Santa Fe Boys Soccer Ready for State Semifinal

If Santa Fe High boys soccer’s regional final against Pensacola Catholic was uncharted territory, then Thursday’s Class 3A state semifinal match against Boynton Beach Somerset Academy – Canyons in Auburndale is that tenfold. 

The third-seeded Raiders (14-4-3) are making their first state final four appearance in program history, as are the two-seeded Cougars (15-2-2). The winner will advance to Saturday’s state championship game against the winner of fourth seed Cocoa Beach (16-7-1) and first seed Downtown Doral (17-1-3) later Thursday.

“To have the opportunity to go down and see some folks that we are very unfamiliar with is a pretty exciting opportunity,” Santa Fe coach Morgan Dall’Acqua said. 

The Raiders came out on top in their regional final match after a header from midfielder Owen Boone in the 78th minute against Pensacola Catholic. 

Meanwhile, Somerset – Canyons punched its ticket to the state final after a 2-2 draw against defending state champion American Heritage 6-5 in the penalty shootout. 

“They play a very, very strong systematic approach,” Dall’Acqua said of the Cougars. “To watch them and the way they build between the lines and keep their shape, he’s [Somerset – Canyons coach Eric De Sousa] got a group of young men that are really playing smart, intelligent soccer.”

It is the first time in the postseason the Raiders are playing as the lower seed. However, that doesn’t concern Dall’Acqua.

“The only difference is we don’t get to wear black, we have to wear white,” Dall’Acqua said.

The playing surface in Auburndale may play a role. The field at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex is natural grass, a surface the Raiders are accustomed to playing to at home in Alachua. But Somerset – Canyons plays its home games on artificial turf.

“A synthetic surface is absolutely perfect,” Dall’Acqua said. “You can hit a ball on a pass flat on the surface and it will run straight. If you hit a ball on a natural surface […], that ball is not guaranteed to end up where you played it to.” 

Dall’Acqua says the Cougars might have some discomfort adjusting to the surface conditions in the state semifinal, but also that his Raiders might have to adjust to playing in a wider field compared to the field at home.

“I think that our wide players are really going to embrace it, they’re going to do a good job with that, particularly in the attacking third,” Dall’Acqua said. “I think it gets very uncomfortable for our defensive wide players there because there is that extra area that they’re responsible for.”

Above all else though, Dall’Acqua stressed to his players to not let the weight of the match influence their play.

“It’s 80 more minutes,” Dall’Acqua said. “We have to play stylistically the way that we have all season long, we have to play loose. We can’t let the moment be bigger or more important than the game itself. 

“We have to go through and we have to fight like hell for 80 minutes and good Lord willing, at the end of it, the best team will come on top and we’ll have an opportunity to play on Saturday.”

2026 Boys Soccer State Championship Tournament Class 3A Tournament

Category: High School Sports, Santa Fe High School