Boys soccer: Garcia leads Land O' Lakes past Wiregrass Ranch

WESLEY CHAPEL - More than likely, these teams will meet again.

Backed by forward Andy Garcia's hat trick, Land O'Lakes dropped Wiregrass Ranch 4-0 on Tuesday evening, sweeping the season series by outscoring them, 9-0.

It seems the Gators (16-1) and Bulls (10-5-3) are on the track for another rematch, as the No. 1 and 4 seeds, respectively, in the 4A-8 semifinals in two weeks.

"Maybe third time will be the charm," Wiregrass coach Dave Wilson said with a chuckle. "We need to figure out how to put the ball in the back of the net against these guys."

Land O'Lakes, as usual, jumped out to an early lead. Already outscoring opponents 77-4 entering the game, Garcia picked up his 13th goal of the season at the 10th minute, yet Wiregrass kept the Gators at bay for the next 48 minutes until leading scorer Miguel Laliberte put an impressive through ball to Garcia, who then buried his second goal of the night.

Three minutes later, Nathan Dalton picked up his team-high 14th assist, feeding it to sophomore Sean Young, who picked up his sixth goal on the season.

Garcia secured the hat trick in the 66th minute, as senior keeper Kody Parker, who verbally committed to sign with the University of Tampa on Monday evening, picked up his 13th shutout on the season.

Despite Land O'Lakes beating River Ridge and Wiregrass by a combined total of 9-0 since returning from the extended winter break, coach Mark Pearson still feels the team isn't up to par, at least not finishing every scoring opportunity.

"We're still leaving goals on the field, and that's really the only frustration I have right now," said Pearson, who is in his 14th season at the Gators' helm. "We have to find the back of the net when it presents itself because we can't (leave goals) in the later stages of the season.

"Andy Garcia is a fantastic player," Pearson added on his junior forward and his 15 goals this season. "I've had him at center mid(field) and forward because he can create (scoring opportunities) as well as score. He's a great player who can score great goals."

The Bulls, fully knowing they were facing a long shot Tuesday, were looking to pull off an upset in the hopes of getting out of the No. 4 seed, that way, if they did see Land O'Lakes, it would be in the district final, not the semis.

"We knew coming in we had to win the game to get out of the No. 4 seed, but after the second goal, it became a forgone conclusion," Wilson said. "Our whole focus tonight was getting out of that spot, but we missed out on our opportunities to score and you have to take advantage of those against this team.

"We talked at halftime about the need to win this game. A tie would have been a mental win, but we needed the win."

Wiregrass is now locked into the No. 4 seed, but can play spoiler to both River Ridge and Sunlake, a team that was in attendance Tuesday. The Bulls face the Royal Knights on Friday, but if River Ridge wins, it'll lock up the No. 2 seed, while the Seahawks will be No. 3.

"Every game is different," Pearson said, referring to the possibility of seeing Wiregrass a third time this season. "Beating a team twice, let alone three times, is tough - I tell the guys that all the time. You never take for granted that you can sweep through any team."

Wilson seems to agree, because he was still optimistic about facing the Gators a third time.

"They've beaten us twice, and they expect to beat us again, but you never know," Wilson said. "This game is a funny game, and that's why you play it."