ST. PETERSBURG — In a doublehader with the girls at Shorecrest, the Charger boys team didn’t fare as well, losing its Class A, District 8 final 3-1 to top seed Bradenton St. Stephen’s.
Shorecrest will play at Tampa Prep on Wednesday in a region quarterfinal.
Shorecrest paid for a two-minute lapse in the first half. After a couple of scoring chances early, the Chargers fell victim to St. Stephen’s speed in the 19th minute. Jorge Zavala tracked down a pass and knocked a shot underneath goalkeeper Wil Tirone.
Two minutes later, the Falcons’ Toby Howell broke free and outran the defense. He had a clear shot and hammered it home from 10 yards out to make it 2-0.
“Everything happened in those two minutes and we couldn’t come back,” Shorecrest coach Milen Gaganelov said. “The first time we played them this season, they got four goals in nine minutes. … I think we just lose concentration for a short period of time.”
With seven minutes left, the Falcons made it 3-0 on another breakaway .
The Chargers’ Robert Zolpher scored with two minutes left. Then with 1:25 left, St. Stephen’s was called for a hand ball in the penalty box. But Alex Horden’s penalty kick banged off the post.