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Wesley Chapel's Gunn Paving The Way On Recruiting

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By CHRIS ERRINGTON Tribune correspondent

Published: November 22, 2007

Wesley Chapel girls soccer coach Jami Finan freely admits that she is at a bit of a loss when it comes to the college recruiting process. Thanks to Janessa Gunn, that might be changing soon.

Gunn, a four-year starter for the Wildcats and the team's center midfielder, is the first player Finan can remember actively being recruited to play soccer collegiately. The coach confirmed that Saint Leo, which competes in the NCAA's Division II, and Oglethorpe (Ga.) University, which competes in Division III, have both expressed interest in the senior. Dunn visited Oglethorpe last week, Finan said.

"I know Oglethorpe is very interested in her, but I really haven't been a big part of this process," Finan said. "Janessa has done a lot of this single-handedly, so she's got it in her heart that she wants to play at the next level. The collegiate coaches have spoken to me about Janessa, but she really gets most of her looks through her club team."

Gunn has seven goals and six assists this season for the Wildcats (3-4-2, 2-2-1 Class 5A-District 7), who defeated Sunlake (8-0) and Ridgewood (2-1) before losing to Zehyrhills (3-1) on Tuesday.

And, while much of next season's destination is still undetermined for the Wesley Chapel star, she does have one small advantage in the recruiting process - even if she didn't know it before her visit. Wesley Chapel assistant girls soccer coach Terra Winthrop played at Oglethorpe.

NOT MISSING A BEAT: Forget the loss of four starters from a season ago. River Ridge is at it again.

The Royal Knights, who finished last season 18-1-1 and won the 5A-7 championship, have looked nearly as unstoppable this season. Led by its outstanding duo of senior Deana Rossi and sophomore sensation Mikaela Morolla, River Ridge is 7-0-1 - the only blemish being a 3-3 tie with visiting Mitchell. Rossi and Morolla have 11 goals apiece, tied for fifth-most in the state and the most in the district, as the Royal Knights have outscored opponents by a 37-6 margin.

If this early-season success is an indication, expect River Ridge, which currently holds a three-point lead over second-place Wesley Chapel and is 4-0 in the district, to win the district title again.

Skip Glover's squad has posted five shutouts, the latest Monday's 2-0 victory over Land O' Lakes.

MUSTANGS RIDE ON: Maybe it's no surprise that River Ridge's last game ended in a tie. Not many teams have been able to muster even that against Karl Kukec's Mitchell Mustangs.

Thanks to an overpowering offense led by the trio of: sophomore Marisa Russo, who is third 6A-7 and 11th in the state with nine goals and four assists; sophomore Shelby Wright (eight goals, five assists) and senior Morgan Schellenberger (six goals, two assists), Mitchell has scored 33 goals in streaking to an 6-2-1 record. Goalkeeper Laura Seletos has been just as dominant, allowing just eight goals, recording a 0.961 goals-against average and recording 60 saves. Four of the Mustangs' victories have come via shutout, including their first three.

"We do have a very good core group and a great stream of athletes that also play club soccer, so I'm not surprised at all by the way we've started," Kukec said. "With Marisa, Shelby and Morgan on top, it gives us great striking power. Since all three are scoring threats, it makes it very difficult for teams to defend us."

The Mustangs, who lost to Sickles (1-0) on Monday, battle Ridgewood on Monday before their key showdown with visiting Countryside on Tuesday. Still, while that match may be for the 6A-7 title, the game fans may most be interested in watching is a rematch with visiting River Ridge on Dec. 14 that very well could be for the Sunshine Athletic Conference title. A season ago, River Ridge won the conference title, thanks in large part to a 1-0 victory over the Mustangs.

QUICK KICKS: Her team may only be 1-5-2 this season, but don't blame Wiregrass Ranch goalkeeper Kelsey Brown for the Bulls' troubles. The sophomore leads the state with 84 saves (through Sunday), an average of 10.5 per game. In the past seven games, Wiregrass Ranch scored just seven goals - six coming in a shutout victory over first-year Sunlake. The Bulls have been shut out in five of the past six games, resulting in a 1-4-1 record. ... Apparently, Pasco County has some of the best goalkeepers in the state. Wesley Chapel senior Liset Morales is second in the state in saves behind Brown with 77, while Mitchell's Seletos is fourth with her 60 saves.

Chris Errington can be reached at

cperrington@hotmail.com.

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