JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A spot in the boys soccer state semifinals is up for grabs for six area teams on Wednesday night.
Five games, including an all-local blockbuster between Creekside and Mandarin in Region 1-7A, highlight a big night for boys soccer. Unbeaten Ponte Vedra (1-6A), Bolles (1-3A) and St. Joseph (1-2A) are all top seeds and host third-round games. Bishop Kenny hits the road in Region 1-4A. A glance at the games.
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Regional finals
Wednesday’s schedule, all games at 7 p.m.
Region 1-7A
(6) Creekside (15-3-2) at (5) Mandarin (16-3)
Road here: Creekside d. Boone, 2-0; d. Oakleaf, 2-0; Mandarin d. Lake Brantley, 3-0; d. Bartram Trail, 2-1.
Winner gets: The state semifinalist matchups will be determined by MaxPreps rankings points and be held on Saturday.
Glance: A rematch of a mid-January game, won 1-0 by the Knights. The Mustangs haven’t been to the state semifinals since 2016. Creekside hasn’t been this deep in the playoffs, but it’s been a strong winter season for soccer teams at the school. The Knights girls team upset the No. 1 team in the country (Bartram Trail) and advanced to the state semifinals with their latest win. This game features two of the area’s top all-around players; Creekside’s Joey Mueller (27 goals, 13 assists) and Mandarin’s Antonio Mancinotti (29 goals, 15 assists). But defense can’t be discounted. These teams have allowed a combined 31 goals in 39 games.
Region 1-6A
(4) East Ridge (19-5-2) at (3) Ponte Vedra (15-0-3)
Road here: East Ridge d. Niceville, 1-0; d. Fleming Island, 1-0; Ponte Vedra d. Booker T. Washington, 3-1; d. Chiles, 1-0.
Winner gets: The state semifinalist matchups will be determined by MaxPreps rankings points and be held on Saturday.
Glance: The area’s last remaining unbeaten is after its first state semifinal berth since 2019. Ponte Vedra’s defense has been nasty. The Sharks have allowed just one goal over their last five games, and just 10 this season. Goal scoring is spread across a deep lineup, with Jonathan Luce (9 goals, 7 assists), Cade Greenwald (8 goals, 3 assists) and Aaron Novak (7 goals) fronting the offense.
Region 1-4A
(6) Bishop Kenny (15-8-1) at (1) South Walton (11-4-1)
Road here: Kenny d. Wakulla, 2-0; d. Gainesville Eastside, 3-2 (4-3 in PKs); South Walton d. Bay, 2-1; d. West Florida, 7-2.
Winner gets: The state semifinalist matchups will be determined by MaxPreps rankings points and be held on Saturday.
Glance: The Crusaders last reached the state semifinals in 2020 when it lost to Mariner. Kenny has three double-digit goal scorers in Nathan Hawara (18 goals, 4 assists), Martin Pineiros (12 assists, 11 goals) and Joseph Jimenez (10 goals, 6 assists).
Region 1-3A
(2) Pensacola Catholic (11-4-2) at (1) Bolles (14-2)
Road here: Pensacola Catholic d. Williston, 4-0; d. Florida State University School, 5-4 (3-2 in PKs); Bolles d. Walton, 6-0; d. Maclay, 2-1 (4-2 in PKs).
Winner gets: The state semifinalist matchups will be determined by MaxPreps rankings points and be held on Saturday.
Glance: The Bulldogs stretched their winning streak to seven with a win in PKs, a big change from their first-round blowout of Walton. Bolles beat Pensacola Catholic in the second round last year and reached the state semifinals before losing to eventual state champ Tampa Catholic. Jack Leake (17 goals, 7 assists) is the offensive threat, but defense is the backbone of Bolles. Keeper Lincoln Hunt has notched 12 shutouts and the Bulldogs defense in front of him has limited teams to just eight goals.
Region 1-2A
(6) Port St. Joe (14-8) at (5) St. Joseph (10-5-2)
Road here: Port St. Joe d. Rocky Bayou, 4-3 (13-12 in PKs); d. St. John Paul II, 1-0; St. Joseph d. Harvest Community, 1-0; d. St. Johns Country Day, 1-0.
Winner gets: The state semifinalist matchups will be determined by MaxPreps rankings points and be held on Saturday.
Glance: The Flashes have reached the state semifinals once (2012), so a win here would be significant for St. Joseph. The Flashes upset last year’s state runner-up, St. Johns, in the second round. Charles Antwan Hodon, Joshua Nelson and Ryan Hunt combined for 22 goals in the regular season for St. Joseph.