Girls soccer roundup: Gaither gets big road victory

After losing last week's district title game at home in shootout, Gaither High girls soccer coach Trevor Scott didn't seem too upset about the result sending his squad on the road for its first-round playoff match. And after the way his Cowboys played Thursday night nearly 100 miles from its own pitch, now we know why.

The Cowboys dominated the first half with two goals, weathered a relentless attack in the final 40 minutes and produced a 2-1 victory over host Venice in a Class 5A-Region 3 quarterfinal.

"I'm not sure why it is this season, but probably 75 percent of our wins have been on the road," Scott said. "That was a tough team there with Venice but we play well away, especially on big fields like this one."

Gaither (11-5-2) will play in its first region semifinal since 2004 against Naples Gulf Coast on Tuesday. Despite the Cowboys' apparent preference for away matches, they will host that game in a 7 p.m. kickoff.

The Cowboys took a 1-0 lead in the seventh minute of play when captain Lauren Moore headed in a corner kick from Kaycee McGuire. With just under 10 minutes to go in the first half, midfielder Jessica Lawless doubled the lead with a left-footed shot from 16 yards.

After hitting the post early in the second half, Venice (12-4-1) finally pulled one back when forward Dana Larocque sent a shot to the far post and into the goal to make it 2-1 with just under 19 minutes to play. Goalkeeper Amanda High survived six more shots for the victory.

Bill Ward

5A-3: Freedom falls

A long night ended in disappointment for Freedom, as the Patriots fell to Naples Gulf Coast, 1-0 (4-2 on penalty kicks).

The match was supposed to be played at Freedom, but school officials were forced to move the game to the University of South Florida after the lights at the school's stadium failed to stay on during testing two hours before the game.

Then, after the teams were scoreless through regulation, the lights at USF went out, causing a 30-minute delay as the teams waited on the pitch-black field.

Finally it was decided to complete the game at Wharton, and the teams arrived there just before 10:30 to begin overtime.

5A-2: Newsome rolls

The scoreboard read 33:17 and the game was over, with Newsome beating Ocala Forest, 8-0, in a mercy rule-shortened Class 5A-Region 2 quarterfinal.

However, it seemed to be over before it started. Ocala's strategy was to pack in the defense on its side of the field, and the only shot on goal from Ocala came early in the game.

After a timeout at 21:36 in the first half and leading 2-0 on goals from Rhoney Shea and Karina Gutsche, the coach instructed her girls to go down the sides and spread out. It worked.

Gutsche and Maria Cate scored quick goals and Elizabeth Haumschild and Caroline Evers each scored to give the Wolves a 6-0 halftime lead.

In the second half, Evers hit Haumschild for a goal, and 2 minutes later Cate scored her second goal to end the game.

Barry Carroll

5A-2: Plant City falls

Springstead rallied from a two-goal deficit to tie it in regulation, then defeat Plant City on penalty kicks for a 4-3 victory in the Class 5A-Region 2 quarterfinals.

The Raiders (14-6-1) led thanks to goals by Nidia Castro, Stepahnie Galloway and Tori Nizamoff.

Down, 3-1, with 22 minutes remaining, Springstead's Kimberly Smith's free kick from 30 yards out cut the deficit to one before Hayleigh McDuff's long through ball led to Ashley Walker's 19-yard blast to tie the match with 9 minutes left.

Neither team scored in the first two 10-minute overtimes.

Both teams converted four of five in the initial round of PKs. In sudden-death, Springstead's Rene Wern and McDuff scored.

Kelsey Brevik countered with a conversion before Castro's shot hit the cross bar and bounced away.

Tony Castro

6A-2: Wharton advances

When Wharton entered December with a 4-9 record, a winning season seemed unlikely. A district title even more so, not to mention a region win. Thursday, after its second straight tie through 100 minutes, Wharton defeated St. Petersburg, 3-2 (4-3 in penalty kicks) in the first region match in school history.

Wharton (15-9) trailed 2-0 after the first half hour but evened the game behind a Jessica Murray goal in the first half and a crossbar-skirting lob from Fallon Vaughan early in the second.

"I think our character showed up today," Wildcats coach Denis Vukorep said. "We've fought back all year, whether it was a loss or a four-game losing streak we just haven't quit."

Laura Johnson, Emily Belanger, Casey Ferguson and Ashni Deschenes hit four straight penalty kicks and watched as the Green Devils sent two attempts high to take the team's second straight win in penalty kicks.

Jarrett Guthrie

6A-2: Bloomingdale falls

The strategy for Palm Harbor University coach John Planamenta was simple: attack early, score, then go into a defensive shell.

His Hurricanes pulled it off .

Alyssa Skyrd's rebound goal off a Meghan Harrington shot with less than 8 minutes left in the first half put the Hurricanes up, 1-0. That would be the final score as Palm Harbor went into a fierce defensive mode the rest of the match for a Class 6A-2 region quarterfinal win.

Harrington tried a shot from the left side that goalie Melissa Jasczak saved, but she couldn't hang on to the ball as it slipped away to her left.

Hoping to get just such a chance, Skyrd hung out near Jasczak, and she easily knocked in the loose ball.

"Right place, right time," Skyrd said.

Lee Diekemper

3A-3: TC wins

Tampa Catholic's dream season continued with a 1-0 victory in the Class 3A-Region 3 quarterfinals.

The Crusaders advance to play at St. Pete Catholic on Tuesday in the quarterfinals.