Girls soccer: Zephyrhills blanks LOL

LAND O'LAKES - Zephyrhills coach Michael Mira cheered and ran onto the field to hug his players. Following the Bulldogs' 1-0 win against 4A-8 district rival Land O'Lakes on Friday evening, one would think Mira had just clinched a state tournament berth.

"We've been dominated by them for years and earlier this year (in the first game), we we're leading for most of the game, but then they just dropped a Hail Mary shot in that tied the game," Mira said. "Our girls really stepped up tonight, and we were able to get on the counter attack."

In a game with cold, non-stop rain and on a saturated field, the lone goal came late. With less than 12 minutes left, junior forward Jamieshia Parker dribbled through the Gators defense and got a shot to the right side.

"Our offense has had a little trouble keeping the ball forward and that's put more work on our defense," Mira said. "We have to work on getting the ball to stay on their half of the field."

Land O'Lakes (2-3-5, 2-2-2) has struggled out of the gate this season, especially for a team that's usually dominant in Pasco County. The Gators have just six goals through 10 games, and have had three scoreless ties and four one-goal games.

Despite having numerous scoring opportunities Friday, Land O'Lakes found itself lacking a finishing touch.

"We got good kicks and good throws out there, but we just didn't take advantage of it," Gators coach Vicky King said. "We had our chances, including two at the back door. We've talked about being a little more tenacious, a little more aggressive, using those terms, but it's not just one person, it's everyone that needs to do it."

Zephyrhills (5-4-1, 1-2-1) is relying heavily on senior Chelsea Smith, who leads the team with 10 goals, and then Parker, a junior who is a track star turned first-year soccer player with speed to burn. However, it's redistricting that has Mira on his toes, but confident in his team's end-of-the-season standing.

"We were a powerhouse in our district last year, but now we've lost to Lecanto (twice), so we've been beat by some really good teams," Mira said. "I think once we get more of our district games out of the way, I think we'll be right there (in the hunt for the postseason)."