Flying L’s oust previously undefeated Aquinas
FORT LAUDERDALE — Before the season began, Fort Lauderdale boys soccer coach Mourinho Snipe lost his younger brother, Carlon, in a plane crash and the team bonded together and dedicated the season in his honor.
On Wednesday night, the L’s stunned the nation’s third-ranked team and previously undefeated St. Thomas Aquinas in the Class 4A regional final and punched their ticket to the state semifinals on Saturday where they will face the winner of Thursday night’s Seminole-Fort Myers game.
Sophomore defender Aidan Binnion scored off a redirected free kick in the 57th minute and Fort Lauderdale (21-5-1), playing its third straight regional playoff game on the road, hung on for the victory. Gabariel Gonzalez floated a free kick into the penalty area where Cali Canaval headed the ball to Binnion, who scored just his second goal of the season.
“It was a free kick in good position and I had a good feeling about it,” Binnion said. “I saw it go over my head and I just thought, ‘OK, next free kick.’ Then I saw it come back in and everything blurred out and I looked at the ball, saw it hit my foot, looked up saw it hit the back of the net.
“We didn’t even make it into regionals last year,” Binnion added. “It is huge to not make it to district finals and win regional finals.”
Fort Lauderdale reached the Class 4A state semifinals one other time in 2013 where they lost 6-1 to Gulf Coast.
“I am literally speechless right now,” said Snipe. “These boys worked so hard. Before the season started, I lost my brother and the team played their hearts out tonight. Hats off the St. Thomas, they are a really good team. We came into the game with a game plan and it worked.”
St. Thomas Aquinas had two balls cleared off the goal line by L’s defenders. The first came in the 25th minute on a shot by Blake Bauer and Stebendy Massenat got a foot on it to clear it away. The second came off a header by Ian Tomancik in the 47th minute that was cleared by Binnion.
St. Thomas Aquinas boys soccer coach John Walsh was hoping the Raiders would reach their first final four since 2011 – the last time the Raiders went to the state tournament and won.
The last time that St. Thomas Aquinas (21-1-4) was undefeated this deep into the season was in 1997 when they finished 29-0-1 and won the state and national title.
“That’s the way it goes,” Walsh said. “On a day I thought we created more chances, I thought we had the better opportunities. We controlled the play for large stretches and sometimes they don’t go in. They caught one on a searching ball into the box that we didn’t clear and we’re out. Unfortunately, that’s the way it goes sometimes.”
Fort Lauderdale goalkeeper Giovanni Bonilla made five saves for his ninth shutout.
St. Thomas Aquinas entered the game ranked third in the country by the United Soccer Coaches Association and has won five state titles, which is tied for sixth in the state.