Plant's first boys region playoff victory since 2003 likely couldn't have come in more dramatic fashion.
The Panthers scored on what was probably their final attack of the game to equalize on a header by John Fernandez before Danny Johnson scored in the 97th minute to give his side a 2-1 victory against Countryside on Thursday night, setting off crazy scene's at Dad's Stadium, writes the St. Petersburg Times' Eduardo A. Encina.
Plant has had a remarkable second season under Coach Chris Carbon, but this victory is, at least on paper, its most impressive to date. Now the Panthers will hit the road to take on a Palm Harbor side that only advanced past Bloomingdale 1-0 in a penalty shootout.
While losing in a shootout is always disappointing, Bloomingdale looks like a team on the rise. The Bulls only lose five seniors from this year's team should the rest of the roster return, and will have the highly talented Tevin Gage returning for his senior season.
Speaking of penalty shootouts, Gaither managed to squeak through against Port Charlotte after goalkeeper John Nardozzi made a save in the first round of sudden-death for a 2-1 victory, David Briggs having scored on the prior kick for what proved to be the game-winner.
The Cowboys will now get a district final rematch with Sickles, which cruised to victory against Punta Gorda Charlotte 3-0. As the Times' John C. Cotey writes, the Gryphons throw-ins, provided predominantly by Ben Wiley on Thursday thanks to Tyler Deming's absence, were crucial to their advancement to the region semifinals for the first time in school history.
There will also be rematches in the other two local 5A semifinals as Newsome routed Brooksville Central 7-1 behind Steven Gonzalez's hat trick, and Plant City edged out Ocala Forest 2-1, although someone should probably mention that the Raiders first loss came in the Wharton Invitational to Hillsborough.
East Lake and Seminole will also face off again, both sides easing through to the region semifinals as the Eagles defeated Pinellas Park 5-0 and the Warhawks blasted Northeast 7-1.
In Class 4A, the "unofficial Pasco County Championship" game, so dubbed by Mitchell coach Oscar Ubillus, is on for Tuesday night as the Mustangs will face Land O' Lakes for a place in the region final. Mitchell defeated Wiregrass Ranch 5-1 on Thursday night, while the Gators defeated Wesley Chapel 3-0.
Jesuit also moved on, but had to survive a late rally by Lakewood Ranch to hold on for a 3-2 victory. The Tigers will need to be better against a Palmetto team that romped past Steinbrenner 5-0 in Tuesday's region semifinal.
Berkeley Prep and Clearwater Central Catholic will face off again for a place in the Class 3A-Region 3 final, the Buccaneers cruising to a 5-0 victory against Frostproof, while the Marauders got two late first half goals to advance past Mulberry 2-0.
Tampa Prep will also face a rematch against Indian Rocks Christian after Anthony Baumann (four assists) and Wes Sever (four goals) allowed the Terrapins to cruise past Bradenton St. Stephen's 6-0. IRC advanced with a 3-0 victory against Out-of-Door Academy thanks to Cody Sitton's hat trick, but Seffner Christian's run came to an end with a 4-0 defeat at Florida Air.
Showing posts with label Plant City. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Plant City. Show all posts
Friday, February 5, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Preps: Sickles leads way on Wharton Invitational All-Tournament team
Sickles led the way with three players named to the Wharton Invitational All-Tournament team, defender Gil Davis and midfielders Matt Brown and Boris Simeunovic all being named when the list was released on Friday.
Brown scored both goals in the Gryphons 2-0 semifinal victory against King, and added an assist in the final against East Bay, while Davis led a defense that conceded only one goal in five games over the tournament.
Finalist East Bay and King each had a pair of players named, David Castillo and Miguel Cerveleon being honored for the Indians and Jacob Baker and Christopher Lewis honored for the Lions.
The full team is listed below:
Keenan Kushner, Wharton
Gil Davis, Sickles
Jacob Baker, King
Christopher Lewis, King
David Castillo, East Bay
Boris Simeunovic, Sickles
Joey Perfetto, Newsome
Matt Brown, Sickles
Miguel Cerveleon, East Bay
Kofi Forkuoh, Hillsborough
Esgar Montelongo, Plant City
Brown scored both goals in the Gryphons 2-0 semifinal victory against King, and added an assist in the final against East Bay, while Davis led a defense that conceded only one goal in five games over the tournament.
Finalist East Bay and King each had a pair of players named, David Castillo and Miguel Cerveleon being honored for the Indians and Jacob Baker and Christopher Lewis honored for the Lions.
The full team is listed below:
Keenan Kushner, Wharton
Gil Davis, Sickles
Jacob Baker, King
Christopher Lewis, King
David Castillo, East Bay
Boris Simeunovic, Sickles
Joey Perfetto, Newsome
Matt Brown, Sickles
Miguel Cerveleon, East Bay
Kofi Forkuoh, Hillsborough
Esgar Montelongo, Plant City
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Preps: Raiders not at their best, but advance past Indians
PLANT CITY – Plant City wasn’t at its absolute best, but the Raiders' clinical finishing, in contrast to opponent East Bay’s, was enough to send them through to the Class 5A-District 8 tournament final with a 3-1 victory at Durant High on Tuesday evening.
The Raiders (13-1-2) opened the scoring early, A.J. Black giving his side the lead. Esgar Montelongo almost doubled the lead later in the first half, his first close-range effort being well-saved by East Bay goalkeeper Derrick Miranda, the rebound being headed off the line by a covering defender.
Jorge Martinez did make the score 2-0 five minutes before half time, cutting in from the left side to curl a shot into the right corner of the net from the top of the penalty area. Raiders coach Stephen Rossiter was very pleased with his side’s finishing.
“That’s how we’ve done it all year, and that’s just the good chemistry with this team,” Rossiter said. “They just know how to read each other on the diagonal, and they’ve worked well on the finishing side.”
On the other hand, the Indians' finishing was disappointing. While they were able to gain good possession, especially in the second half as the Raiders' passing became a little sloppy, the Indians (14-4-1) didn’t test Raiders goalkeeper Chris Sullivan as much as they would have liked, Miguel Cerveleon’s goal being ruled out for offside on one of the chances that did hit the target.
“It’s tough to get it down there and have so many opportunities and not be able to put one away,” Indians coach Jonathan Drake said. “I thought that first goal that was called back could have been a difference maker, that’s the game, sometimes it happens to you.”
As poor as the Raiders passing was at certain points of the second half, their third goal in the 69th minute showed what they could do when they put it all together. After the move began in their own half, the ball was passed wide to Martinez, who drove down the left. He then held up, and found Black surging through the left channel, and Black took the ball on before centering across the top of the 6-yard box where Marcus Svensson was there to meet it with a low finish.
“It definitely shows what they’re capable of,” Rossiter said of the goal. “Sometimes every team has their differences in the players on the field, but tonight everyone was definitely playing, the chemistry was there.”
Kyle Whiteside pulled a goal back three minutes later, being slipped in and firing home from close range after an initial shot had been blocked, but the Indians were unable to rally any further. Plant City did get a late scare as Black was helped off the field with what was described after the game as a bruised quad, meaning he may not be available for Friday’s final against Newsome.
Rossiter said the Raiders would now take a break until the final, and try to rest and recuperate with their place in the region tournament secured, but that the opportunity to win the second district title in school history was a big one.
“It’s huge, especially for our seniors,” Rossiter said. “I think it really gives them a lot of momentum, but they’ve still got to work hard to achieve it.”
The Raiders (13-1-2) opened the scoring early, A.J. Black giving his side the lead. Esgar Montelongo almost doubled the lead later in the first half, his first close-range effort being well-saved by East Bay goalkeeper Derrick Miranda, the rebound being headed off the line by a covering defender.
Jorge Martinez did make the score 2-0 five minutes before half time, cutting in from the left side to curl a shot into the right corner of the net from the top of the penalty area. Raiders coach Stephen Rossiter was very pleased with his side’s finishing.
“That’s how we’ve done it all year, and that’s just the good chemistry with this team,” Rossiter said. “They just know how to read each other on the diagonal, and they’ve worked well on the finishing side.”
On the other hand, the Indians' finishing was disappointing. While they were able to gain good possession, especially in the second half as the Raiders' passing became a little sloppy, the Indians (14-4-1) didn’t test Raiders goalkeeper Chris Sullivan as much as they would have liked, Miguel Cerveleon’s goal being ruled out for offside on one of the chances that did hit the target.
“It’s tough to get it down there and have so many opportunities and not be able to put one away,” Indians coach Jonathan Drake said. “I thought that first goal that was called back could have been a difference maker, that’s the game, sometimes it happens to you.”
As poor as the Raiders passing was at certain points of the second half, their third goal in the 69th minute showed what they could do when they put it all together. After the move began in their own half, the ball was passed wide to Martinez, who drove down the left. He then held up, and found Black surging through the left channel, and Black took the ball on before centering across the top of the 6-yard box where Marcus Svensson was there to meet it with a low finish.
“It definitely shows what they’re capable of,” Rossiter said of the goal. “Sometimes every team has their differences in the players on the field, but tonight everyone was definitely playing, the chemistry was there.”
Kyle Whiteside pulled a goal back three minutes later, being slipped in and firing home from close range after an initial shot had been blocked, but the Indians were unable to rally any further. Plant City did get a late scare as Black was helped off the field with what was described after the game as a bruised quad, meaning he may not be available for Friday’s final against Newsome.
Rossiter said the Raiders would now take a break until the final, and try to rest and recuperate with their place in the region tournament secured, but that the opportunity to win the second district title in school history was a big one.
“It’s huge, especially for our seniors,” Rossiter said. “I think it really gives them a lot of momentum, but they’ve still got to work hard to achieve it.”
Preps: Wharton Invitational title keeps Sickles on top of Coaches Poll
Sickles’ dominant performance in the Wharton Invitational kept the Gryphons on top of the Hillsborough County Coaches Boys Soccer Poll entering this week’s district championships, as the top eight teams in poll remained unmoved.
The only changes saw Tampa Prep move up one spot to No.9, and Wharton enter the poll as Berkeley Prep dropped out of the rankings.
The district tournaments could see multiple top five match-ups. Tonight sees No.2 Plant City and No.4 East Bay face off in the Class 5A-District 8 semifinals, and the winner could face No.5 Newsome in Friday’s final. No.1 Sickles and No.3 Gaither could also meet in the Class 5A-Disrict 9 final.
The full poll is listed below:
1. Sickles (19-1-2)
2. Plant City (12-1-2)
3. Gaither (13-3-1)
4. East Bay (13-3-1)
5. Newsome (12-4-3)
6. Steinbrenner (10-2-2)
7. Jesuit (14-4-3)
8. Tampa Catholic (11-4-3)
9. Tampa Prep (12-4-2)
10. Wharton (8-5-2)
The only changes saw Tampa Prep move up one spot to No.9, and Wharton enter the poll as Berkeley Prep dropped out of the rankings.
The district tournaments could see multiple top five match-ups. Tonight sees No.2 Plant City and No.4 East Bay face off in the Class 5A-District 8 semifinals, and the winner could face No.5 Newsome in Friday’s final. No.1 Sickles and No.3 Gaither could also meet in the Class 5A-Disrict 9 final.
The full poll is listed below:
1. Sickles (19-1-2)
2. Plant City (12-1-2)
3. Gaither (13-3-1)
4. East Bay (13-3-1)
5. Newsome (12-4-3)
6. Steinbrenner (10-2-2)
7. Jesuit (14-4-3)
8. Tampa Catholic (11-4-3)
9. Tampa Prep (12-4-2)
10. Wharton (8-5-2)
Monday, January 11, 2010
Preps: Wharton Invitational schedule announced
The draw for this year’s Wharton Invitational has been announced, with the Pool D draw that will see current Coaches Poll No.1 face No.5 Newsome appearing the standout game of the first round.
Host Wharton has been drawn in the same pool as current poll No.2 and undefeated Plant City. The Raiders could also have the possibility of facing Sickles in the final should both sides find their way through the draw, which also sees Pasco County’s Land O’ Lakes included this season.
The tournament begins this Saturday at the Temple Terrace Spirit Fields on Highway 301, and will return to Wharton High’s stadium for Wednesday’s semifinals and Thursday’s final. The complete schedule is listed below.
2010 Wharton Invitational
At Temple Terrace Spirit Fields
Highway 301
Pool play
Pool A
Saturday, Jan. 16
Wharton vs. Hillsborough, 3:45 p.m.
Lennard vs. Plant City, 5:45 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 19
Wharton vs. Lennard, 8 a.m.
Hillsborough vs. Plant City 8 a.m.
Hillsborough vs. Lennard, noon
Wharton vs. Plant City, 2 p.m.
Pool B
Saturday, Jan. 16
Freedom vs. Alonso, 3:45 p.m.
East Bay vs. Durant, 3:45 p.m.
Alonso vs. East Bay, 7:45 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 19
Freedom vs. East Bay, 8 p.m.
Alonso vs. Durant, 10 a.m.
Freedom vs. Durant, 4 p.m.
Pool C
Saturday, Jan. 16
Plant vs. Land O’ Lakes, 5:45 p.m.
Bloomingdale vs. King, 5:45 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan 19
Plant vs. Bloomingdale, 10 a.m.
Land O’ Lakes vs. King, 10 a.m.
Plant vs. King, 2 p.m.
Land O’ Lakes vs. Bloomingdale, 2 p.m.
Pool D
Saturday, Jan.16
Newsome vs. Brandon, 7:45 p.m.
Strawberry Crest vs. Sickles, 7:45 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 19
Newsome vs. Strawberry Crest, noon
Sickles vs. Brandon, noon
Newsome vs. Sickles, 4 p.m.
Brandon vs. Strawberry Crest, 4 p.m.
At Wharton High
Wednesday, Jan. 20
Semifinals
Pool A winner vs. Pool B winner, 6 p.m.
Pool C winner vs. Pool D winner, 8 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 21
Final
Semifinals winners, 8 p.m.
Host Wharton has been drawn in the same pool as current poll No.2 and undefeated Plant City. The Raiders could also have the possibility of facing Sickles in the final should both sides find their way through the draw, which also sees Pasco County’s Land O’ Lakes included this season.
The tournament begins this Saturday at the Temple Terrace Spirit Fields on Highway 301, and will return to Wharton High’s stadium for Wednesday’s semifinals and Thursday’s final. The complete schedule is listed below.
2010 Wharton Invitational
At Temple Terrace Spirit Fields
Highway 301
Pool play
Pool A
Saturday, Jan. 16
Wharton vs. Hillsborough, 3:45 p.m.
Lennard vs. Plant City, 5:45 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 19
Wharton vs. Lennard, 8 a.m.
Hillsborough vs. Plant City 8 a.m.
Hillsborough vs. Lennard, noon
Wharton vs. Plant City, 2 p.m.
Pool B
Saturday, Jan. 16
Freedom vs. Alonso, 3:45 p.m.
East Bay vs. Durant, 3:45 p.m.
Alonso vs. East Bay, 7:45 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 19
Freedom vs. East Bay, 8 p.m.
Alonso vs. Durant, 10 a.m.
Freedom vs. Durant, 4 p.m.
Pool C
Saturday, Jan. 16
Plant vs. Land O’ Lakes, 5:45 p.m.
Bloomingdale vs. King, 5:45 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan 19
Plant vs. Bloomingdale, 10 a.m.
Land O’ Lakes vs. King, 10 a.m.
Plant vs. King, 2 p.m.
Land O’ Lakes vs. Bloomingdale, 2 p.m.
Pool D
Saturday, Jan.16
Newsome vs. Brandon, 7:45 p.m.
Strawberry Crest vs. Sickles, 7:45 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 19
Newsome vs. Strawberry Crest, noon
Sickles vs. Brandon, noon
Newsome vs. Sickles, 4 p.m.
Brandon vs. Strawberry Crest, 4 p.m.
At Wharton High
Wednesday, Jan. 20
Semifinals
Pool A winner vs. Pool B winner, 6 p.m.
Pool C winner vs. Pool D winner, 8 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 21
Final
Semifinals winners, 8 p.m.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Preps: Plant City seals No.1 seed, Berkeley vs. Tampa Prep today
While Steinbrenner’s victory against Jesuit was probably the most eye-opening result from Friday night, another pair of teams sealed the No.1 seeds for the district tournaments.
Plant City remained undefeated with a 3-0 win against Durant to give the Raiders the No.1 seed in Class 5A-District 8, with Newsome’s 8-0 win against Tampa Bay Tech putting the Wolves in the No.2 slot. The St. Petersburg Times’ Brandon Wright was at the game, and filed this report.
http://bit.ly/4Ass3u
Plant also took the No.1 seed in Class 6A-District 8 with a 5-1 win against Alonso. According to Ravens coach Alan Turnquist, his side was without its starting goalkeeper, but he added that the outcome of the game would still likely have gone the Panthers way as they put together a performance coach Chris Carbon was very pleased with.
Elsewhere, Sickles completed a perfect run through its Class 5A-District 9 with a 1-0 win against King, Tyler Deming scoring the only goal, while Bloomingdale earned a 3-1 victory against Brandon in Class 5A-8.
On the girls side, Freedom recorded a good win against Gaither in Class 5A-District 9, Jenna Stiling picking up a goal and an assist for the Patriots as they rallied from a goal down to win. The Tampa Tribune’s Jarrett Guthrie was at the game, and filed this report.
http://bit.ly/7cSaOu
Today’s schedule sees Berkeley Prep and Tampa Prep face off at the Headmaster’s Challenge, with the girls game scheduled for noon and the boys for 1:45 p.m. The TBSB will be at both games, and will be providing live updates on the TBSB twitter feed – twitter.com/tbsoccerblog -- if you’re not able to get out to the games.
Plant City remained undefeated with a 3-0 win against Durant to give the Raiders the No.1 seed in Class 5A-District 8, with Newsome’s 8-0 win against Tampa Bay Tech putting the Wolves in the No.2 slot. The St. Petersburg Times’ Brandon Wright was at the game, and filed this report.
http://bit.ly/4Ass3u
Plant also took the No.1 seed in Class 6A-District 8 with a 5-1 win against Alonso. According to Ravens coach Alan Turnquist, his side was without its starting goalkeeper, but he added that the outcome of the game would still likely have gone the Panthers way as they put together a performance coach Chris Carbon was very pleased with.
Elsewhere, Sickles completed a perfect run through its Class 5A-District 9 with a 1-0 win against King, Tyler Deming scoring the only goal, while Bloomingdale earned a 3-1 victory against Brandon in Class 5A-8.
On the girls side, Freedom recorded a good win against Gaither in Class 5A-District 9, Jenna Stiling picking up a goal and an assist for the Patriots as they rallied from a goal down to win. The Tampa Tribune’s Jarrett Guthrie was at the game, and filed this report.
http://bit.ly/7cSaOu
Today’s schedule sees Berkeley Prep and Tampa Prep face off at the Headmaster’s Challenge, with the girls game scheduled for noon and the boys for 1:45 p.m. The TBSB will be at both games, and will be providing live updates on the TBSB twitter feed – twitter.com/tbsoccerblog -- if you’re not able to get out to the games.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Preps: Maffei stays hot to lead Tampa Prep
As noted on the twitter feed last night -- what, you’re not a follower yet? www.twitter.com/tbsoccerblog -- Colby Maffei is having an outstanding season. She scored twice last night, and the St. Petersburg Times’ Izzy Gould was at the game.
http://hometeam.tampabay.com/blog/2010/jan/06/2083-very-early-propels-tampa-prep-past-mitchell-3-0-in-girls-soccer/
I and my Tribune colleague Jarrett Guthrie also put out our weekly prep notebook, with a little more detail on the top of the Class 5A-District 8 between Durant, Newsome and Plant City, and Durant’s recent run, plus a look ahead to the girls soccer match-up between Tampa Prep and Berkeley Prep at this weekend’s Headmaster’s Challenge.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/jan/07/sp-cougars-raiders-a-big-district-match/sports-prepsports/
It was a light schedule last night, and is again tonight, but Steinbrenner’s girls will look to continue their run at an undefeated regular season at they face Leto at 6 p.m., making it the game to watch on tonight's schedule.
http://hometeam.tampabay.com/blog/2010/jan/06/2083-very-early-propels-tampa-prep-past-mitchell-3-0-in-girls-soccer/
I and my Tribune colleague Jarrett Guthrie also put out our weekly prep notebook, with a little more detail on the top of the Class 5A-District 8 between Durant, Newsome and Plant City, and Durant’s recent run, plus a look ahead to the girls soccer match-up between Tampa Prep and Berkeley Prep at this weekend’s Headmaster’s Challenge.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/jan/07/sp-cougars-raiders-a-big-district-match/sports-prepsports/
It was a light schedule last night, and is again tonight, but Steinbrenner’s girls will look to continue their run at an undefeated regular season at they face Leto at 6 p.m., making it the game to watch on tonight's schedule.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Preps: Terrapins boys jump into Top 20 of ESPN Rise Poll
Tampa Prep has jumped into the top 20 of ESPN Rise’s Winter soccer rankings, the Terrapins perfect 8-0-0 start to the season landing them at No.17 in the opening regular season list.
Also appearing in the rankings are Jesuit at No.43 and Gaither at No.50. Locals absent from the rankings, though, are current Hillsborough Coaches Poll No.1 Sickles and No.5 Plant City, both of whom have also made undefeated starts to the season.
2009 Class 5A champion Palm Harbor University, who are now in Class 6A are also absent. That is despite a 9-0-1 start to the season, and the No.1 spot in the St. Petersburg Times Pinellas County rankings. Seminole (10-1-2) and Countryside (9-1-0) also missed the cut.
Everyone except for Plant City will have a chance to enhance their reputation beginning this Saturday as they compete at the High School Soccer Classic at the Ed Radice Sports Complex, Jesuit facing No.6-ranked New Orleans Jesuit, Tampa Prep facing Gaither and Seminole facing No.33 Melbourne in the opening round of pool play.
Also appearing in the rankings are Jesuit at No.43 and Gaither at No.50. Locals absent from the rankings, though, are current Hillsborough Coaches Poll No.1 Sickles and No.5 Plant City, both of whom have also made undefeated starts to the season.
2009 Class 5A champion Palm Harbor University, who are now in Class 6A are also absent. That is despite a 9-0-1 start to the season, and the No.1 spot in the St. Petersburg Times Pinellas County rankings. Seminole (10-1-2) and Countryside (9-1-0) also missed the cut.
Everyone except for Plant City will have a chance to enhance their reputation beginning this Saturday as they compete at the High School Soccer Classic at the Ed Radice Sports Complex, Jesuit facing No.6-ranked New Orleans Jesuit, Tampa Prep facing Gaither and Seminole facing No.33 Melbourne in the opening round of pool play.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Preps: Plant City looking to maintain strong run against East Bay
For an undefeated team, Plant City’s boys have flown under the radar for most of the season. Tonight, though, the Raiders get a chance to cement their position at the top of Class 5A-District 8 as it travels to face East Bay at 8 p.m.
The Raiders currently sit on top of the district standings with a 3-0-1 record, two points ahead of Newsome (2-0-2). New coach Stephen Rossiter said after defeating King 4-2 last Friday, his side is feeling confident of success.
“Tonight I think we feel very, very confident,” Rossiter said. “Our guys are very focused, we’ve trained a lot, we’ve developed a lot even before the season started so as a team with our chemistry and everything, I think we feel very confident for East Bay tonight.”
The Raiders have been led by Esgar Montelongo, who has 13 goals this season, and A.J. Black, who has 10. Going up a against a good East Bay defense, led by standout goalkeeper Derrick Miranda, could be a good test for the Raiders, who have averaged five goals per game so far.
“We’ll attack them from the outside, using the whole width of the field,” Rossiter said. “East Bay definitely owes a lot to its defense, and if you underestimate them, you won’t get in and you won’t be able to penetrate their attacking third, so we’re definitely going to use our outside mids a lot tonight, pull those defenders out and try to create opportunities in the attacking third.”
For the Indians, who suffered their first district loss of the season last Tuesday against Newsome, tonight’s game offers a chance to get back into contention for one of the top two seeds in the district. Coach Jonathan Drake is expecting a big challenge for his defense from the Raiders’ attack.
“I know that they have a very strong attack this year,” Drake. “I know we’re going to be challenged a lot in our defense, we’re really going to have to stay composed in the back to be able to compete with them.
“On the other end, with them having such a strong offense, we’re going to have to get some production out of our strikers to be able to stay in the game.”
Drake is looking for strong games from senior strikers Kyle Whiteside and Brandon Walker. With the game being part of senior night for the Indians, Drake said he hopes his side’s experience, and the atmosphere for tonight’s game, provides a boost for the side.
“My guys know what it’s like to have big games go down to the wire, and to really have to put in the entire 80 minutes or 100 minutes if we have overtime,” Drake said. “I think that is going to help us keep our focus and not lose our cool no matter what happens in the early stages of the game.”
The Raiders currently sit on top of the district standings with a 3-0-1 record, two points ahead of Newsome (2-0-2). New coach Stephen Rossiter said after defeating King 4-2 last Friday, his side is feeling confident of success.
“Tonight I think we feel very, very confident,” Rossiter said. “Our guys are very focused, we’ve trained a lot, we’ve developed a lot even before the season started so as a team with our chemistry and everything, I think we feel very confident for East Bay tonight.”
The Raiders have been led by Esgar Montelongo, who has 13 goals this season, and A.J. Black, who has 10. Going up a against a good East Bay defense, led by standout goalkeeper Derrick Miranda, could be a good test for the Raiders, who have averaged five goals per game so far.
“We’ll attack them from the outside, using the whole width of the field,” Rossiter said. “East Bay definitely owes a lot to its defense, and if you underestimate them, you won’t get in and you won’t be able to penetrate their attacking third, so we’re definitely going to use our outside mids a lot tonight, pull those defenders out and try to create opportunities in the attacking third.”
For the Indians, who suffered their first district loss of the season last Tuesday against Newsome, tonight’s game offers a chance to get back into contention for one of the top two seeds in the district. Coach Jonathan Drake is expecting a big challenge for his defense from the Raiders’ attack.
“I know that they have a very strong attack this year,” Drake. “I know we’re going to be challenged a lot in our defense, we’re really going to have to stay composed in the back to be able to compete with them.
“On the other end, with them having such a strong offense, we’re going to have to get some production out of our strikers to be able to stay in the game.”
Drake is looking for strong games from senior strikers Kyle Whiteside and Brandon Walker. With the game being part of senior night for the Indians, Drake said he hopes his side’s experience, and the atmosphere for tonight’s game, provides a boost for the side.
“My guys know what it’s like to have big games go down to the wire, and to really have to put in the entire 80 minutes or 100 minutes if we have overtime,” Drake said. “I think that is going to help us keep our focus and not lose our cool no matter what happens in the early stages of the game.”
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