The regular season is officially closed for prep soccer, and two Keys teams are proving to be red-hot when it comes to scoring.
The Keys’ southernmost squad hasn’t lost a match since Dec. 20, and the 9-3-3 Conchs added a win and a tie last week as they await the district brackets. Their first opponent was American Heritage on Jan. 13. The Conchs tied the Patriots, a team they could face again if they make it past districts, 2-2. Emmanuel Innocent and Loubins Fleuridor scored one each in the win.
Key West then ended their regular season with a statement, defeating Marathon 8-0 in a decisive mercy-rule win. Sophomore Sonny Bowden had a hat trick, scoring two of his three goals off of penalty kicks. Innocent, Sebastian Camargo, Niko Sulak and Chase Hoffman scored one apiece while Camargo and Kieran Smith each had an assist. The eighth goal came from a cross deflected off a Marathon player. The Conchs’ small district and their solid record punched their playoff card for a direct trip to semifinals, where they will play Terra Environmental on Jan. 24.

Monroe County’s most prolific scorer last week was Coral Shores’ Preston Carroll, whose dual hat tricks led the Hurricanes in scoring for the week. Carroll scored his first three plus an assist in a 6-4 loss to Keys Gate on Jan. 13. Xol Placencia scored the Hurricanes’ fourth goal.
The Hurricanes lost again at St. Brendan School Jan. 15 but returned to the win column Jan. 17 when they hosted Marathon. Carroll added three more while Placencia also found the back of the net against the Fins. Tony Knioni and Armando Picado accounted for the other two goals in the 6-3 victory over their nearest neighbor. Coral Shores, 8-13 in the regular season, will participate in the 3A bracket of district 16 play this week. Up first for the Hurricanes was Somerset Silver Palms in the quarterfinals on Jan. 22. The sixth-seeded Hurricanes lost to the third-seeded Stallions twice in the regular season but showed improvement in their second pairing.
Marathon’s losses last week put them at 2-11-1 as they prepare for combat in the 2A division of FHSAA’s Region 4 District 16 competition this week. The Fins, seeded eighth, drew the No. 2 seed, Archbishop Carroll, for their quarterfinal match, to be played in Miami on Thursday, Jan. 23.