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GIRLS DISTRICT SOCCER: Hillsborough County Top Seeds

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By JARRETT GUTHRIE, Tribune correspondent

Published: January 13, 2008

With girls soccer district tournaments starting Monday, here's a look at the Hillsborough County teams that will be top seeds going into the tournaments and the competition in each bracket.

6A-8 at Durant

Top Seed: East Bay Indians (12-1, 6-0)

Regular season highlights: Won eight straight matches to close out the season including seven shutouts. Scored a big 3-1 win against Freedom in its second match of the season.
(For more information on East Bay see Monday's Tampa Tribune)

Players to watch: Brittany Cox has 14 goals on the season and has been a force up top for the Indians, though only a sophomore … The offense is also strengthened by senior captain forward/midfielder Kelly Leeper who is a four year starter with 10 goals and five assists on the season … Defensively captain and senior Rachel Sandora directs the flow and brings a lot of experience to the squad in front of sophomore goal keeper Andrea Owens who has 41 saves.

Oh, you haven't heard?: Sophomore Delaney Poli has scored eight goals this season including a hat trick in a 8-0 win against district opponent Plant City Nov. 29. Poli had two goals in the Indians final match of the regular season, an 8-0 home win over Jefferson.

Tournament breakdown: East Bay will play its first match in the district tournament Thursday at 6 p.m. against the winner between Sarasota and Lakeland. Sarasota gave East Bay the closest game of any team in the district during the regular season in a match the Indians won 2-1 on Dec. 11. Cox had a goal in each half for East Bay.

5A-8 at Wharton

Top Seed: Newsome Wolves (12-1, 6-1)

Regular season highlights: The Wolves have been dominant from top to bottom outscoring opponents 71-2 in the regular season, but that doesn't mean they hasn't been tested. In the team's third game against East Bay a goal coming from converted goalkeeper turned forward Hannah Rainey proved to be the difference in a tight 1-0 win. Newsome was 7-0 and perhaps a little overconfident when it went into its match against an incredibly prepared Bloomingdale team, as the Bulls handed the Wolves a 1-0 loss – their only one of the regular season. The Wolves bounced back two matches later, defeating district opponent Freedom 3-0 to earn the top seed in the tournament as the Patriots had earlier defeated Bloomingdale.

Players to watch: To call junior Ana Cate aggressive would be an understatement. The midfielder goes nonstop the entire time she is on the field, even dropping back on defense at times. Cate has six goals on the season. Senior forward Kellie Fowke leads the offense with 10 goals and six assists on the season. Defense is Newsome's strength with last season's Tribune Player of the Year, junior Kendall Graham, having recorded 11 shutouts. Graham has 50 saves and has allowed only two goals. But Graham spends a lot of time unchallenged back in the net and a lot of that has to do with Rudi Rodriguez's defense. The centerback is a force to be reckoned with her precise free kicks.

Oh, you haven't heard?: With Graham the clear starter in goal, sophomore backup keeper Hannah Rainey stepped up for the team at forward. Rainey has eight goals on the season, scoring twice in the Wolves' 11-0 win against Plant City in its final regular-season match.

Tournament breakdown: Newsome, under first year head coach Kelly Townsend, are looking to match or improve on last season when the Wolves fell to Satellite in the state semifinals. However, a tough opponent will be waiting should they advance into the finals. The Wolves will face eighth seed Tampa Bay Tech Monday at 6 p.m. In the regular season Newsome won decisively, 10-0.

5A-10 at Middleton

Top Seed: Plant (12-0-4, 8-0)

Regular season highlights: The Panthers ended the regular season with four ties but as the only undefeated team in Hillsborough County. Plant's strongest wins may have come in its last two matches. After two weeks off for the holiday break the Panthers looked a little flat in the first half against Wharton on Jan. 8, but in the second half took over and pulled out a 3-0 win. The Panthers then ended the season with a 2-1 win against a tough Sickles team.

Players to watch: Unlike teams' where the forwards shine the brightest, the star at Plant is its lone senior, sweeper Chelsea Hearne. Hearne is the Panthers last line of defense and very little gets across that line. At near 6'0, Hearne is so long she cuts off angles that opponents try to take against her. And then there are the throw-ins which are always on target and long – real long. In Plant's 3-0 win against Wharton on Jan. 8, Hearne threw in a ball from 30 yards out that was right to a waiting Molly Ganther, who headed in for the goal. Ganther and Lexi Rakestraw are the players to watch on offense for Plant.

Oh, you haven't heard?: Plant has done a good job throughout the season making substitutions often, and may have found a spark in freshman Brittany Rudolph. Although she only has four goals on the season, when Rudolph hits the field she brings a ton of speed.

Tournament breakdown: Plant walked through district play, going 8-0 outscoring opponents 45-0. The Panthers should be the clear favorite for the district title.

2A-9 at Tampa Prep

Top Seed: Tampa Prep (19-1-1, 4-0)

Regular season highlights: The Terrapins' highlight of the season was most likely winning the Sarasota Holiday Classic Tournament. Tampa Prep picked up wins against St. Petersburg Catholic, Bloomingdale, Melbourne and Ft. Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons in the two-day tournament. Tampa Prep lost its first match of the season Thursday to George Jenkins and it might have happened at the right time. Overconfidence isn't an issue for this team now, and it rebounded well with a 4-0 win against Berkeley Prep in Saturday's Headmaster's Challenge.

Players to watch: Tampa Prep's forwards senior Chelsea Klotz and junior Paige Goodwin are outstanding. Klotz, a USF commitment, has tremendous ball control and a powerful shot. Her 41 goals lead the team and Goodwin is no slouch with 21 of her own. Klotz's aggressiveness sometimes leads to rebounds, which Goodwin often cleans up. Add in Taylor Richardson, Connor Zwetsch and Megan Wall, who all have 10-plus assists on the season, the Terrapins boast a potent attack.

Oh, you haven't heard?: The offense of Tampa Prep has gotten a lot of attention this season but it has been a crop of underclassmen that has been an unsung force this season. After the Terrapins graduated its starting back four from last season, three freshmen and a sophomore have stepped in with strong performances. Defenders Caroline Cheek, Isabel Dalence and Lauren Knoke have been a surprise for Tampa Prep and sophomore goalkeeper Jordan Hatton, a returnee from last season, has 58 saves this season and allowed only three goals.

Tournament breakdown: Tampa Prep plays Calvary Christian in its first match of the district tournament Tuesday at 7 p.m. In the regular season the Terrapins defeated the Warriors 9-0. If Tampa Prep wins it will play in the final against the winner of the match between Bishop McLaughlin (which it beat 8-0) or Cambridge (which it beat 6-0 and 5-0 in two matches during the regular season).

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