TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

1 Miscue Ends Stellar Gators Season

ADVERTISEMENT

A Tribune staff report

Published: February 2, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - As the horn sounded, they formed a pile at midfield, then went to the Gator Stadium home stands to lead cheers and more celebration before walking out as victors in the Class 5A-Region 2 quarterfinals.

But in a stunning turn of events, after 80 minutes of soccer, "they" didn't turn out to be Land O' Lakes players. It was Freedom doing the celebrating following the 1-0 victory Thursday.

The Gators group that set school records, dominated the Sunshine Athletic Conference, won a fourth consecutive district title and earned a No. 5 national ranking was somber. Coach Mark Pearson tried to console them in the eerily quiet southwest corner of Gator Stadium, but they slowly left the field in silence.

The deciding goal came on a defensive miscue, the only one of its kind all year, Pearson said. After a long punt by goalkeeper Kyle Peel, an LOL defender headed the ball back so Gators goalkeeper Alex Spock could field it easily. But Spock was moving in another direction and wasn't expecting the ball.

Before he could scoop it up, Hillsborough County leading scorer Bobby Huertas knifed between the defenders, stole the ball and poked it into the open net with 32:15 remaining.

"He capitalized on the one mistake we made," Pearson said of Huertas.

With each passing minute after that, the scoring chances dried up and the ball kept getting kicked away from the Freedom goal. There was seemingly nothing the Gators could do to change their fate.

A looping shot by Elliott Leniton with 20:33 to go skimmed just over the crossbar. A header by Sebastian Garcia with 6:28 left fell right into the arms of Peel. Other headers by Leniton and Justin Lyles sailed high and wide of the net in the last two minutes.

But Pearson didn't feel like Land O' Lakes came out flat, overlooked the Patriots or were thinking about the later rounds of the tournament. That much was evident during the first half, as Felix Soto had what looked like a sure goal bounce off the crossbar, and other hard shots by Leniton and Dominic Cutrofello were stopped by Peel.

"We had a game plan on the board, we had today on the board. We certainly don't think it was a matter of overconfidence," Pearson said. "I think we did everything we needed to do except put the ball in the back of the net."

After all the work Land O' Lakes did this year, posting a 25-2-1 record, it was their third consecutive loss in the regional quarterfinals. While three seniors - Leniton, Matt Tanner and Alex Zimmerman - will not return next year, the Gators are expected to be strong again next season.

Bart O'Connell

Pasco Expected Hudson, Gets Bishop Moore

HARMONY - The 2007-08 soccer season is one the Pasco Pirates will remember for some time.

After going 20-4-2, the Pirates lost to Hudson 5-2 in the Class 4A-District 8 final. The Pirates were undefeated in district play until that game.

When it looked like they had a chance to face Hudson in the regional semifinals, the Pirates looked forward to the opportunity.

Seniors Ryan Lowery, Jose Montelongo and James Sumner all agreed Hudson was the team they would want to face, to make up for their last loss of the season.

But that game will have to wait until next season. Hudson was knocked out of the tournament by Orlando Bishop Moore 7-1 on Thursday night.

The Pirates will host the Hornets on Tuesday, and they hope to continue on the road to Fort Lauderdale to play in the state finals.

"We will try to practice how Bishop Moore plays and hope for the best," senior midfielder James Sumner said after the Pirates' 3-1 victory against Harmony on Thursday. "The team has come together and played really hard, a lot better than we expected."

Jessica Etter

River Ridge Expecting Bigger Things Next Year

TAMPA - His team had just been beaten 5-0 by Wharton in the Class 5A-Region 2 quarterfinals, yet River Ridge coach Michael McHugh couldn't keep from smiling.

Considering the talent the Royal Knights return and the prospect of continued success, who could blame him?

"Next year should be a banner year for us," McHugh said. "It should be, but you can never be certain."

McHugh referred to the prospects of returning 14 players for their senior seasons. What's more, those 14 all have ample playing experience - a byproduct of a season marked by injuries and on-the-fly changes. Still, despite being forced to play standout senior goalkeeper Eric Karcinski in the field 11 times this season, the Knights reached the regional quarterfinals for the first time in eight seasons. The fact their season was abruptly ended by a bigger, faster and more talented Wharton squad could do nothing to alter McHugh's mind-set.

"We only lose three players for next year, and they're all replaceable," the first-year coach said. "The toughest will be Eric, but since he had to play out of goal so often, we were able to get Sean Jones plenty of playing time. Even there, we're going to be in good shape. We have a great chance to be a whole lot better next year."

In a microcosm of their season, in which the Knights finished just 3-7-1 despite only being outscored 20-15, it was the little plays that hurt them the most. After Wharton took a 1-0 lead on a goal that deflected off the crossbar, Vinny Panetta was denied a tying goal when his shot hit the crossbar and was cleared.

Then, just four minutes after Wharton extended its lead to 2-0, Alex Ratkovic's free kick from the left hit the near post and bounced away.

"When they hit the post, some teams see it as a great opportunity," McHugh said. "We see it as 'Here we go again.' I think we were a little nervous, and that kept us from playing our game the first 20 minutes.

"Still, I'm pleased with the way we kept fighting back and wouldn't give up. If we play with that determination next year, we're going to win these types of games."

Chris Errington

Bishop McLaughlin Undaunted, Falls In PKs

SHADY HILLS - As his team huddled before its Class 2A-Region 3 quarterfinal match Thursday, Bishop McLaughlin coach John Mayer told his players not to be intimidated by Calvary Christian. After all, his team had already lost three times during the regular season to the Warriors by scores of 5-0, 5-2 and 1-0.

"Concentrate and give each other positive talk," Mayer encouraged his team.

As he spoke, Mayer eyed his three seniors, Matt Gronau, James Christiansen and James McCarragher. Mayer was counting on their leadership for a fast start.

In the first half, it was evident the entire squad was focused and was not going to be intimidated. The Hurricanes controlled the ball with crisp passes and had field position for much of the half. Unfortunately, neither team was able to score, though the Hurricanes outshot the Warriors 13-4.

In the second half, both teams played at a higher level, but as the game wore on, neither team was able to score. It appeared the first team to score would be victorious.

In the 69th minute, the Hurricanes' McCarragher intercepted a pass near the Calvary goal. Although double-teamed, he was able to make a 20-foot pass to teammate Gronau. Faking a shot to the right, Gronau hit the ball into the left corner of the goal for the game's first score.

However, six minutes later, the Warriors tied the score. Senior Trey Howard scored on a 5-footer, which slid past Hurricane goalkeeper Diego Pestana. As regulation expired, the two teams were locked in a 1-1 tie.

In the two 10-minute overtimes, both teams again threatened several times but could not score.

Enter penalty kicks.

The Warriors won for a fourth time and advance to the regional semifinals, downing Bishop McLaughlin in the penalty kicks 4-3.

Gronau, McCarragher and freshman Matt Gulau scored penalty shot goals for the Hurricanes.

Cliff Gill

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT