Melee mars match
Boca Raton claims 7A regional final before postgame incident
BOCA RATON — The Boca Raton boys soccer team held off visiting Celebration 2-1 in a Class 7A regional final on Wednesday night, but the victory was marred by a melee that broke out after the game on the field between the two teams.
It’s unclear whether any disciplinary action will be taken by the FHSAA for either team.
Boca Raton (22-4), which last won the state title in 2020, advances to play in a state semifinal against Clermont East Ridge at 7 p.m. on Saturday in Boca Raton.
The lights went out at the field during the 78th minute, which resulted in a stoppage of play for nearly 15 minutes. At the conclusion of the game, a brawl ensued at midfield and continued toward the end of the field for several minutes.
Spectators in the crowd also left the stands toward the field as police on-site attempted to contain the situation.
Boca Raton coach Marcelo Castillo reflected on the incident after the game. He said this was the first meeting between the schools and there was no previous history.
“A lot of testosterone and a lot of emotion,” he said. “Anytime your season is over, there is a lot of emotion. If you look at their roster, they’re senior-loaded. I guess they can tell that their high school career is over. It was unfortunate. I am just happy we got out of here safe with a victory. I am leaving here with a clear conscience. I talked to my kids. It was crazy with the lights stopping. I knew something like that was bound to happen.”
Boca Raton junior Christian Gonzalez and junior John Stevenson both scored in the second half to lift the Bobcats to the win.
After a scoreless tie at halftime, Boca Raton was able to capitalize on scoring opportunities in the second half.
Stevenson sprinted down the middle of the field toward a loose ball before it reached the goalkeeper and was fouled inside the box. Gonzalez then scored on a penalty kick in the 54th minute as he fired a shot into the left corner of the net and celebrated with his teammates after a backflip.
Stevenson added a goal in the box in the 64th minute after a pass by senior Caleb Chapman.
Celebration (14-3-1) was able to quickly answer as junior Anyelo Castelano scored in the 66th minute to cut the deficit to 2-1.
The Bobcats had another scoring chance late in the contest as Stevenson missed wide right on a shot attempt in the box in the 73rd minute.
Boca Raton sophomore goalkeeper Carmine Ricciardi recorded a save in the 78th minute to seal the victory.
“We manipulated the game really well,” Castillo said. “We knew they were a tough team. We took advantage of the opportunities. I thought we defended really well.”
Boca Raton had a scoring chance in the 20th minute during the first half, but a header by Stevenson sailed over the net.
Celebration failed to capitalize in the 26th minute on a shot attempt that missed wide to the right toward an open net after Ricciardi was unable to secure possession.
Celebration also was unable to execute a free kick outside the box in the 34th minute as the ball was blocked by the Bobcats defense.
Gonzalez scored the first goal of the game in a victory against Royal Palm Beach in a regional quarterfinal and also lifted his team to a win against Wellington in a regional semifinal by scoring on the final penalty kick of the game after overtime.
Stevenson had also stepped up earlier in the playoffs and scored the first goal of the game against Wellington.
Boca Raton has won 13 consecutive games heading into the state semifinal.