Second-half lead slips away as Scheck Hillel’s boys’ soccer team falls in state semifinals
AUBURNDALE
It seems like state tournament games always come down to the final minutes.
Scheck Hillel watched a one-goal lead slip away in the second half and its bid for a state title game berth along with it during a Class 2A state semifinal 2-1 loss to Maitland Orangewood Christian on Tuesday at Lake Myrtle Soccer Complex. “I was hoping we could hang on five more minutes and take it to overtime,” Hillel junior forward Adam Waich said.
“Orangewood was a great team. They kept
(the pace) hard the whole game. They got the edge on us. We just have to put the work in on the offseason for next year.”
Orangewood (16-3-1) will vie for its third state title in program history against the winner of Tampa Carrollwood Day and St. Augustine St. Joseph’s Academy in the 2A state title game Friday at 7 p.m.
Orangewood forward Zane Henriques broke a 1-1 tie with a goal with just 4:40 left in the game to eliminate Hillel.
“It was crazy,” Henriques said. “It was 1-1 and we knew we had to get the next goal. I am really happy my team pushed through and came back and scored two goals. This is a great team and we are in the finals.”
After a rugged defensive battle and a scoreless first half, Hillel jumped out to a 1-0 on a nifty goal by Waich, Hillel’s topscoring forward, who found the back of the net with 37.58 left in the second half.
“The ball was bouncing, and I just turned around and shot it,” said Waich, a junior who is averaging 2.3 goals per game.
The uplifting lead was erased 12 minutes later when Orangewood was awarded a penalty kick with just over 25 minutes remaining. Jace Henriques, Zane’s brother, drilled the PK home to knot the game 1-1.
“We had two clear opportunities,” Hillel coach Mariano Palau said. “But they got the shot and won. Our strategy was to apply pressure the whole game, but they passed the ball well on us and resisted.”
Hillel (12-4-1) has reached the state semifinals for the past three consecutive years, which includes a 2A state runner-up finish last season.
“[Waich] is an amazing player. If a coach gives him an opportunity, he could play professionally one day,” Palau said. “We started this game with 70 percent of our team as freshmen or sophomores. The future of Hillel is good. Next year, we will be back again.”