Miami Lakes earns division 1 title

February 24, 2008

Miami Lakes Soccer U17 boys won the SFUYSA regular season 2007-2008 regular season in Division 1 on February 24. The U17 boys went to the playoffs after finishing the #1 seed in the regular season. On Saturday, they defeated the CTC Bandits by the score of 2-0, with both goals by midfielder Ruby Francois, who came back from ankle injury when he was needed the most. Miami Lakes then advanced to the finals the next day. On a hot and muggy Sunday morning, they beat Kendall Hammocks 1-0 to win the championship. The game was a struggle, as Miami Lakes played most of the second half with only 10 players, as in the 56th minute defender Marc Rodriguez received a red card. With 3 minutes remaining in regulation, midfielder Mateo Garcia received a ball from forward Shelby Printemps and knocked it into the back of the net. Miami Lakes coach, Octavio Pomares, said, " This is the best thing that could have happened to this team and the players. The kids played hard but fair. I could see in their eyes that they wanted this championship so badly". He added, " I knew all along that this team was destined to win the championship. I knew the key for us to win was for everyone to do their part. Since our leading scorer, forward Jonathan Jaramillo, was constantly covered by three to four Hammocks defenders, we needed other players to step up, which they did as usual reserves Mateo Garcia and Osmin Ramos as well as Printemps constantly put pressure on the Kendall defense. We know that our defense, led by sweeper Alex Woodson, is solid and would not allow the other team to get any chances on goal. In the end, it all worked out for the best." Miami Lakes U17 Boys are now preparing for the Regional Cup that will start as of 3/1/08. Their goal now is to win the Region A Cup and then go all the way to compete in the President's Cup organized by FYSA (Florida Youth Soccer Association).