Girls Soccer Region Finals

TONIGHT, 7 P.M.

Class 5A-Region 3

LAKELAND JENKINS (22-0-1) AT NEWSOME (23-0)

Outlook: Newsome's unblemished season has included a Wharton Invitational title, a Sarasota Holiday Tournament title, its third straight district title and a No. 4 national ranking, but now the Wolves have another mountain to climb. The mountain in the region final is No. 3-ranked Jenkins, which for three consecutive seasons has sent Newsome home in this round. The Eagles and Wolves have had decisive runs this season, as neither was really tested in their district or region. That all changes here as both teams match up well with speedy attackers. Newsome is led by forward Taylor Decaire and midfielders Karina Gutsche and Shea Rhoney, while Jenkins is paced by juniors Tori Abnathy and Ashley Lopez.

Quotable: "We've prepared all year for this game so we are focused and ready. To be honest, though, the pressure is all on Jenkins. The pressure is off of us from here on out. They've beaten us the last three years, so we have nothing to lose come Friday. We've had one heck of a season, an undefeated regular season, and they are ranked ahead of us in both the state and nation, so they have everything to prove and we have nothing to prove. This is what we've focused on. This is the game we've been thinking about since we started conditioning." - Newsome coach Kelly Townsend

Class 5A-Region 4

GAITHER (11-4-2) AT SEMINOLE (21-3-1)

Outlook: Gaither has come a long way since starting the season 0-2-1, but the Cowboys have their work cut out for them against Seminole, a state finalist a year ago. Gaither advanced to the final by defeating Naples Gulf Coast on a penalty kick from Kelly Cuppett in the final minute of double overtime. The Cowboys have been led in scoring by senior Lauren Moore (13 goals) and freshman Taylor Meek (12 goals). Standing in the Cowboys' way is a powerful Seminole team led by junior Gina Hayduke, who leads the team with 34 goals. The Warhawks missed out on their first state title last season, losing 2-1 to Melbourne in the 5A final. After losing two tough matches to start the year, the Warhawks went on a tear, losing only one more time, to Clearwater Central Catholic, and are on a 23-0 scoring run in the playoffs.

Quotable: "At this point, we have done very well and we will stay composed and complete for the next game, my three captains (Carly Cepelak, Caity Chandler and Moore) running the show like they have done all year. We will treat this like any other game and just play. The girls want more and they are not satisfied with just the regional finals. So we are looking forward to playing Seminole." - Gaither coach Trevor Scott

Class 4A-Region 4

NAPLES BARRON COLLIER (18-3-3) AT STEINBRENNER (18-2-2)

Outlook: The key to Steinbrenner's success might have happened prior to any workouts or matches took place. What has gotten the Warriors this far, in Coach Teresa Patterson's opinion, is the drastically tougher regular-season schedule than the one Steinbrenner had when it went undefeated last season, but lost in the region semifinal. This season, the Warriors played in the Wharton Invitational and Sarasota Holiday Tournament, and faced seven teams that made it to the region tournament. The Warriors have a high-powered offense led by Cici Gonzalez (33 goals), Alexis Bredeau (24) and Danielle Eule (10). Collier has reached the region final for the second straight season despite having lost 13 players from last season's team. The Cougars' offense has relied heavily on freshman Marissa Stovering and sophomore Sam Gomes.

Quotable: "This season we have played opponents whose talents have humbled us and prepared us at the same time. I think we saw that against Lakewood Ranch. After they scored on us first, we came back and scored two unanswered goals and we stayed composed and did the little things it takes to win. I don't think collectively we had the experience to do that last year, but this year we have been in quite a few close matches against good teams, and that experience level is there." - Steinbrenner coach Teresa Patterson

Class 2A-Region 4

PALM BEACH GARDENS BENJAMIN (16-3-2)

AT TAMPA PREP (18-5-2)

Outlook: It was 78 minutes of breath-holding for the Terrapins on Tuesday against Bradenton St. Stephen's before senior Jackie Rosenthal headed in a corner kick from Bishop Weaver and advanced Tampa Prep to its fourth straight region final. It also has been four years since the Terrapins' state title run, which has the team's seven seniors hungry for one more shot at a title. Rosenthal has 20 goals this season, while junior Colby Maffei has set a scalding pace for the rest of the county, leading the area with 40 goals. A senior-deep defense will look to shut down a very young attacking group of Benjamin forwards. Benjamin avenged two regular-season losses and a tie with a 1-0 win against King's Academy on Tuesday. Katie O'Hare leads the team with 19 goals, while Kali Chaplin has 12 goals and 13 assists.

Quotable: "We are so senior heavy this year that the nerves have been out of control. Nobody wants this to be their last game. This team wants to win. I think last year our goal was just to get to the final four and see what happens. This year we want a state title, so the mindset for this team is a lot different." - Tampa Prep coach Cindy Schofield

From staff reports