FHSAA soccer playoffs: Seabreeze girls, New Smyrna Beach boys bow out in regional finals
ORMOND BEACH — Eli Freidus let the Seabreeze Sandcrabs linger on the field.
A few sat on the grass alone. Some cried. Most offered hugs.
Finally, five minutes after their 1-0 loss to Horizon in the Region 2-5A finals Wednesday, Freidus called them together for one last talk under the lights at Ormond Beach Sports Complex.
“It hurts,” the coach told them. “It hurts me because I just wanted to have one more practice with you guys ... I’m proud of you ... You have a lot to be proud of.”
In its second straight appearance in the region title match, No. 3 Seabreeze (12-7-1) controlled the ball more and racked up more scoring opportunities than fourth-seeded Horizon. But the Hawks (15-3-1) capitalized on one of their rare chances.
With 19:08 left in the first half, McKenna McBride used her left foot to float a shot from the top right corner of the box over senior goalkeeper Chloe Frank and into the far side of the net. It marked the night’s only score.
“It was a tough game,” Freidus said. “(The Hawks) played to their game plan. They’re really good at playing defense. They had that. They just needed one opportunity, they got it, and we didn’t take advantage of our opportunities.”
The Sandcrabs got to host this match after they beat No. 2 Auburndale and Horizon upset top-seeded Cypress Creek in the semifinals last week.
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Senior Morgan Long attempted the first shot by either team seven minutes into the contest, but it sailed high.
The 14 minutes between Long’s kick and McBride’s goal featured a lot of play between the boxes. Neither team threatened aside from a pair of Hawks crosses that never reached their desired target and a lengthy shot by Seabreeze junior Kayla Frederick that flew over the net.
The score remained 1-0 into halftime.
Less than four minutes into the second period, sophomore Olivia Chase just missed a straight-on shot from beyond the penalty arc wide right.
The Sandcrabs possessed a few more opportunities — a Chase shot bobbled by goalie Ella Henderson, an offsides call on senior Hannah Howell in the box, a left foot by Annabel Thistle that went barely outside of the right post and two free kicks by Long and Frederick fielded by Henderson.
Seabreeze had two gasps in the last 90 seconds. Thistle fired a deep shot right of the net, and Henderson stopped a free kick by Long.
When the final whistle blew, Horizon jumped around and screamed near midfield.
For the Sandcrab seniors, Monday capped a stretch of four consecutive Florida High School Athletic Association playoff runs. The eventual state champions knocked them out in 2021 and 2022. They lost the regional finals on their own field, both by one goal, in 2023 and 2024.
“I feel they deserve to get one more,” Freidus said. “They deserve to be the team to break through and get to the final four. It’s going to be tough because we really thought it was our chance this year, and we didn’t get there ...
“I love them. They’re my daughters.”
Region 2-6A boys soccer finals: Viera 1, New Smyrna Beach 0
For the second winter in a row, New Smyrna Beach's boys soccer season ended with a loss at Viera in the Region 2-6A final.
Wednesday, the second-seeded Barracudas fell 1-0. Top-seeded Viera's Gio Carneiro tallied the lone goal, hitting a penalty kick past keeper Dylan Dongilli early in the second half.
New Smyrna Beach created a handful of chances in the final 20 minutes after a formation change, but closed the year with a 25-2-1 record. It was only the second time all season the 'Cudas failed to score, settling for a 0-0 draw with Lake Highland Prep back on Dec. 5.
"Just wasn't our night, I guess," New Smyrna Beach coach Brandon Cisneros said. "I was happy with the way we matched their intensity, but we just couldn't get into much of a rhythm. They had a decent game plan for us, but I will say it was a much different game than last year. We had plenty of chances, and I felt it could've gone either way."
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: High school soccer: Seabreeze girls, NSB boys lose in region finals
