By Official Florida FC

Mandarin High School’s quest to become the first boys soccer team to win a Florida High School Athletic Association title stumbled at the final hurdle.

Mitchell High School beat Mandarin 1-0 in Saturday’s Class 6A championship game in Auburndale.

Mandarin was judged to have handled the ball inside the penalty area in the opening minute of the match. Mitchell’s Asher Bode went low and right with his penalty kick. Mandarin goalkeeper Luxiah Beard got his fingertips on Bode’s shot, but the effort nestled into the corner.

“It settled us down in a great way,” Mitchell soccer coach Oscar Ubillus said afterward. “We were prepared for everything. We talked about if they score, if we score. It’s happened to us in different ways. No matter what happens, it’s the preparation, the work we put in the past few weeks, especially our staff. These guys are tireless.

“We’ve done everything. That’s what it takes to win this. And, they did it. The mindset these boys had of not turning on each other – like we did in the past. Again, this is the result.”

Mandarin had opportunities throughout the game, particularly in the first half. The south Jacksonville school had a goal-bound effort ruled offside. Mandarin drew free kicks inside, or on the edge of the final third, and continued to pump crosses and free kicks into dangerous areas.

Mitchell’s combination of senior central defender Denton Buchanan and goalkeeper and senior goalkeeper Alejandro Acosta was enough to clear the trouble.

The result? Mandarin was shut out for the first time all season.

Mandarin soccer coach Jason Cooley was disappointed in the result, but not the performance.

“I’m proud of my team because they never laid down. …We had plenty of chances to put it in the back of the net and that just didn’t happen. And, you know the pressure of finals, the pressure of being down 1-0. All of those are factors. And you have to overcome it and we obviously didn’t. “

Both of Mitchell’s state championships have come at the expense of Duval County public schools. The New Port Richey school beat Stanton College Prep in 2010.

Ubillus was on the touchline for both. He won his 300^th varsity soccer game this season and a state championship. But, it’s all about the collective.

“Everything was one and (the goal) was to be first the entire time,” Ubillus said. “That’s what we did. These guys were capable. We knew that. (We had) a couple hiccups along the way, but those are necessary hiccups. These guys, these seniors, they have done it and they deserve it.”

Ubillus praised the seniors and the Mitchell coaching staff for rallying the program after it lost to Land O’ Lakes Sunlake 2-1 in the Pasco County Championship final on Jan. 17. Mitchell (22-2-2) didn’t lose again the rest of the way, producing 24 goals in seven district, regional and state tournament games.

Meanwhile, for Mandarin, the best season in school history ends with Gateway, district and regional championships as well a 19-1-2 record.