PhotosMICHAEL PISTELLA Juan David Cano, Paolo Acosta, Andrew Gonzalez and Nathan Stone celebrate with teammates after winning Cape Coral’s first high school state championship Saturday in Tampa. More photos are available online at: cu.cape-coral-daily-breeze.com.

TAMPA – Facing a 2-0 deficit just five minutes into the second half, the chances of winning the Class 4A boys’ soccer championship looked bleak for the Cape Coral Seahawks.

Wrong!

Three unanswered goals in a 12-minute span turned the complexion of the game totally around and sparked the Seahawks to a 3-2 victory over the Fort Walton Beach Choctawhatchee Indians Saturday afternoon at the University of Tampa’s Pepin Stadium.

“Being down 2-0 is a dangerous place to be in soccer,” said Seahawks midfielder Paolo Acosta. “We thought we were the better team and had to just go for the win. Once we got the lead, all I was thinking was defend, defend. We were not going to let that ball get into our net.”

Acosta, one of two senior starters, had a chance to tie the game at 1-1 with 9:38 left in the first half. Choctawhatchee was called for a handball in the penalty box, handing the Seahawks a penalty kick. Acosta had the Indians’ goalkeeper diving the wrong way as he kicked the ball toward the right post. The shot struck the post and bounced away beyond the endline.

“We had to bounce back from that just like the ball bounced off the post,” said Acosta. “I missed that PK, but we are all here and happy at the end.”

Ricky Hoegg scored both goals for the Indians (17-9-2), who just like the Seahawks were making their first appearance in the state soccer championship game. Hoegg scored on a header over the outstretched hands of Seahawks goalkeeper Daniel Villamil in the seventh minute.

His second goal, five minutes into the second half, was a pretty sight. Hoegg lifted the ball in the air with his foot, bounced it off his head over a tight defender, spun around and took the ball 10 yards to the goal and beat a charging Villamil just inside the post.

“We probably would rethink how we played (Hoegg),” said Seahawks coach Aldo Nardiello. “He’s a gifted player and you can only contain a gifted player so long. You just hope he has a bad day or you contain him long enough. He almost singlehandedly carried that team to the victory.”

Never in the Seahawks’ previous 28 games this season had they allowed an opponent more than two goals. Saturday’s game ended the same way.

At that point, the Indians had taken just two true shots on goal and converted both. The Seahawks finished with a 10-3 advantage in shots on goal, a tribute to their determination (converting 3-of-7 shots on goal in the second half), staunch defense and will to win.

It was Acosta who set the comeback in motion, gathering up a ball in midfield and sending it ahead to junior Nathan Stone on the right wing with an open run to the goal. Stone approached inside the box and blasted a shot into the net. The goal came barely two minutes after the Indians took that 2-0 lead.

Just like Thursday’s semifinal game against Celebration, after the Seahawks scored their first goal a look of confidence returned to their faces and any lingering nervousness vanished. This team had come from behind before and knew what had to be done.

“The soccer gods give and the soccer gods take away,” said Nardiello. “It seemed they wanted to test us whether we were worthy (of a championship), but the boys responded and we made history for our school and the city of Cape Coral.”

Five minutes after Stone’s goal, the Seahawks were on the attack again. This time junior Caio Amaral caught up to a pass over the defense and blasted a shot at the goal. It caromed off the keeper, but Amaral gathered up the rebound and buried it inside the right post to tie the game 2-2.

As he had done many times all season, Amaral came through again seven minutes later. He dribbled the ball a long distance up the left sideline, darted toward the middle and zipped a shot inside the right post for the game-winner. Indians keeper Trapper Chechak had no chance at stopping it.

“We’ve been through it many times this season,” Amaral said of the comeback. “We’ve been there before and treated it like it was just another game. We continued to work hard to the end and (Choctawhatchee) didn’t give up, playing hard to the end.”

The championship is the first in any team sport in the 32-year history of Cape High. It’s also the first state title for any team representing Cape Coral.

Immediately after the final horn, the Seahawks, who finish 25-1-3, saluted the student body and fans that made the trip to see the game, then accepted their gold medals and state championship trophy.

“We made history for our school and our city,” said Nardiello. “This was our year as a school with the IB program, being an A+ school, the other athletic teams flourishing and a kick-butt soccer team.”

“I’m thrilled,” said Seahawks athletic director Ashley Woolbright-Thompson. “These kids worked so hard all year. That was a great comeback. They deserve this.”

Principal Eric McFee echoed those feelings as well. “It’s spectacular. What this does for the other kids in our school is tremendous and a bunch of them made the trip up here. Total excitement. It’s great for the city and the school.”

The fans formed a human tunnel under the bleachers for the team exiting the field – hugging, slapping hands and chanting in celebration.

“I want to dedicate this championship to all the youth coaches,” said Nardiello. “High school and college coaches get a lot of the credit for things like this, but the youth coaches are the giants on the dusty fields, wiping runny noses and developing these kids. We inherit these kids at the high school and college level, but the youth coaches do the hard work.”

The Seahawks lose just five seniors off the championship squad, two of them starters, so the chances of making a return trip to the final four again is at least within the realm of possibilities.

“They’re probably going to get the ‘next season’ speach on the bus ride home,” said Nardiello. “And they will find out it won’t be this easy.”