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Girls Soccer: Plant Halts Hillsborough

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By SCOTT PURKS

Tribune correspondent

Published: January 24, 2009

TAMPA - Going into Friday's Class 5A-District 10 girls soccer final, Plant and Hillsborough had the memory of last year's district championship resounding in their heads.

Plant said the 2008 version was something it would never forget, but then, how could it? That game was - despite Plant outshooting Hillsborough almost 40-1 - a 1-0 victory for Hillsborough.

"It was something that left a terribly bad taste in the players' mouths," Plant coach Stephen McGill said. "It was something they were never going to let happen again."

They didn't. In Friday's 2009 district final, Plant beat Hillsborough 2-0, but not after a couple of scary near Terrier misses and another tremendous effort by Hillsborough keeper Amber Davis, who had 21 acrobatic saves.

"Once again Davis kept making great saves and as the game went on 0-0 after the first half, you could see that Hillsborough was gaining more confidence," McGill said. "You don't want a team to hang around like that. We needed to make something happen."

Midway through the second half, Plant finally did. The crucial Panther goal came when Lexi Rakestraw sent a pinpoint corner kick to the head of Connor Zwetsch. The ball then ricocheted off the crossbar to the feet of Linzy Rakestraw, who chipped it into the back of the net.

"That goal got us going," McGill said. "It opened things up."

Less than 5 minutes later Molly Ganther punched in the second goal, a 15-yard chip over the leaping Davis.

Plant (19-1-1) moves on to host East Lake in Thursday's regional quarterfinals. Hillsborough (9-5) will travel to Palm Harbor.

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