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Tourney Loss Hurts Gators

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By NICHOLAS J.E. MURRAY

nmurray@tampatrib.com

Published: January 3, 2009

TAMPA - One way to look at Land O' Lakes' run at the High School Soccer Invitational was positive. The Gators didn't lose in regulation, scored 17 goals in five games, and had two players named to the all-tournament team.

That wasn't the feeling the Gators had, though, after their attempt to repeat as Premier Division champion ended in a shootout loss against Berkeley Prep. Coach Mark Pearson said he hoped the team remembered how the loss in the shootout felt.

"We know we can play well," he said. "To lose a game like that, it hurts, especially when you have that much possession. So hopefully they're feeling pretty bad about themselves ... then we'll remember this when we go into the playoffs."

What frustrated Pearson, and his team, about their game against Berkeley was that the possession advantage for the Gators didn't result in enough shots on goal. Domenic Cutrofello's shot led to Land O' Lakes' lone goal in the 1-1 tie, as Justin Lyles scored on the rebound. But a reticence to pull the trigger in other circumstances was what the Gators believed led to their downfall.

"We had possession for most of the game, but we didn't make much out of it, and we didn't get enough shots off," Frankie Villar said. Villar, along with Cutrofello, was named to the all-tournament team. "We've got to take more shots when we get the opportunity."

The Gators did that in their earlier games as they scored six goals against Seminole, five goals against Leto and three against Alonso during pool play. But as good as the Gators looked in attack, holes emerged in their defense. Land O' Lakes conceded six goals over a stretch of three games, most appearing preventable. For a team that had only conceded 10 goals in 14 games entering the tournament, the loose play at the back was a surprise, and a concern to Pearson.

"I think defensively we gave up more goals than we should have," he said. "We gave up sloppy goals, like against Berkeley we didn't clear the ball and it ended up in the back of the net."

The Gators will return to the field Friday against Brooksville Central before they attempt to complete a perfect district schedule. Then it's on to the district tournament, and what the Gators hope will be a deep run in the region playoffs. Pearson said he thinks the tournament will be of value to his team, but after last season, he doesn't believe success at the invitational means much in the long run.

"I don't think it has that much relevance to it," Pearson said. "I think it helps you prepare, because you're playing different teams in a different location, but it didn't help us much last year, and we won the thing last year and got knocked out in the first round of regionals, so I don't think there's that much to it."

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