Mustangs advance to final

The Lakewood Ranch High boys soccer team overcame a sluggish start on the coldest night of the year, posting a 4-1 victory versus Sarasota in a Class 5A-District 8 semifinal match Jan. 19. 

Connor Bezet and Ricky Yanez both scored a pair of goals for the Mustangs who earned an automatic berth in next week's regional tournament. Lakewood, which beat Sarasota 7-0 and 4-1 during the regular season, has won its last 16 matches. 

Senior Jacob Pilz scored Sarasota's lone goal in the final two minutes to prevent the shutout. 

Lakewood will vie for its fourth straight district title at 7 p.m. Jan. 22 versus Riverview. The Rams scored three goals in the second half to beat Manatee 3-1 in the other semifinal. Lakewood beat Riverview 2-1 and 3-0 during the regular season.