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Mitchell Ousted By Melbourne

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By LYN DOWLING, Tribune correspondent

Published: February 2, 2008

MELBOURNE - For most of Friday night's Class 6A-Region 2 girls soccer final, Melbourne and Mitchell kicked, ran, pushed and pulled in a colossal effort to score.

Finally, about 13 minutes after Natalie McLachlan rolled a ball past Mustangs keeper Laura Seletos for the only goal of a 1-0 win, the Bulldogs celebrated a trip to next week's state finals with sprays of sparkling grape juice provided by jubilant parents.

The Mustangs looked on in shock, or, in some cases, grief.

"It was a very physical game, a typical regional final," Melbourne coach Rosie Lord said.

Indeed it was, with large groups of highly energized supporters present to cheer on both teams. At one point, an altercation in the midst of a group of Mitchell students caused police to remove one of the visitors.

"It was a tough game. It was an even game, decided by one point," Mitchell coach Karl Kucek said. "I have a lot of respect for the Melbourne team, but I think the referees decided the game."

Kucek was not the only person to express that sentiment, as Mitchell's players and fans criticized the Daytona Beach-based officials for what they thought were an unfair number of fouls: 21 for Mitchell, compared to eight for Melbourne.

Both sides agreed that defenders from both sides stood out, turning back every attempt except McLachlan's.

Her goal came when Sarah Haber caught Seletos out position and knocked a perfect ball to McLachlan, who charged toward the goal and then rolled the ball into the empty net.

The Bulldogs (23-2-1) held off several challenges from the Mustangs (21-4-1) in the last 13 minutes, and when the match ended, the crushed Mitchell players were steered away from anyone who tried to engage them in conversation.

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