Falcons’ season ends at Tampa Prep

TAMPA — It happened so fast.

And then it happened again.

And again.

Saint Stephen’s boys soccer team’s season came to a close Thursday at Tampa Prep, which blanked the Falcons 6-0 during a Class 2A-Region 3 quarterfinal.

It began when the Terrapins’ Wes Sever scored not long after kickoff. From that point on, nothing went the Falcons’ way.

“This is a young team. And you give away a couple of easy goals like we did, and the heads dropped,” said coach Marc Jones. “But that’s part of the learning experience. It’s frustrating, it’s disappointing, we hate to lose — that’s not what our tradition’s about. But we’ll be back.”

The Falcons (10-8-4) played Tampa Prep to a 2-2 tie Jan. 7, and defeated the Terps during last year’s Region 3 championship game.

This time, however, Saint Stephen’s had no answer for Sever, who scored four times, or Anthony Bauman, who had four assists. Bauman didn’t play during the team’s regular season match, though Jones didn’t think that was much of a factor Thursday.

“The difference wasn’t him — the difference was us,” said Jones, whose team was without key defender Austin Fort, out with a 102-degree fever. “We kind of struggled. We gave away an early goal, and then we gave away another early goal.”

Sever scored just before the half, and netted two more less than 10 minutes after the break, all but ending Saint Stephen’s season.

Last winter, the Falcons’ season ended across the street from Tampa Prep at the University of Tampa, site of the Class 2A state final four. Ten starters from that team are gone, however, and Jones was proud of this year’s group, which included just three seniors — Matt Unzicker, Dan Connolly and Antonio Alencar.

“We’re a young team. We’re full of eighth graders and ninth graders, and all of this is great experience for them for the future,” Jones said. “The younger kids have been around the program for several years, and they know this program is about success, and the standards that we expect. And I know they’re disappointed about today, but trust me — this ballclub is about to step up again. So we’re excited about next year.”