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Bulldogs Getting Defensive

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By CHRIS ERRINGTON, Tribune correspondent

Published: January 8, 2008

Most Pasco County girls soccer fans likely have heard of Zephyrhills' Brandi Mira, the junior whose 25 goals are tied with River Ridge's Deana Rossi atop the county leader board. Many others might know the Bulldogs are firmly in the middle of the Class 4A-District 8 standings.

What many outside the Zephyrhills program might not know is that the Bulldogs could be one of the county's best teams. One look at the statistics proves it.

Zephyrhills (10-8-1, 5-6-0) has outscored its opponents by nearly double (77-40), thanks to Mira and Desiree Nieves and Laurren McLeod (19 goals each), but isn't sniffing the league lead because of close losses. Of the Bulldogs' eight defeats, five were by one goal. Conversely, eight of their 10 victories were by at least three goals.

"Absolutely, we easily could have a much better record," Coach Danielle Castro said. "I think we're playing well offensively, but we've had some problems defensively so we made some changes. We didn't have the right combination early on, but I think we do now."

For Castro and the Bulldogs, who conclude the regular season with games at Ridgewood tonight and Mitchell on Thursday, the silver lining to an otherwise frustrating season is knowing all records are erased once the district tournament begins.

"In districts, you can be the last seed and win the whole tournament as long as you come to play," Castro said. "Now that we have our defense moved around to the right combination, we could make a run."

The 4A-8 tournament begins Monday at Nature Coast Tech in Brooksville.

STOPPING THE COMPETITION: Even though the season might not have gone according to plan, there's no doubt Wiregrass Ranch has a star in the making.

Sophomore Kelsey Brown has recorded an incredible 466 saves, more than twice as many as any other goalkeeper in the state, and is a key reason the Bulls (4-14-2) have been competitive this season. Brown, who credited an offseason training program while playing with her club team for her monumental improvement, has been nothing short of stellar despite a lack of offensive support. Wiregrass Ranch has been shut out 12 times and outscored 60-27.

The Bulls concluded their regular season Monday against River Ridge before competing in the district tournament.

HIDDEN ADVANTAGE? Veteran Land O' Lakes coach Vicky King has seen the schedule before and each time it sticks out in plain sight - the extended break teams receive during the Christmas-New Year's holidays.

So a few years ago, King decided to do something about it.

Calling it "a turning point in the season," the Gators not only again played in a holiday tournament (this time the Bobcat Invitational in Gainesville), they dominated the competition. Land O' Lakes topped Milton (4-0), Alachua Santa Fe (2-1), Columbia (2-1) and North Broward Prep (1-0).

With other area teams practicing during the nearly three-week layoff, King knows the extra games could pay huge dividends.

"This is a chance for the kids to get some good experience and good exposure to other teams," she said. "It gives us a chance to travel together and stay on the field. If we didn't play, the break would be too long."

King said her players partake in fundraising events throughout the school year to raise money to travel to a holiday tournament, but thanks to carpooling and sharing hotel rooms on the road, each player's approximate cost for the three days is only $60.

Land O' Lakes (10-7-2), winner of its past seven games entering Monday's match against Gulf, finishes the regular season with a home game Thursday against Lecanto.

The Class 5A-District 7 tournament begins Monday at River Ridge, which defeated Land O' Lakes for the 2007 title.

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