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Game Newsome Falls To Jenkins

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By BILL WARD, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 2, 2008

LAKELAND - Newsome senior Rudi Rodriguez twice gave her squad one-goal leads off brilliant free kicks, but Lakeland Jenkins answered each one and found a game-winner with less than four minutes to play as the nationally ranked Eagles posted a 3-2 victory against the Wolves in Friday's Class 5A-Region 2 final.

The win keeps Jenkins, ranked No. 9 in a national coaches poll, undefeated at 27-0-2. More importantly, it sends the Eagles into the state final four in Fort Lauderdale, where they will meet East Lake on Friday. Newsome, which reached the state semifinals last season, ends the year 16-3-0.

"We really thought we could pull this one out because we've done it before," said Wolves senior striker Kellie Fowke. "We came out here confident, with our heads held high, but we just came up a little short."

Rodriguez's first strike came with 6 minutes remaining in the first half, when she sailed a 25-yard free kick at a difficult angle over the head of Jenkins goalkeeper Karlin Aloisio. That stood as the only goal of the first half and with Wolves senior Kendall Graham playing strong in goal and her defense hustling in front of her, Newsome was more than holding its own against the Eagles.

Even when Jenkins junior midfielder Kayla Bala tied the game at 1 by knocking in a loose ball in front of the goal, the Wolves didn't seem rattled. This was, after all, a team that had only surrendered three goals all season prior to Friday's game. And pressing forward with some well-timed counter-attacks, Newsome put the pressure on Jenkins when it earned another long free kick - this one directly in front of goal from 30 yards out. Rodriguez delivered a precision strike to make it 2-1.

But Jenkins' seemingly relentless second-half attack eventually proved too much for the Wolves. Senior midfielder Kayla Grimsley, twice named Polk County's Player of the Year, took a cross from Bala and blasted it in from close range to tie it at 2 with less than 19 minutes to play. Grimsley produced the game-winner in the 77th minute by knocking in a perfect cross from Ashley Yamnitz.

"They definitely dominated us in the second half," said Newsome first-year coach Kelly Townsend. "I thought we matched up pretty well with them. We matched them goal for goal until the last one."

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