Santa Fe Boys Soccer Seeks Redemption Against South Walton
It’s the toughest week yet for Santa Fe High boys soccer. The three-seeded Raiders (12-4-3) will host the seventh-seeded South Walton Seahawks (6-9-4) in the Class 3A-Region 1 semifinals at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Looking at the matchup and the teams’ records on paper, one might wonder why this week is so tough. But South Walton is a team Santa Fe has become all too familiar with over the last two years.
The Raiders faced the Seahawks on Feb. 6, 2024 in the regional quarterfinals. Second seed Santa Fe was stunned at home and lost to seventh seed South Walton 2-1.
The result was unexpected considering the Raiders were 11-3-2, while the Seahawks were 6-12-2.
Santa Fe coach Morgan Dall’Acqua, however, was not surprised.
“Coach [Trey] Vaut followed along very, very nicely with what it is that South Walton does,” Dall’Acqua said. “That is, they schedule giants so they can be ready for postseason play.”
That South Walton squad went all the way to the state semifinal as a four seed, before losing to top-seeded and eventual state champion Gulliver Prep.
The Seahawks were 2-8-4 when they hosted the 8-3-3 Raiders this season at the South Walton Showdown in Northwest Florida. Santa Fe was coming off two straight losses, but looked like itself as it controlled the majority of the game and was up 2-0.
Toward the end of the game, however, South Walton did it again. The Seahawks scored three straight goals to upset Santa Fe.
“Going back and watching the film on it, we played really, really well,” Dall’Acqua said. “We felt really good about it, we kind of let off on the pressure and just kind of decided that we were going to walk our way through the last 20 minutes of the game. Coach Vaut up there had them boys locked in and focused. […] They found a way to win when it mattered most.”
To get to the regional semifinal, South Walton upset two seed Wolfson in Jacksonville with a 2-0 victory at the Wolfpack’s backyard. It’s an interesting note considering Santa Fe played Wolfson during last year’s regional semifinal. The four-seeded Raiders lost 2-0 to the top-seeded Wolfpack.
It all screams déjà vu for Santa Fe, but Dall’Acqua feels his team has the advantage.
“My boys are mad,” Dall’Acqua said. “I think we’re looking for some redemption.”
Dall’Acqua is hopeful that the Jan. 10 loss to South Walton will prove to be beneficial.
“Drawing Suwannee [in the regular season before winning 2-1 in the regional quarterfinal] was probably the best thing that could have happened to us,” Dall’Acqua said. “Had we beaten them at their place, and beaten them at our place, I think that leaves some space for a mental lapse.”
“I think our boys are going to be very, very focused. They have wanted to see South Walton again since we walked off that field at their place.”
In the practices leading up to the semifinal, Santa Fe was focused on keeping the players competitive. That includes six-a-side or five-a-side games, where the losing team gets what Dall’Acqua calls “life lessons.” Those lessons consist of pushups, wind sprints and more.
“Losing is going to hurt a heck of a lot more on Tuesday night,” Dall’Acqua said. “So we have to actually make losing in practice hurt.”
The winner in Alachua will play against the winner of the region’s other semifinal between top-seeded North Bay Haven Academy (15-3-1) and fifth seed Pensacola Catholic (13-5-1). Friday’s region champs advance to the state semifinal Feb. 19 at Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale.
After coming this far, Dall’Acqua is certain his team will break through to the regional final.
“I have Santa Fe 3-1 over South Walton,” Dall’Acqua predicted.
2026 Boys Soccer State Championship Tournament Class 3A Tournament
Category: High School Sports, Santa Fe High School
