As soon as the second overtime ended and the score was tied at 2-2 in the District 12-3A boys’ soccer championship against host St. John Paul Academy II, FAU High senior forward Franco Giangaspero ran to the bench to grab a uniform top from his bag.
Giangaspero, 18, of Coral Springs, said he knew he would go in to play goalkeeper in the penalty kick shootout because it is his main position.
“As soon as I saw the clock hit zero, I knew we were going to PKs,” Giangaspero said. “I got my jersey, and I went in goal. Our goalkeeper (Alejandro Dennis) made the sacrifice and let me go in goal. I was extremely confident.
“When they missed the first one, I was a little iffy,” said Giangaspero, who made two diving saves in the shootout. “I didn’t know if I was going to save any. When they missed the first one (off the post), I said, ‘I’m going to save the next two,’ and that’s what I did. This is massive. Two years, back-to-back champions, never been done before in school history…I am happy to be a part of this and it will be with me forever.”
Second-seeded FAU High stunned top-seeded St. John Paul II Academy, 3-2 (3-0 PKs) to win the district title and clinch a spot in the regional playoffs.
The Eagles carried a 2-1 lead late in the game on goals from freshman Sebastian Arboleda and sophomore Evan Herkenrath.
Herkenrath’s older brother, Graham, then scored for the Owls in injury time to tie the score to force overtime. After 20 minutes of scoreless play, the game was decided in a penalty kick shootout on penalty kicks goals by Benjamin Flores, Ryan Mayer and Graham Herkenrath.
Second-year FAU High coach Astrel Labbe, whose team began the season 0-4-1 and are unbeaten in its last 12 contests, guided the Owls (12-4-2) to a second consecutive district championship.
“Last year was our first district title,” Labbe said. “We were proud of it, and we thought, ‘why not go for a second one?’ The second one actually felt sweeter than the first one.
“It’s very nice for the boys,” he said. “They are very busy with school, and they are all basically in college. For them to put time aside and participate in an athletic event, we tell them to treasure these moments. Twenty, 30 years from now, you are always going to remember.”
