MONTVERDE, Fla. – No. 116, and counting.

Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) used clinical finishing and a solid defensive effort to subdue Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.) 5-1 in the Montverde Soccer Academy Tournament semifinals, putting the team on the brink of a fourth SIMA FAB 50 crown in five seasons.

The host Eagles, which are riding an undefeated streak of 116 matches, will face Coppell (Coppell, Texas) in Saturday night’s championship match. Coppell surrendered a 2-0 lead over Cathedral (Los Angeles, Calif.) but prevailed in a shootout following a 2-2 match to send the Cowboys to the MAST final for the second straight year.

In consolation matches Friday, Gulliver Prep (Miami, Fla.) ripped Melbourne (Melbourne, Fla.) behind a two-goal performance by North Carolina commit Alexander Moztarzadeh; and Auburndale (Auburndale, Fla.) stunned Alief Elsik (Houston, Texas) 2-1.

Saturday’s final round pits Elsik and Melbourne for seventh place, Gulliver and Auburndale for fifth place, Cathedral and Hamilton for third place before the 7:30 championship match between Montverde and Coppell. Since the MAST is the season-ending event for SIMA FAB 50 No. 1 Montverde, a win by the Eagles on Saturday will secure the winter No. 1 ranking.

Friday’s four matches offered several unique storylines, including an Arizona player scoring a goal for Montverde against an Arizona team and a Texas goalkeeper who missed the MAST due to injury in 2014 saving the day for Coppell.

SEMIFINAL No. 1: Coppell 3, Cathedral 2 (PKs)

Robbie Coens just baited Cathedral players to shoot to his left, but three times he dove to his right to smother shots as Coppell salvaged a victory over Cathedral after giving up a 2-0 lead.

The senior keeper missed last year’s MAST due to a fractured vertebrae, and didn’t even travel with the team.

This year, his presence was felt as the Texas side returned to the finals for the second straight year.

During the shootout, Coens constantly pointed to his left, almost inviting Cathedral players to go that way. To end the third round, Cathedral’s Nomar Ibarra shot low left, and Coens made the stop. However, the official ruled Coens had moved early and gave Ibarra a second chance. Again, Coens delivered a save, at the time giving Coppell a 3-2 advantage. After both teams converted in the next round, Colten Clark stepped to the penalty spot with a chance to win the match. He stubbed his attempt, which was saved by Cathedral keeper Kris Guerra, giving Cathedral a chance to send the PKs to sudden death. Instead, Coens came up with another save to win the match.

“He’s one of our best players and I was confident Colten was going to win it (with his attempt),” Coens said. “But sometimes it doesn’t work out that way. I had to redeem him. When the offense doesn’t score, the keeper has to be the one to step up … and I guessed right.”

Coppell took a 2-0 lead on first-half goals by Roberto Arguello and Austin Michaelis. A defensive miscue right before halftime tuned into a solid finish for Cathedral junior Luis Campos. Daniel Huizar scored with seven minutes remaining to tie the score at 2 and set up the shootout.

SEMIFINAL No. 2: Montverde Academy 5, Hamilton 1

John Rea got a measure of revenge Friday, scoring the second goal in what turned into a 5-1 Montverde Academy win.

Rea, from Arizona, played for Brophy Prep last year and had a chance to clinch a state final shootout win over Hamilton. Instead, he failed to convert, but the next player finished the job as Brophy won the title. Rea transferred to Montverde Academy for his junior year, and again found himself facing Hamilton in a meaningful match – and this time he wasn’t going to be shut down.

“My first goal in the MAST with my new team, that was cool,” Rea said.

He called the experience “weird” playing against another Arizona team while representing a Florida school. After the match, though, there was plenty of friendly moments for Rea and the Hamilton players. Hamilton standout Kalvin Parr and Rea were ODP teammates in Arizona. In addition, Rea knows Ryan Banyai and is familiar with several other Hamilton players.

“That was cool,” he said of the handshake line. “It was like being at home.”

Although Hamilton entered the match at 12-0-2, Montverde made it a one-sided contest on the scoreboard rather quickly with three goals in the first 22 minutes of the match. Andre Shinyashiki scored the first goal and Caua Soares followed Rea’s goal with a stunning direct kick that he arched over the wall and dipped into the top of the goal.

Parr scored on a header to make 3-1, but Montverde put the match out of reach with late second-half goals by Shinyashiki and Lucas Fagotti.

Friday’s standouts 

Matheus Silva, Montverde Academy. The Saint Louis commit dominated play as a defensive mid, winning just about every ball that was in his area.

Andre Shinyashiki, Montverde Academy. Another two-goal effort is putting Shinyashiki, an uncommitted senior, in the running for tournament MVP. He has an event-best four goals.

Kalvin Parr, Hamilton. Big, strong, powerful forward creates a couple scoring chances for Hamilton in the setback to Montverde, and he even cashed in the team’s lone goal on a header (although he’s more known for scoring with his feet). The senior ODP player from Arizona remains uncommitted.

Alexander Moztarzadeh, Gulliver Prep. The North Carolina commit showed moments of brilliance Thursday, but delivered a scoring touch Friday, netting two goals.

Luis Campos, Cathedral.  The junior left wing scored Cathedral’s first goal, and gives a general jumpstart to its offensive moving forward. He showed great quickness throughout the match.

Anderson Naranjo, Montverde Academy. Only a sophomore, Naranjo is playing in his third MAST. In fact, he marked current Virginia player Riggs Lennon two years ago when he was an eighth-grader. Naranjo’s play as a central defender was key in limited Hamilton’s chances.

Colten Clark, Coppell. The senior was strong on the ball and made several runs that resulted in scoring chances for the Cowboys.

Calahan Warren, Auburndale. Warren scored brilliant goal during the run of play that started Auburndale’s 2-1 win over Elsik. Warren is an uncommitted senior.

Austin Michaelis, Coppell. The senior forward scored Coppell’s second goal and was constantly a factor in the offensive third. He passed up a few chances to unleash left-footed shots, which lowered the number of scoring chances he produced in the match.

Zack Lipman, Hamilton. As expected, the defender found himself doing more defending and less moving into the attack against Montverde as he had enjoyed the night before against Auburndale. Still, the uncommitted senior did make a few strong runs at Montverde’s defense and was among the top players for Hamilton. 

NOTES

It’s possible that the title of Best in the West might be settled in Florida. The third-place match between Cathedral (Calif.) and Hamilton (Ariz.) pits the champions from last month’s SoCal High School Classic (Cathedral) and the Arizona Showcase (Hamilton). Both teams are title contenders in their respective states, and if both deliver titles, then Saturday’s match in Florida might determine which should be ranked higher in the SIMA FAB 50.

Friday’s clash between Gulliver Prep and Melbourne was a meeting between last year’s Florida 5A (Melbourne) and Florida’s 3A (Gulliver) state champs.

Cathedral's shootout loss to Coppell marked the team's fifth shootout this season, and only the first that it lost.