The Ponte Vedra Sharks boys soccer team are just two wins away from a state title, after securing a spot in the Class 6A final four with a 2-1 victory over Clermont East Ridge Feb. 16.
“I’ve never been this far before (in playoffs), and especially as a senior, I’m so excited to see what comes next,” Ponte Vedra captain Cade Greenwald said. “I’m so lucky and fortunate to have such a great team to play with.”
It was a comeback win for the Sharks, who fought back after falling behind 1-0 early in the second half.
However, the team kept pushing forward and began to create more golden scoring opportunities.
“We knew we had opportunities earlier, but we just had to focus on putting them away,” Ponte Vedra goalie Will Sheehan said. “We knew that wasn’t the way our season was going to end and just didn’t give up.”
Andres Villasana made a nice run toward the goal and drew a foul and a free kick just outside the penalty box.
Villasana finished the job by sailing the free kick over the wall of defenders and curving the ball into the top left corner of the goal to tie the game at 1-all right before the water break that designates the midway point of second half.
“A lot of times last year when we went down, we kind of lost focus, but this year we always keep that drive going and just keep moving the ball around as much as we can,” Greenwald said.
Sheehan came up with some big saves for the Sharks throughout the contest, none more clutch than the leaping save he made on a free kick by the Knights with about five minutes to play.
“It’s not just me, we’ve really grown as a team and a defense,” Sheehan said. “We do it together.”
The save proved even more crucial because shortly after, the Sharks were awarded a penalty kick following a hand ball in the box by a Knight defender.
Villasana took the penalty kick and following a deep breath beat the goalie to give the Sharks a 2-1 lead with 4:19 remaining.
There was a lot of pressure on Villasana walking up to the penalty kick, but he knew he had to block it out and visualize putting the ball in the back of the net.
“I was super nervous, but in the end, I knew I was going to score,” Villasana said. “We train for that and in practice, I always make every single one.”
From there the Sharks were able to tighten up their defense and punch their ticket to the next round.
Sheehan established a rhythm early on in goal and that included a pair of consecutive saves during a sequence of pressure applied by the Knights right before halftime.
The Sharks will go on the road to face Doral Academy at 7 p.m. Feb. 19 in the state semifinals.
“The last time this school won it all was in 2016, and that team was all-decade, but I think we can give them a run for their money,” Villasana said.
