District soccer: Dwyer advances to face West Boca in championship but at what cost?

PALM BEACH GARDENS — The semifinal doubleheader at Dwyer High School produced a pair of district finalists on Friday.

West Boca defeated Seminole Ridge 1-0, and Dwyer scored two past South Fork with four players sent off.

Dwyer, which currently holds the No. 8 region seed, will also be hosting the 6A District 8 final where it will face No. 7 seed West Boca.

West Boca had a first-round bye, giving the team time to prepare as they headed into their game against Seminole Ridge. Now the Bulls' head coach, Hassan Jaddaoui, says he’s ready for the challenge.

“Dwyer is a fantastic team, we faced them in the league and we know what they are capable of. I’m looking forward to play them in the finals, we have the opportunity to showcase what we can do.”

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Here's a look at some of the takeaways from Friday's doubleheader.

A great defense makes an even better offense

West Boca produced the only goal of the game from junior forward David Mendes with a through pass given from senior midfielder Raul Calvi.

Despite the one goal, senior star keeper Adrian Najarro was proud of his defense’s performance and their impact on the game.

“I was confident in my backline. They were able to call for the ball, come out of the box, and get the balls in the air. It’s the best thing to have as a keeper. I did my job and now I got to do my job in the final.”

Najarro had eight saves, now totaling 130 saves this season and conceding 21 goals in 14 games.

“He is a world-class competitor, a leader on the field,” Jaddaoui said. “He guides his team from the back all the way to the front, they all play well with each other.”

Dwyer also got the clean sheet, while putting two past South Fork's keeper.

The Panthers had their top goal scorer, Thiago Solis, dominating the front line with winger Elio Rios-Doss controlling the left flank.

Rios-Doss opened the scoring from a rebound shot off the keeper at the halfway point in the first half. Solis doubled the lead in the second half after a cross was whipped into the penalty area from the left wing and Solis was wide open at the back post.

Dwyer sees district final once again, but at what cost?

This will be familiar territory for the Panthers. Not only because it will be played on their home turf but also because this will be their third district final in a row.

Led by their head coach Ahmad Abukhalil, Dwyer wants to find further success in their playoff run and hopes to reach what they achieved last season, a ticket to the regional final.

“I’m excited that the boys made it to their third district final in a row,” said Abukhalil. “I’m looking forward to a challenging game against West Boca.”

However, the challenge he may look forward to could be costly.

Solis and Rios-Doss were both suspended in Friday’s matchup, along with the Bulldogs' captain Alexander Goldman and midfielder Anson Jones for disciplinary issues.

This could be problematic for the Panthers as they will lose two key senior players for the final. The Panthers' captain, senior Layshav Nair, says their team is still confident and plans on going even further.

“I think we played a decent game… maybe not with the behavior but at the end of the day, a win is a win and we are going to try to go as far as we can.”

The final will be played at Dwyer on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: District soccer: Dwyer, West Boca win to chance at automatic state playoff bid