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Gators Boys Get 'Huge' Win Against Pirates

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By BART O'CONNELL, Tribune correspondent

Published: November 22, 2007

DADE CITY - It may have been an early non-district match, but there was no mistaking how important Land O' Lakes' 3-0 victory against Pasco on Tuesday night was to the Gators and Coach Mark Pearson.

After losing 2-1 to the Pirates last season, the Gators' seniors were facing the prospect of having never beaten Pasco in their prep careers.

"We were thinking about it, there's no doubt about that," Pearson said.

But with three first-half goals, from Matt Tanner, Charles Lynch and Elliot Leniton, the Gators (4-0) got their revenge and a leg up in the Sunshine Athletic Conference standings.

"It was huge," said Tanner, a senior. "Not only because we have some sort of hold on conference champs, because they're one of the better teams in our conference, probably No. 2. Just beating them means so much, because if I had gone out my senior year not beating them, I would have been left thinking, 'What if?'"

Land O' Lakes has yet to allow a goal this season - with much of the credit going to keeper Alex Spock. Its last two victories - against River Ridge on Monday and Pasco on Tuesday - might be its most impressive of the SAC schedule.

"Us and Pasco are probably the top two, with River Ridge probably close behind us," Tanner said. "So, those are the top three teams to beat."

Tanner's free kick with 27:15 remaining in the first half gave Land O' Lakes the lead after the Gators thwarted a great scoring chance for Pasco (3-1) seven minutes earlier.

Alex Hollander won a 50/50 ball against Spock and was facing an open net, but he fell in the box when he got tangled up with a Land O' Lakes defender. Coach Barry Grayling wanted a red card and a penalty kick, but the referees didn't stop play.

The Pirates never recovered, and the Gators added to the lead on Lynch's goal, assisted by Dominic Cutrofello, in the 18th minute, and again in injury time with Leniton's through ball that found the lower left corner of the net. The Pirates' best scoring chance in the second half, a penalty kick by Joe Montelongo, rolled wide right.

After the game, Pearson said Pasco's offense is still dangerous, but it is not as potent as last year because of the loss of Roberto Cervantes. Grayling was happy with how his team responded after halftime.

"I think we played a lot better in the second half, gave them a run for the money. They were cramping up here, and we were still going," Grayling said. "The point was, our biggest problem was we made two silly mistakes, the second and third goals, and we didn't mark up, and we got punished."

It was Pasco's first in-county loss in more than a year, and the defending SAC champs will need help if they want to repeat. But Grayling is not concerned about it.

"The thing about it all is, like I tell you every year. Conference - if it comes, it comes. If it don't, it's all about that district. That's how you get to state, and that's what our main emphasis is on," he said. "We can't get to the state unless we win our district and go on. And for the last four years, we've been further than anybody in this county.

"We've got enough talent out there, and put some of the younger boys, find the blend that we need out there. We're quite capable of doing something in the playoffs again."

Bart O'Connell can be reached at

boconnell@pop.tampatrib.com.

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