well, erasing several Spartan chances and keeping their goalkeeper out of trouble. Standouts in the back included Alex Macias, Tate Moore, Brian Jacobo and Maurilio Segura, and goalkeeper Adam Schwartz made four saves and communicated well to keep his defense in the right position in front of him.
Saturday’s game was the second straight Elite Eight appearance for the Phoenix, but Holguin said they were better prepared this year due to their tough non- region schedule earlier in the season, which was the goal all along.
“If you look at our record alone, you would think that we haven’t been a great team this year, but we’ve lost to some great teams,” said Holguin. “It hurts your pride a little having those losses on the record, but we made our schedule as tough as possible, and in the long run, it’s paid off. We’re sitting here two games away from winning a state title.”
Holguin added that his team will enjoy the historic win for the program, but they are not satisfied with just making it to the Final Four.
“We’re definitely going to enjoy it and celebrate as much as we can,” said Holguin. “But we’re going to come back tomorrow and get back to work. It will be a tough matchup, but we’re confident.
“We’re not done yet. We want more.”
Westminster defeated Calhoun 4-0 on Saturday to advance to the Final Four.