Custodio Cleans Up

For 70-plus minutes, Central and Hernando High went back-and-forth across the pitch at Tom Fisher Memorial Stadium Thursday night, rarely producing so much as a scoring opportunity.

Only when everyone stood still did the outcome finally swing in favor of the visiting Lady Bears.

Central senior midfielder Ashley Custodio scored twice in the final 8:30 of the match, once on a free kick and again on a penalty kick, to provide the scoring in a 2-0 victory.

"We just had a very off game," Custodio said. "We freaked out, we didn't come out to play as we should have, but we came through. That's all that matters.

"The free kick was not as good as I thought it would be, but it worked. And PKs (penalty kicks), I'm pretty good at those."

This one was far from pretty, with both teams coming off disappointing district losses the night before. The Lady Bears (4-5-2) fell to Land O' Lakes, 3-0, and the Lady Leopards (2-6-1) to Hudson, 8-0.

"It was an ugly game," Central Head Coach Amy Ellis said. "We didn't play well. They (the Lady Bears) stuck with it and we finished it off, which is nice."

About the closest anyone came to scoring in the first half was a shot by Samantha Berberette that hit the crossbar in the 29th minute.

Hernando had its best chance midway through the second half, yet couldn't cash in on a skirmish in front of the net.

Central sophomore keeper Brooke Wardlow, in her first season of soccer, recorded two saves in the shutout.

Custodio received a free kick in the 72nd minute. The ball tipped off the top of the Lady Leopards' defensive wall and into the net to break the scoreless tie.

The successful PK by Custodio came with under two minutes remaining, sealing the win and a season sweep of Hernando. The Lady Bears won at Central on Nov. 3, 4-0.

"We're starting to pull it together but we still have some things to work on," Ellis said. "We lost some key players from last year, we have some injuries. It's still coming together."

Despite the defeat, Hernando Head Coach Rick Ahrens also saw progress from his young squad that includes only five upperclassmen.

"I think we played a whole lot better than we did last night," Ahrens said. "They got more intensive. They were trying to win the ball, they hustled to it.

"People need to remember soccer is a contact sport. They forget that sometimes. I think both teams played aggressive and fought. I enjoyed watching it."

CENTRAL 2, HERNANDO 0
Central 0 2 - 2
Hernando 0 0 - 0
Goals - CEN: Custodio 2.
Assists - none.
Shots on goal - CEN: 6, HER: 2.
Saves - CEN: Wardlow 2; HER: Platt 2.
Yellow Cards - Walters, Young (HER).
Blue Cards - none.
Red Cards - none.
Records: Central (4-5-2), Hernando (2-6-1).