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Commitment Spurs Hudson

ZULLO, SCHUERING FORM DYNAMIC DUO

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By CHRIS ERRINGTON/Tribune correspondent

Published: December 4, 2007

The reclamation project isn't completed just yet, but Christine Rizzieri and Hudson sure are getting close.

After winning just seven games two seasons ago, Rizzieri, who coached seven seasons at Florida Southern College, brought the Cobras to the brink of a district title in her first campaign when they won seven league games. This season, a Class 4A-District 8 championship may be an afterthought.

Much bigger goals are now clearly within reach.

"I just think we've had a bunch of players that have committed to the sport of soccer," Rizzieri said. "They play in the offseason, so these kids now live and breathe soccer. [The resurgence] naturally took place. We got some kids that were good athletes and soccer was their chosen sport.

"They had the opportunity to play club ball and now the passion has carried over into the high school season."

Has it ever. Then again, it doesn't hurt to have a dominating duo like Rizzieri has to lead the way.

Fellow center midfielders Lindsay Zullo and Alicia Schuering form one of the most dominating tandems in the county and their statistics prove it. Both lead the team with 12 goals as the Cobras (9-1-1, 8-0-1 4A-8) have outscored their opponents by a whopping 46-8 count.

"Both of them have developed offensively and defensively and can both distribute well, have good vision of the field and are good team players who know how to build in the middle," Rizzieri said. "I give them leeway, so they can play off one another. One can go forward at some point and then the other. They are the generals of the field.

"Once we get in the offensive third, we can send them through the middle and sometimes they get unmarked by the defense. If that happens, it usually gives us scoring opportunities."

Still, for as well as both Zullo and Schuering have played, the coach knows the duo hasn't been solely responsible for the Cobras' success. Much of that falls on Hudson's supporting cast.

Brittany Maniatis (6 goals, 6 assists), Erica Wills (5 goals, 1 assist), Melissa Wysong and Michelle Lang (3 goals, 5 assists) have been instrumental offensively, while goalkeeper Jessie Imbimbo already has eight shutouts.

"You've got to give the kids a lot of credit for playing the game the way it needs to be played," the coach said. "It comes from playing during the offseason. Just being around soccer has made them better players."

And turned the Cobras from a mediocre team two seasons ago into a dominant force that will be difficult for opponents to stop.

Hudson's only loss came in the opening game against fellow powerhouse Mitchell, and since then, the only blemish coming into Monday night's game at Land O' Lakes, was a scoreless tie against defending district champion and current second place Springstead.

Still, for all Hudson has accomplished this season, Rizzieri knows the most difficult challenges await. Monday night's match marked the first of six consecutive road matches for the Cobras — all against teams that want nothing more than to knock off the district's leader.

"The second time through [the schedule] with these teams is going to be tougher, that's for sure," Rizzieri said. "We've got a target on our back. They know that Zullo and Schuering are the leading scorers, so they're going to mark them tighter. That's when we'll have other kids step up for us.

"A good student in the classroom is a good student on the field. They do the work and put in the time. They need an A on the soccer field, like they need an A in the classroom. They play the game hard for 80 minutes and the end result has been going our way."

Correspondent Chris Errington can be reached at cerrington@pop.tampatrib.com.

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