MIA Boys Win PCAC Crown

Marco Island Academy (MIA) soccer coach Fernando Higuera has a feeling his team may be peaking at the right time. If the Rays’ 5-0 win over Mason Classical Academy in the Paradise Coast Athletic Conference championship game on Friday, January 16, is any indication, he may be right.

Playing on their home field in front of a Senior Night crowd, the Rays battled to a 1-0 first half lead on Raul Antonio Carrillo’s rebound goal at the 22:30 mark. But there was a palpable feeling in the Jane Watt Sports Complex that the Rays might be ready to bust loose in the second half. And bust loose they did, scoring four times in the second half for the runaway win.

"It feels great,” said Higuera, better known as Señor, who’s also the school’s Spanish teacher. "It was a really good game. It was amazing. We needed this. The last three games were our best. Two of the games we played well, but we lost. Even though we lost the first two, we played really good. The real positive was we had really good first halves. And I think today was a solid full game. This one we played well and we won. So I'm really proud of them,” Higuera said. “If we continue this, we can fight and have a chance."

Higuera said part of the reason for the team’s improvement was a productive Winter Break.

“They were off a couple days,” he said, "but then we came back and we just started training again because we had a game the day we came back. Not everybody showed up because they were out of town. But I think we have a solid group. They're dedicated, they show up, most of them. And I think that helps us."

Another factor in the Rays’ improved cohesiveness is the return of Carillo, who had transferred in the fall but returned to the school over Winter Break.

“He really helped us,” Higuera said. “He definitely is a plus for the team. I'm so happy he's back."

Higuera said Carillo is happy to be back, too.

“He realized the chemistry and everything we have here,” Higuera said. "So he decided to come back. We've been playing together for years—since they were in elementary school, Mexi League, Optimist. They've been playing together since then. After he left, I guess he realized, ‘No, this is the team I want to be with. And the school I want to attend.' He came back and he fit in immediately with all his friends."

Higuera also praised the work of team captain Matt Gallup.

"Matt did really well today,” he said. "He was very solid. A solid, serious game. There was no goofing off."

Goalie Evan Shean was also singled out for posting a shutout.

"Evan, when he's on, he's on. He's phenomenal. And today, I'm glad that he was really well-positioned. They had a couple of balls, but he was right there in the right place at the right time and he did really well."

Freshman Kazim Kasap turned in an impressive performance, scoring twice in the second half. The second goal was of the spectacular variety, prompting one of his teammates to exclaim from the sideline, “That was like magic!"

“He does really well with his change of speed,” Higuera said. "He has really good footwork. Those two goals he scored and then he also assisted on one. Once he goes, he's really tricky. I'm glad I'm not defending him because when he's doing that, it's really tricky. He can get rid of people very fast. He's lefty, so that's why he is on the left. The last goal, I mean, he dribbled through three people. I thought he was going to pass it. But then he shot towards the goal. I don't know how he did it, but it was amazing."

Higuera said Mason Classical, who defeated the Rays earlier in the season, then fought his team to a draw just before Winter Break, played gamely in defeat.

"Mason, they tried,” he said. “They are a good team. They ran, they had good players. It's just this time we were better."

Now the Rays await the district pairings. Last season, the Rays won their first soccer district championship with a dramatic 2-1 win over First Baptist Academy.