Lakewood Ranch uses different style in latest state semifinal run

Nate Ellis was just a ball boy at the time, but the seeing Lakewood Ranch High School’s first boys soccer state semifinal team gave the future varsity co-captain and the rest of his junior varsity teammates the belief that they’d get to the final four in their career.

Now a senior, one of 14 that stuck together as freshman during the Mustangs’ Cinderella run to the 2014 state semifinals, Ellis anchors a back line that has conceded 21 goals en route to Lakewood Ranch building a 19-2-1 record and a berth in Friday’s Class 5A semifinal against Sanford Seminole.

“I remember just seeing how happy they were, the run they had, so I just wanted to experience the same thing,” Ellis said.

To get to Friday’s final-four match with Sanford Seminole, a team that head coach Vito Bavaro said he knows very little about, the Mustangs scored late goals in two regional victories. Then, they blanked Plant City in Tuesday’s regional championship with a goal in the first 90 seconds of the second half.

The second goal in the 2-0 victory over Plant City was a staple in Lakewood Ranch’s style: counterattacking fast with pinpoint passing.

In 2014, the style was different with the Mustangs using a single speedy striker, Ryan Sollazzo. The idea was to defend and then bomb long balls to Sollazzo, who converted.

Assistant coach Jake Dube was a player on that team.

“We were all about heart, and I think they’re a bit more skillful than us,” Dube said. “So they know how to play better than us, so I think this team will do a lot better than us.”

Bavaro said after the Plant City victory that this year’s team can win it all.

Sanford Seminole is Friday’s opponent, and a victory means the program’s first state championship appearance against either Vero Beach or Weston Cypress Bay.

Bavaro’s belief in his team winning a state title didn’t begin during the current playoff run. Rather, it started at the team’s season-ending dinner in March. He stated to the team that he expected to win and to go to state. On the first day of practice this season last October, he reaffirmed that wish with “states” written on the board in his classroom.

“I said, ‘This is where we’re going,’” Bavaro said. “I have every confidence that this team is good enough to do it.”

And that team is excelling this season.

Pablo Vargas (21 goals) and Ricky Yanez (13 goals) are fleet-footed forwards, while the midfield consists of co-captain Connor Bezet, Tyler Puhalovich, Sam Stapleton-Jones and Anthony Hroncich and the back four is co-captain Vince Archibald, Ellis, Daniel Rocco and Max Geraci.

With the exception of Vargas, a junior, Hroncich, a sophomore, and sophomore keeper Ryan Freeman, the team boasts eight senior starters. But the Mustangs aren’t unbeatable, and it took a slight hiccup out of the winter break to humble the squad and reinvigorate them for the stretch run. In particular, it was a 4-1 loss to Palmetto on Jan. 6 that forced Lakewood Ranch to reassess things.

“Up until then, we were undefeated in the regular season,” Ellis said. “I think the attitude of we’re unbeatable was starting, so that would’ve been bad going into regionals thinking we’re the best.”

Now the Mustangs turn their attention to Sanford Seminole, who needed extra time to defeat DeLand in their region final on Tuesday. It’s a chance for Lakewood Ranch to take it one step further than any other soccer program in the school’s history, and fulfill Ellis’ expectations.

Those expectations are getting realized on campus, with a buzz about the team circulating after it beat Plant City on Tuesday.

“Everyone came up to us and were congratulating us,” said Ellis about Wednesday’s atmosphere on campus.

This story was originally published February 9, 2017 at 6:34 PM with the headline "Lakewood Ranch uses different style in latest state semifinal run."