By Kyle LoJacono
The Steinbrenner boys soccer team entered the Class 4A state final averaging five goals per game during its postseason run.
The Warriors (19-3-3) had a much more difficult time finishing against Naples Gulf Coast Feb. 16 in the state championship game at Melbourne High, falling 2-0. It’s the first time they’ve been shut out all year.
The Sharks (19-3-3) were able to contain Steinbrenner’s dangerous forwards Jason Collister (28 goals, eight assists) and Austin Labban (17 goals, six assists) with their central defenders.
“After the game I realized that wasn’t like any defense we’ve played so far,” said Warriors senior central midfielder Enrique Barboto (15 goals, nine assists). “It was just tight. No opportunities.”
Gulf Coast was also helped by scoring early when senior forward Clayton Curvin fired a loose ball into the top right corner in the eighth minute. The Sharks added another in the 26th minute on a rocket shot from 35 yards out by junior midfielder Rin Van.
Gulf Coast packed in its defense after that.
The Warriors faced a similar defensive wall during the state semifinals after falling behind 1-0 to Ocala Forest.
“Most teams can’t do that to us,” said Chad Ebright, the only coach in Steinbrenner’s four-year history. “Forest tried it originally, and we put three goals on them in three minutes. This team did it and was successful.”
The Warriors had a few chances in the first half, including a run down the left sideline in the 10th minute by senior outside midfielder Derek Gebhard (10 goals, two assists), but no one was in the area to receive his cross. The Florida Gulf Coast University commit had a similar chance in the 19th minute, but his shot went just left of the post.
The Warriors also forced four corner kicks and were awarded free kicks from 44, 30, 29 and 10 yards out before halftime, but none really tested Gulf Coast’s goalkeeper Eric Scott.
“We definitely had our opportunities first half and second half,” Barboto said. “Just things we needed to put away, and that’s what you have to do. It’s soccer. It’s part of the game.”
It didn’t end the way they wanted, but Gebhard said they were proud to make it to the program’s first title game.
“It was disappointing that we lost, but on the positive side we are the No. 2 team in the state,” Gebhard said. “We still had a great season. I’m just glad that I could play with this great group of guys. We gave it our all. … Although we had ups and downs every year, we still came back better every time. Hard work pays off. With hard work you can do anything, and I think that showed with what we did this year. It got us this far, but unfortunately we just couldn’t pull through today.”
The Warriors reached the state finals despite being a district runner-up.
They fell to rival Sickles 2-1 in the Class 4A-District 8 final, which Ebright said motivated them to get to Melbourne.
“They fight hard, they’re great kids, they work hard,” Ebright said. “I couldn’t ask for a team that worked any harder than this. We played several juniors who are coming back, and they felt what it was like to not make it all the way. Hopefully they’ll try hard to get back to this spot.”
Steinbrenner is likely to return 12 kids who played in at least 10 games this season, including four who started in the state finals.
As for the seniors, they are the first four-year graduating class in the program’s history.
“The building process has been just working from nothing to build an actual team,” said Barboto, a four-year starter. “We had to start from scratch. We had to start everything. Now we made the state championship game. Just wish we could have won this.”
Gebhard, whose family moved from Maryland for his sophomore season, said his time as a Warrior has been the best years of his life.
“We’re all like a family,” Gebhard said. “It’s disappointing to lose and for this to be our last game together, but we had each other, and that’s all that really mattered.”
Barboto added, “What I’m going to remember is all the boys, and not just this team, but the guys who graduated already who helped build this. It’s not about this medal we got or making the playoffs three times or all the wins. It was about playing with these kids and the time we’ve spent together.”
—Staff Writer Jeff Odom contributed to this report
