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Soccer playoffs set for kickoff

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By DAREK SHARP

dsharp@tampatrib.com

Published: May 13, 2009

PLANT CITY - The playoffs are set for next week in the Plant City Recreation and Parks Department/Optimist Youth Soccer Program, with the Otis M. Andrews Sports Complex to host play that will eventually decide nine age group champions.

Most of the leagues have a wide-open feel to them but one exception may be in the Under 15 Girls tourney. Of the league's eight teams, the Screamers and Sparks were both off to undefeated 5-0 starts and boasted overwhelming goal differentials: 29-2 for the Screamers, 21-4 for the Sparks. In fact, none of the other squads had a positive goal margin, with the third-place Speed coming closest at a minus-2.

On May 2, Stephanie Guerra had three goals and Caroline Sessa added two as the Screamers stopped the Stingers 8-0, and Marina Conde scored five times in the Sparks' 6-1 win over the Swarm. The Screamers and Sparks were set to face off in a game Saturday to decide who would enter the playoffs as first-place squad.

A tie way back in the first week of the season held up as the lone marks on the records of the Penguins and Hawks, tied atop the Under 07 league standings through five weeks of play. Garrett Brumbeloe scored four goals for the Penguins in their 7-1 recent win over the Meadowlarks.

The top of the Under 08 standings is a logjam with four teams sitting with one loss or fewer through five weeks. The Geese were 5-0 as the lone unbeaten after a 1-0 edging of the Condors on May 2, which was the Condors' first loss. On the same day the Owls and Robins both won to improve to 4-1; Alexis Garcia scored five times for the Owls in an 8-4 defeat of the Sparrows and Jared Gonzalez put in four goals as the Robins defeated the Martins 6-3.

Dominating the Under 10 boys chart has been the Flames, who in starting 5-0 were outscoring their opponents 35-2. It should be noted that neither of the two teams directly underneath the Flames in the standings (Raiders and Leopards) were on their regular-season schedule. There are 12 teams in the league and the regular season goes seven weeks.

Nolan Marvel had a hat trick for the Flames in their 4-0 win over the Firestorm in Week 5 play.

Other groups that will contest their postseason tourneys: Under 10 girls, Under 12 Boys, Under 12 Girls, Under 15 Boys and Under 19.

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