5A Boys Soccer: Quick goal propels PHU to region final

Last Friday, Palm Harbor University failed to light the scoreboard through regulation and two overtime periods before losing to Countryside High in penalty kicks.

The Hurricanes played Bloomingdale to a scoreless tie for nearly 50 minutes during Tuesday's Class 5A region quarterfinal before taking the lead and eventually winning 2-0.

Tonight, PHU cut out much of the suspense against visiting Wharton High.

Immediately after a brief injury break and in just the match's second minute, Dylan Haslam made a run down the left side and struck a perfectly placed cross into the Wildcats box that was converted by fellow senior, Charlie Hales.

"I saw Dylan going down the line and I knew he was going to beat the guy so I had to get in the box," Hales said of the play. "He played a perfect ball and I just had to put it in the back of the net, really. I couldn't miss from there."

The quick strike ended up being all PHU would need against the District 5A-7 runner-up from Hillsborough County. The Hurricanes eventually won 2-0, picking up another goal in the 63rd minute when freshman Codey Iturri put away Jose Vega's rebound.

"We had a good scouting report on them and our goal was to jump on them early," fifth-year PHU coach Alex Delgado said. "Tonight the soccer gods were looking out for us. They're a great team with excellent players. We wanted to come out here and battle in what's most likely our last home game."

The victory moves the Hurricanes onto the region finals for the third time in four seasons. Their only absence in that time frame came last year, when PHU didn't make it out of districts for the first time since 2000-01. Waiting for PHU to make a long road trip next Tuesday night will be Port St. Lucie West Centennial.

While jumping out front that early has its obvious advantages, Delgado said it was equally important not to get complacent with that lead. "The credit goes all to these guys. They've been working hard all year long and it's just excellent they way they held on all game long."

There were plenty of instances for the Hurricanes to lose some of that composure and focus during Friday night's match, which saw the issuance of five total yellow cards and the ejection of Wharton's Alex Noble. Both teams came out to play a physical, aggressive game and that style held from start to finish. The big difference was PHU's ability to set up and finish its opportunities.

The Hurricanes put eight shots on goal compared to Wharton's two. Though he surrendered two goals, Wildcats goalkeeper Keenan Kushner played a large role in keeping Friday night's score manageable for the visiting team. The junior finished with six saves, including two spectacular stops in the second half.

Given the Hurricanes' position in this year's Class 5A bracket and the fact that they didn't win their district, Friday night was likely the last match played in Palm Harbor this season. If so, Hales said it was a perfect sendoff for all this year's seniors.

"This is one of the biggest games I've ever played in and my last home game I'll ever play in. So scoring a goal in it ... I'm never going to forget this game."

BOX SCORE:

Wharton - 0 - 0 --- 0
Palm Harbor - 1 - 1 --- 2

SCORING:

Palm Harbor University

Charlie Hales (Sr.) - 1 Goal (2')
Codey Iturri (Fr.) - 1 Goal (63')
Dylan Haslam (Sr.) - 1 Assist
Jose Vega (Jr.) - 1 Assist