PEMBROKE PINES — Playing a man down for the final 25 minutes of the 5A boys soccer regional final proved to be no problem for host Pembroke Pines Charter, which defeated Dr. Joaquin Garcia, 1-0 (4-3 PKs) on Tuesday night.
It marked the second consecutive game that the region’s fourth-seeded Pembroke Pines Charter needed to win a penalty kick shootout to advance to their third straight state semifinal. The Jaguars (11-5-3) upset the top-seeded team in the region, Archbishop McCarthy, 2-1 (3-2 PKs) last Friday.
And for the second consecutive week, senior midfielder Julian Iodice delivered the clinching blow as he buried his penalty kick into the right corner past the outstretched arms of the Bulldogs’ sophomore goalkeeper Justin Deptola.
“It feels good. It is a dream,” said Iodice, who also scored on the final penalty kick against district champion Archbishop McCarthy. “I just jogged up to the ball, and was confident when I hit it. I went to the right. I saw a pattern with their keeper in going the way I went last week, so I went the other way.”
Senior Gabriel Calderon, Noah Lewis, and junior Aiden Toledo also converted their penalty kicks in the shootout for Pembroke Pines Charter. Junior Emerson Toledo was turned away on his kick by Deptola.
Pembroke Pines Charter coach Marc Lue Young said he was confident heading into the penalty kick shootout because senior goalkeeper Mateo Vasquez had saved three PKs in the win over Archbishop McCarthy.
“We were very confident,” said Lue Young, who lost senior defender Diego Medina-Pagan to a red card after a hard tackle in the 75th minute. The Jaguars played the rest of regulation and both 10-minute overtime periods with 10 players. Medina-Pagan will miss the team’s state semifinal on Feb. 27 at Spec Martin Stadium in DeLand.
“I always tell (Mateo) all it takes is one,” Lue Young said. “Last week, he saved three out of five, and today he saved the last one.”
“It’s a very special game to us,” Lue Young said. “We got the red card with 25 minutes left, and the boys dug deep. They were very determined. We won the last two games in back-to-back penalties, and I am forever grateful to this group.”
Vazquez, a two-year starter for the Jaguars, said it was a great feeling to advance to a third straight state semifinal and a second straight trip despite losing the district championship.
It is the school’s fourth trip to the final four, and they are still chasing their first championship. The team advanced to the state final in 2020, where they fell to Jesuit, 5-4, in Lue Young’s first year at the helm. Pembroke Pines Charter has won six of its past seven.
“It’s a great feeling to help my team win in the regional playoffs and lead them to another state semifinal,” Vazquez said. “I have great confidence in my ability to save penalty kicks, and I am happy that I got the job done for my teammates, who are my best friends.”
Dr. Joaquin Garcia (14-8-1) shot first and converted on a kick by Kevin Flores, and their second kicker, junior Thomas Nesqueyder struck the crossbar and missed. Juniors Sebastian Zuzunaga and Kevin Carbajal both scored before Vazquez dove to his left to knock the shot attempt by senior Juan Gonzales wide, setting the stage for Iodice to seal the deal.
“I usually choose to dive the way the players angle their bodies,” Vazquez added. “I don’t guess. I try my best to dive at the last minute. Going to the states for the last three years as a program is a great achievement. This is only my second time, and being there for my teammates, coach, and school is honestly one of the greatest feelings ever in my life.”
Dr. Joaquin Garcia advanced to the regional final for the first time in its three-year history after upsetting Jensen Beach, 2-1 (1-0 PKs) in the regional semifinals. The No. 7-ranked squad got three penalty kick saves from Deptola to send the region’s No. 2 seed home packing.
“That’s the way it is. The ball is round, and it can bounce any way, and today it wasn’t our way,” Bulldogs coach Donovan Scott said. “I’m so proud of them regardless. We had an excellent season, and most of the games we lost were because of silly mistakes.”
Both teams had chances to win either in regulation or overtime in a defensive struggle. In the 49thminute, Flores was just wide with a left-footed blast from just inside the penalty area. Lewis’s shot from five years away with two minutes remaining in the second overtime was turned away by Vazquez.
“It’s been a great season for us, and I am proud of how hard our team played and fought,” Flores said. “It’s unfortunate today. We just couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net.”
Boys soccer
Regional finals
Tuesday
7A
3. Columbus def 1. Cypress Bay 4-3
6A
1. St. Thomas Aquinas def. 3. Monarch 2-0
5A
4. Pembroke Pines Charter def. 7. Dr. Joaquin Garcia 1-0 (PKs)
4A
2. American Heritage def. 4. Mater Lakes 4-3 (PKs)
Friday
3A
1. Somerset Canyons def. 3. American Heritage-Delray 3-2 (PKs)
2A
1. Melbourne Holy Trinity def. 2. King’s Academy 3-2 (PKs)
1A
1. Miami BridgePrep def. 3. Highlands Christian 3-1
State semifinals
In Auburndale
3A
Somerset Canyons vs. Santa Fe, Thursday, 4 p.m.
In DeLand
6A
1. St. Thomas Aquinas vs. TBA
5A
4. Pembroke Pines Charter vs. TBA
4A
2. American Heritage vs. TBA
Girls soccer
Regional finals
Tuesday
The girls soccer playoff matchups involving schools from Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Friday
3A
2. North Broward Prep def. 1. Somerset Canyons 2-1 (PKs)
1. Cardinal Gibbons def. 6. Immaculata-La Salle 3-1
2A
1. King’s Academy def. 3. Edgewood 1-0
1A
1. Berean Christian def. 2. South Florida HEAT 3-2
State semifinals
In DeLand
?????
In Auburndale
3A
North Broward Prep vs. Cardinal Gibbons, Thursday, 10 a.m.
2A
King’s Academy vs. Lakeland Christian, Tuesday, 10 a.m.
1A
Berean Christian vs. Canterbury, Friday, 10 a.m.