Preps: Tampa Prep takes Class 2A Championship

It was a remarkable night for Tampa Prep's boys, and the massive crowd they brought with them to the University of Tampa's Pepin Stadium on Friday night.

For the third time in four years, and fourth time overall, the Terrapins earned the Class 2A State championship with a 2-1 victory against Delray Beach American Heritage.

Wes Sever's words just after charging around the Pepin Stadium field with the 2A trophy in the grasp exemplified the exhiliration the entire side appeared to be feeling.

"This is exhilarating. Amazing. Now I know what Matt Hebert, Sam Wiand the seniors my freshman year, and in my sophomore year Ryan Griffin, Brad Sienkiewicz, this is what it feels like to win your senior year. Never would I have thought we would have been back on this stage in front of our home crowd to beat a team like American Heritage tonight. It's absolutely exhilarating.

"I can't explain to you in words how much this means to me, how much this team means to me, how much the Tampa Prep community (means to me), and having all these fans here tonight, it's absolutely amazing. Words can't describe what I'm feeling right now, what I feel for these players, what I feel for these coaches, what I feel for the administration. Everyone in the school, I love it, they were behind 100 percent of the way. We brought our entire school out here, and for the semifinals, it's just absolutely amazing."

That gives two bay area teams state championships, with Seminole and Palm Harbor looking to add to the haul this afternoon and evening as they face Melbourne and Boca Raton respectively in the Class 5A and Class 6A finals.

Seminole earned its place in the final with a 1-0 victory against Tallahassee Lincoln, Shane Wixted scoring on a penalty in the final minute of the first half after Charles Lynch had been brought down in the area.

Palm Harbor will get a shot at a second straight state title, duplicating the accomplishment of their girls team last week, after a 2-1 victory against Miami Killian that turned on a brilliant save by Hurricanes goalkeeper Josh Paul and a brilliant solo goal by Ben Sweat, both coming with a span of about 80 seconds.

If you can't get to Pepin Stadium this afternoon or this evening, Seminole is schedule to kick off at 4:30 p.m., Palm Harbor at 7 p.m., you can follow live updates of both games via the TBSB twitter feed, which can be found at twitter.com/tbsoccerblog.

Preps: Mitchell earns state championship

The chant began before the Mitchell High players had received their medals.

"S-R-A, S-R-A, S-R-A", they shouted towards the administrators on the sideline.

S-R-A? School Related Absence.

The Mustangs probably do deserve the day off after winning the first Boys Soccer State Title in Pasco County history, a 1-0 victory against Jacksonville Stanton Prep on Thursday night giving the Mustangs the title.

Jason Leslie scored the only goal, banging in the rebound after Max Rockwell's penalty was saved by Stanton goalkeeper Ryan O'Farrell.

Tampa Prep will try to earn its third state title in four seasons, and fourth overall, when it faces defending Class 2A state champion Delray Beach American Heritage on Friday night at 7:30 p.m.

The Terrapins swept past Tallahassee Maclay on Thursday afternoon, Jake Peterson, Wes Sever and Anthony Baumann all finding the net in the first half of a 3-1 victory. The Terrapins will need to put that first half effort in for the full 80 minutes against the Stallions, though, who were very impressive in a 5-2 victory against Orangewood Christian in the other semifinal.

If you can't make it to Pepin Stadium for tonight's game, TBO.com will again be webcasting the game as it happens this evening from 7:15 p.m.

Before the Terrapins take the field for a shot at a championship, both Seminole and Palm Harbor University will try to reach their respective state finals in Class 5A and 6A.

Bryan Burns of the St. Petersburg Times tracks the path both teams have travelled to reach this point of the season.

For those of you who can't make the Warhawks game against Auburndale at 12:45 p.m. or Palm Harbor's game against Miami Killian, the TBSB will be tweeting both games live.

Preps: Girls Finals Wrap, Mitchell boys look for success

After having seen both Berkeley Prep and Seminole fall, the Bucs in a shootout and the Warhawks in overtime, Palm Harbor earned the Tampa Bay area its only state title of the girls final four weekend on Saturday night.

Kelly Phipps' overtime goal proved the difference in a 1-0 victory against West Boca Raton, and as The St. Petersburg Times' John C. Cotey writes, the Hurricanes exceeded expectations.

The Buccaneers had earlier come a goalline away from picking up their first state title, an overtime chance for Sam Newhaller being cleared off the line as it appeared Berkeley was going to be rewarded for a strong game against Plantation American Heritage.

Instead, the Buccaneers fell 1-0 in a penalty shootout, giving the Patriots their second straight Class 3A title, and sixth since 2000.

Seminole's loss was almost as agonizing. After being reduced to 10 men early in the second half, the Warkhawks fought tooth and nail against ESPN Rise No.1 Melbourne only for Kristin Grubka to grab a 2-1 victory for the Bulldogs with a goal early in overtime.

With that victory, and the 25-0 perfect season, Melbourne was named ESPN Rise's Winter National Champion on Tuesday. The Bulldogs were, understandably, thrilled to have competed a second straight undefeated season, and took a moment to reflect on what a remarkable run they had embarked on the past two seasons.

Now, the boys championships are upon us, and Mitchell opens up play for the four bay area schools tonight when the Mustangs face Pembroke Pines Charter this evening at 5 p.m.

According to the Times' Izzy Gould, Mustangs coach Oscar Ubillus encouraged his players to visit Pepin Stadium last season for the boys final four, and last week for the girls, to help them envision what it would be like to be there themselves. The Tampa Tribune's Mike Camunas details the work the Mustangs have put in, with two-a-day practices in preparation for tonight's game.

Those of you who can't make the game, TBO.com will be broadcasting live from Pepin Stadium tonight, and you can follow the play-by-play from 4:45 p.m. here.

Preps: Tampa Prep girls fall short; Tough night for Hillsborough County boys

Tampa Prep’s hopes of a second state title were dashed on Friday night as the Terrapins were never able to find their rhythm against a strong Delray Beach American Heritage side that earned a 2-0 victory for its third state title.

The Tampa Tribune’s Jarrett Guthrie details the game here.

Seminole and Palm Harbor did advance to their respective finals today, the Warhawks coming through a torrential downpour for most of the game to edge Lynn Haven Mosley 1-0 in overtime while Palm Harbor eased past Miami Lourdes 2-0.

Berkeley Prep will try to earn its first state title this morning as it faces Plantation American Heritage at 11 a.m. PAH is going for its sixth state title, all earned since 2000, and its second straight, and enters as the No.9-ranked team in the country according to ESPN Rise.

If you can’t get to Pepin Stadium, you can follow all the action here, as TBO.com will be webcasting the game live.

Elsewhere, the St. Petersburg Times' Eduardo A. Encina reports that Hillsborough County is interested in keeping the State Soccer Finals in Tampa for the next two seasons. The county holds a two-year option, and Hillsborough County Athletic Director Lanness Robinson believes the tournament is "good for the community."

In boys action on Friday night, it was a tough night for Hillsborough County teams as Sickles, Newsome and Berkeley Prep all fell one step short of the final four with region final losses to Seminole, Auburndale and Fort Myers Bishop Verot respectively.

Newsome was unlucky not to reach its first final four in a 3-2 defeat to Auburndale, the Wolves controlling more possession and creating more chances. Unfortunately, they were unable to take advantage of their superiority where it mattered most, missing a first half penalty and having a second half goal ruled out on a close offside call, and the Bloodhounds made them pay.

Seminole played giant-killer again, defeating Sickles in a penalty shootout after the two sides had played to a 1-1 tie through regulation and overtime. After upsetting East Lake on Tuesday night, Warhawks coach Rick Masi told the Times' Joey Knight he wasn't competely sure he could explain the Warhawks playoff run.

Berkeley Prep couldn't hold on to a halftime lead against Bishop Verot, falling 2-1 to the Vikings. In a text message after the game, Buccaneers coach Tim Cooper said his side got away from its normal style of play, and paid the price for it.

That leaves Tampa Prep as the lone Hillsborough side remaining, the Terrapins’ match against Vero Beach St. Edward’s being postponed until today at 1 p.m.

In Pasco County, Mitchell reached the state final four for the first time with a 1-0 victory against Celebration. The Tribune’s Mike Camunas was at the game, and filed this report on the Mustangs remarkable run.

With Seminole already through after its shootout victory against Sickles, Palm Harbor can make it two Pinellas teams in the final four with a victory against Orlando Olympia this afternoon, the Hurricanes match being postponed on Friday night as well due to the heavy rains that swept through the state.

Preps: Terrapins, Buccaneers advance to state finals

It was a remarkable afternoon for Hillsborough County schools at the FHSAA Girls State Soccer Finals as both Tampa Prep and Berkeley Prep advanced to their respective state finals win convincing victories on Thursday.

The Terrapins got a pair of goals in the first 10 minutes, and were able to control the most of the game against Tallahassee Maclay in a 3-1 victory as they exuded confidence on the ball. They were also able to do an excellent job Reanna Leoni in check, Amber Miller and Isabel Dalence in particular doing an excellent job.

The Terrapins will need to put in a similar performance against Delray Beach American Heritage on Friday night if they are to claim the title, but with a big contingent of fans behind them, as there were on Thursday lunchtime, the Terrapins could win their second state title in three years.

Berkeley Prep May have been even more dominant, making Pensacola Catholic chase the ball all afternoon in a 1-0 victory on Samantha Newhaller’s early goal. The Buccaneers girls have never advanced to a state title game before in the program’s history, and with Ken Roberts now in his 30th season as the team’s head coach, it would be nice to see him claim a state championship against Plantation American Heritage on Saturday morning.

On Thursday, they were at close to their best, the passing and movement off the ball being excellent. Against the Patriots, that will likely pay dividends as American Heritage, 3-0 winners against Melbourne Central Catholic in the other semifinal, will likely not play the same defensive style that the Bucs found difficult to break down after their opening goal.

Friday’s action sees the attention switch to Pinellas County to begin, as Seminole face Lynn Haven Mosley at 12:45 p.m. in the 5A semifinals, with Palm Harbor taking on Miami Lourdes at 5;15 p.m.

The St. Petersburg Times' John C. Cotey writes that the Warhawks believe this is their year. Palm Harbor, on the other hand, has used a stingy defense that has given up only four goals in 22 games this season to reach this point.

Preps: Stout shines for Sickles, Seminole stuns East Lake, Newsome records remarkable rally in region semifinals

It wasn't the same level of play as their previous two encounters, thanks mainly to the high stakes involved, but the intensity between Sickles and Gaither last night lived up to all the pregame hype.

In the end, though, it was Sickles goalkeeper Brandon Stout who stole the show, stopping all three Gaither shooters in the penalty shootout to send his side through to the Class 5A-Region 3 final. According to Stout, it was the first time he had accomplished such a feat in a shootout at any level, and as I wrote here for the Tampa Tribune, before a shot even got taken, you could tell before the shootout began that Stout was at the peak of his game.

The Gryphons will face Seminole in the region final after the Warhawks stunned district rival East Lake 4-0. As The St. Petersburg Times' Bryan Burns writes here, it was the first time in five meetings this season that the Warhawks had defeated the Eagles, and they did so by playing a flawless game, taking an early lead and racking up a 3-0 advantage by halftime.

In Class 5A-Region 2, Newsome's remarkable run in their first region tournament continued thanks to Steven Gonzalez, who scored a hat trick including the game-winner, as the Wolves rallied for a 4-3 overtime victory against Plant City. The Tribune's Jarrett Guthrie was at the game, and filed this report.

The Wolves will now host Auburndale, which continued its run from being a district runner-up to the region final with a 2-0 victory against Ridge Community School on Tuesday.

In Class 4A, Jesuit's season came to an end against a strong, and experienced, Palmetto team trying to make its second straight run to the final four. As the Times' Eduardo A. Encina writes, Jesuit's youth was a key factor in the 4-1 defeat, but Coach Bob Bauman remained confident his side would be back and stronger for it next season.

Mitchell, on the other hand, is going to its first region final after the Mustangs defeated Land O' Lakes 3-2. As The Times' Izzy Gould writes, early goals from mistakes by the Gators proved crucial for the senior-heavy Mustangs.

The Mustangs will face Celebration in the region final after it defeated Ocala Vanguard 2-1.

Berkeley Prep set up the showdown with Fort Myers Bishop Verot most had been anticipating with a 7-1 victory against Clearwater Central Catholic. Kevin Harvey and T.J. Roeh each scored twice for the Buccaneers, Roehn reaching the 104 goal-mark for his career, putting him one behind Tyler Davis for the Buccaneers school record.

Bishop Verot has just as easy a time against DeSoto County, the No.22 team in the latest ESPN Rise national rankings earning a 6-1 victory.

Tampa Prep also cruised into the region final, Wes Sever notching a hat trick for the Terrapins in a 7-1 victory against Indian Rocks Christian. The Terrapins will travel to face Vero Beach St. Edward's in the region final after the Pirates defeated Evangelical Christian 3-1 to advance to the region final.

Preps: Palm Harbor, Seminole advance, Newsome falls

The Tampa Bay area will have four representitives at this weeks FHSAA Girls Soccer State Finals at the University of Tampa's Pepin Stadium after Palm Harbor University and Seminole both booked their places in the final four with victories on Saturday, joining Tampa Prep and Berkeley Prep.

The Hurricanes, currently the reigning 5A champions, needed to come from a goal down to force overtime, where Zoe Lombard scored the game-winning goal with just under two minutes left in the second overtime for a 2-1 victory against Apopka.

PHU, currently ranked No.10 in the nation by ESPN Rise, has won four state titles in its history, the first coming in 1999, and will look to continue its road to a fifth when it faces Miami Lourdes this Friday in the 6A semifinals.

Seminole, on the other hand, hasn't been to a final four since 1991, falling in the region finals each of the past two seasons. The Warhawks will now get the chance to win their first state championship under long-time coach Steve Kuplicki, first facing a semifinal against Lynn Haven Mosley after a 1-0 victory against Venice.

Newsome, though, won't be joining the Warhawks in the 5A semifinals after falling for the third straight season to Lakeland Jenkins in the region playoffs. ESPN Rise's No.3 team scored twice in the first half, and while the Wolves tried to rally, they were unable to come close enough to make the Eagles sweat out their 4-2 victory.

With both sides having good young players, as long as both schools stay in the same class, this could develop into a deep-seated rivalry, as Newsome and Freedom's girls teams had when they both opened at the same time. The Wolves will be back, and still be strong next season.

Preps: South Florida beckons for four Chargers

CLEARWATER – As was the case at signing ceremonies across the area, and likely the country on Wednesday, the excitement level at the Safety Harbor Resort and Spa was high.

“This is just a great feeling,” Berkeley Prep’s T.J. Roehn said. “I’ve been dreaming about this for a while, so it’s just awesome.”

Roehn was one of 27 Clearwater Chargers who signed with their respective colleges on Wednesday night. With another two of the clubs’ players already enrolled at the schools of their choice, it was the largest class the Chargers program has ever produced.

In amongst those were four players, including Roehn, who will continue their careers in Tampa at the University of South Florida. Joining Roehn were his Under-18 Academy teammates Ben Sweat (Palm Harbor), Javon Bostic (East Lake) and Shane Wixted (Seminole). Wixted shared Roehn’s excitement at the opportunity to continue his career as a Bull.

“It means a lot to me,” Wixted said. “I’ve worked hard for this my whole life since I was 4 years old, and now I’ve going to get to accomplish my dream.”

All of the players gave credit to the Chargers’ Academy program for helping them get this far. Other members of the team that signed on Wednesday included Tampa Prep’s Wes Sever (George Mason) and Anthony Baumann (Providence), Mitchell’s Max Rockwell (Southern Methodist) and Berkeley Prep’s Michael Attal (Columbia). Established three years ago, the elevated level of play and practice the Chargers get from the U.S. Soccer Federation Development Academy League has helped the players, as has the exposure they get from being part of the USSF Academy set-up.

“The Chargers have done so many things for me, not just as a player but as a person,” Wixted said. “Just playing-wise, I’ve become such a better player because they have great coaches there.”

South Florida recruiting local players strongly is nothing new. Wharton’s Ogi Perucica is part of the Bulls outgoing senior class, and players like goalkeeper Jeff Attinella from Countryside, who was named a First Team All-American last December, Fernando Gonzalez of Gaither and Sebastian Thuriere of Seminole have become fixtures in the Bulls starting XI.

For this many players from one club to be going to the same school together, though, is somewhat unprecedented. Chargers Academy coach Garth Pollonais said he believes the Bulls are making an even stronger effort than in the past to recruit the best of the local talent.

“I think USF realized we have a lot of talent in our own backyard,” Pollonais said. “So even though they will still get foreign players, they know there’s a crop of players in their backyard, so they took a close look at the crop of players in their backyard and realized, ‘hey, we’ve got some players who could come in and really make an impact for our program, and we don’t have to go all over the country to find them.’ So fortunately for us, they got four of them.”

Ben Sweat was the first of the quartet to commit, closely followed by Roehn and Bostic before Wixted decommitted from Providence to also become a Bull. But while players often factor in the decisions of their teammates, all the Chargers players said their teammates’ decisions weren’t that big a factor in their decision, Bostic saying he had his sights set on being a Bull from the moment he arrived from Arizona four years ago.

“I went to a summer camp there, and I just fell in love with the place,” Bostic said. “I got lots of offers, but as soon as USF offered me, I was hooked and I committed right away.”

That said, all four players are glad they will have friends on the team when they enroll with South Florida in the fall as they look forward to the chance to continue their careers together.

“It’s a really good feeling,” Sweat said. “It’s just a dream. Big East school, top 5 in the country, it’s a dream come true.”

Preps: Hurricanes advance, defeat Panthers; Wolves, Buccaneers, Terrapins all into region finals

Defending Class 5A champion Palm Harbor University continued its bid for a second straight state title, this time in Class 6A, with an impressive 2-0 victory against Plant.

But, as I wrote for the Tampa Tribune this morning, the Panthers were disappointed not to have played to the level that had for the rest of the season.

Don't take anything away from the Hurricanes performance, though. Forwards Catherine Brinkman and Kelly Phipps were a constant thorn in the Panthers' side, illustrating perfectly how a side can control a game when every member of the team from the front back is committed to defending strongly, Colleen Lynch and Anja Decker also doing an excellent job in midfield.

The Hurricanes will now travel to face Apopka, which advanced to the first region final with a 3-1 victory against Palm Bay.

Newsome will again get to face Lakeland George Jenkins for a place in the Class 5A final four after the Wolves defeated district rival East Bay 3-1. Tribune girls correspondent Jarrett Guthrie was at the game, and filed this story.

Jenkins, on the other hand, got a slightly tougher game than the last time they faced Winter Haven, advancing 4-1. Friday's meeting in Lakeland will be the fourth consecutive season the Wolves and Eagles will have met in the playoffs, Newsome winning the first meeting in 2007 before the Eagles took the last two meetings, including a 1-0 overtime victory last season.

Freedom wasn't able to join Newsome in the region final, a 5-1 defeat to a powerful Venice squad ending the Patriots season. Freedom coach Chris Hinkle was highly impressed with the Indians performance, according to the St. Petersburg Times' Joey Knight.

Venice will now host another bay area team, Seminole, which had Jordyn Turner to thank for its 2-1 victory against East Lake.

In Class 4A, Steinbrenner's undefeated season came to an end at the hands of Lakewood Ranch. The Times' Eduardo A. Encina saw the 2-1 Lakewood Ranch victory.

While the Warriors' remarkable run came to an end, Hudson's continued on with a 4-3 victory against River Ridge. Tribune correspondent Mike Camunas saw the Cobras rally back from a 3-1 deficit to advance to the first region final in school history.

The Cobras will now face Eustis in the region final hoping that the third time will be the charm. Eustis has eliminated Hudson from the players for the past two seasons.

Berkeley Prep advanced to face Fort Myers Bishop Verot in Class 3A, but the 4-1 final score didn't indicate how close most of the game was, according to The Times' Keith Niebuhr.

And finally, Tampa Prep advanced to the Class 2A-Region 3 final with a 3-1 victory against Bradenton St. Stephen's, fighting off some early game nerves before Isabel Dalence and Caroline Cheek found the net to send the Terrapins through to face West Palm Beach King's Academy on Friday.

Preps: East Lake boys earns victory, Durant, Newsome fight for position

East Lake’s boys moved one step closer to a Pinellas County Athletic Conference title with a win against Seminole last night. The St. Petersburg Times’ Bryan Burns was at the game, and filed this report, which also includes round-ups from Palm Harbor and Countryside boys and girls games, and details of a good district win for Berkeley Prep’s girls.

http://hometeam.tampabay.com/blog/2010/jan/06/county-roundup-east-lake-closer-pcac-title/

Elsewhere on the boys side, Durant moved its winning streak to five games with a 4-0 win against Tampa Bay Tech, all four goals coming in the second half as Billy Fanning struck twice to give him 16 goals on the season. The Cougars have the same record as Newsome in district (3-0-2), which defeated Armwood 5-0 on Tuesday, Carlos Galeano scoring twice for the Wolves. The two teams tied 3-3 when they met earlier in the season, but Newsome would appear to have the upper hand in securing the No.2 seed for the 5A-District 8 tournament as it hosts Tampa Bay Tech in its final district game, while Durant has to face current district leader Plant City on Friday.

In Class 6A-District 8, Bloomingdale and Wharton played to a 2-2 tie, opening the door for Plant to earn the No.1 seed in the district tournament. To earn it, the Panthers would need to defeat current third-placed side Alonso on Friday night.

On the girl’s side, Gaither took an impressive 2-0 win against Sickles though goals by Madison Henriquez and Ashley Acco. Bloomingdale also earned a convincing 6-0 victory against Wharton, freshman Elyse Fontecchio scoring a hat trick.

Preps: Sweat gives Hurricanes opening win; Gators also victorious

TAMPA – Palm Harbor’s Ben Sweat helped get his team off to a good start at the High School Soccer Classic at the Ed Radice Sports Complex as his second-half goal gave the Hurricanes a 1-0 victory against Lake Mary in an entertaining clash on Saturday evening.

Sweat scored in the 60th minute, latching onto a long clearance from goalkeeper Joshua Paul before firing home low past the goalkeeper. That it took so long for either side to score was surprising, for both teams has good opportunities to break the deadlock before Sweat finally did, but Palm Harbor coach Alex Delgado was very happy it was his side that had come out on top.

“We definitely ducked some chances on their part in the first half, and as soon as we scored, there was a great opportunity for them,” Delgado said. “But I told (my players), it seemed like they had exhausted themselves in the first half to get that first goal … They didn’t put their chances away tonight, and a great ball by Josh, our keeper, put Ben in, and he put it away.”

Land O’ Lakes also took victory in its opening game, a first half goal by Tim Falcon proving enough for the Gators to earn a 1-0 victory against Monteverde Academy. Land O’ Lakes coach Mark Pearson was very happy with his side’s performance, especially in the defensive end where the Gators only allowed three shots on goal.

“We played very well,” Pearson said. “It was a great team effort, the kids played fantastic. We knew what to look for coming into the game, and we did everything that we wanted to do. We were unfortunate not to grab another couple of goals late on the counter-attack, but we did everything right for the first game.”

The same could not be said of Gaither, who went behind in a poor first half against Orlando Bishop Moore, and were unable to break down the Hornets tight defense in falling 1-0. Cowboys coach Eris Sims said adjusting from the small high school fields his side had played on throughout this season to the more conventionally-sized pitches at the Radice Complex was an adjustment his side had struggled with.

“It was a fair result, I thought they were a good side, and they deserved to win,” Sims said. “When they play on the small fields in Hillsborough County, you don’t have to run far before the ball's going out of bounds. It was an adjustment we weren’t able to make, I just hope we play better on Monday.”

Seminole also fell, a hat trick by Melbourne’s Ryan Price in the final 20 minutes of the game giving the Bulldogs a 3-0 victory. Melbourne had started the better of the two sides, Price having a volley well saved and hitting the post with another first half effort, but as the game wore on the Warhawks began to come into the game more against the defending Class 6A champions.

In the end, though, Price’s speed and the timing of his runs to beat the Seminole offside trap proved decisive.

“He was the difference in this game, in my opinion,” Seminole coach Rick Masi said. “I thought it was a pretty good game up until that point, but as I was just telling the boys I thought after the second goal we caved in.”

Countryside also fell on a late goal to Orangewood Christian, the Rams earning a 2-1 victory, putting a place for the Cougars in the quarterfinals a long way away.

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.

Preps: Panthers down Warhawks, reach Invitational final

TAMPA – Plant earned the right to defend its Lady Wildcat Invitational title as goals either side of halftime gave the Panthers a 2-0 victory against Seminole on Wednesday night at Wharton High.

“That is a good win,” Panthers coach Steve McGill said. “Seminole’s a strong, strong team, and they’ve always had a great program, so I’m very excited with that.”

The Panthers had opportunities to take the lead early, pressuring the Warhawks goal and twice hitting the post, but the breakthrough came on a slight piece of good fortune. Seven minutes before the break, Kelly Coker made a run down the right, and as she approached the byline looked to center the ball into the penalty area. Coker caught the ball with the outside of her right foot, though, and with Seminole’s goalkeeper cheating off her line in anticipation of the cross, the ball bent the other way, and snuck in at the near post.

The Panthers were able to double their lead more conventionally in the 52nd minute as Linzy Rakestraw scored to make the score 2-0, and Plant continued to play well and control the game following that. Then, with about 15 minutes to go, Seminole began to take hold, and Lauryn Bodden had to be sharp to deny excellent shots from Megan Lawrence and Sierra Lelii to maintain the Panthers’ two-goal advantage.

McGill said closing out games was something the Panthers needed to work on, after being eliminated from the region playoffs last season when facing a similar situation.

“When we played East Lake in the regions, and we had a 2-0 lead with 18 minutes to go,” McGill said. “We started to get sloppy, I don’t know it we were tired, or if it was ‘the game’s almost over, let’s just get the ball out,’ but we stopped control of possession and our time on the ball, and we’re allowing them to have more and generate more attacks.

“Same thing tonight, we’re working the ball, working the ball, working the ball, and then it started getting a little ping-pongy, started getting a little clear-happy instead of controlling it.”

The Panthers will get a rematch of last year’s final on Saturday afternoon as it faces Newsome. The Wolves advanced with a shootout victory against Clearwater Central Catholic on Tuesday night, and McGill is eager to face another tough squad.

“I’ve been excited about this whole tournament,” McGill said. “This is like the upper-echelon of Hillsborough, and when you throw in CCC and Seminole and you’ve got great talent right here. This is an awesome tournament to get a guage on where your season could go.”

Preps: Wolves into final, Panthers, Warhawks to meet in second semi

TAMPA – Newsome goalkeeper Teena Fehling saved all three Clearwater Central Catholic shootout attempts, while Emily Jones, Shea Rhoney and Caroline Evers all converted from the spot to put the Wolves into the final of the Lady Wildcat Invitational on Saturday after the two teams had played to a 2-2 tie in regulation at Wharton High on Tuesday night.

“I look at their eyes before they shoot,” Fehling said. “Usually people try to trick you up before they shoot, so I go the opposite way of the way they look.”

CCC had opened the scoring in the 18th minute as a looping shot from distance by Kaitlin Parker found its way just under the crossbar, but the Wolves tied the game just before halftime as Rhoney’s free kick from the left was sent back into the center of the penalty area by Evers on the right, and Jackie Simpson directed a first-time shot into the left corner of the net.

Newsome came out sharply to start the second half, winning a lot of possession in midfield as they outworked the Marauders and started finding better passes to create scoring opportunities. That paid off in the 59th minute as Maria Cate slid a through-ball in for Evers, who was cutting in from the right. Evers timed her run well to stay onside, putting her in behind the CCC defense, and she then coolly finished into the bottom left corner of the net.

Ever's goal appeared it would be the game-winner as the Wolves remained in control, but in the final 10 minutes the game began to get ragged, and CCC took advantage with four minutes to go as Alex Alberdi made a run through the right channel, fought through a challenge by a Wolves defender, and fired a shot into the left corner of the net.

Newsome coach Kelly Townsend was disappointed with how her side opened, but thought they responded well after going a goal down.

“We definitely came out and took control in the second half, and that’s what we needed to do,” Townsend said. “The thing we need to work on the most, I think, is to do that from the very start of the game, rather than wait until the second half, because we play a hard schedule, and a lot of teams aren’t going to give us second chances.”

Newsome will face the winner of Wednesday night’s second semifinal between Plant and Seminole. Connor Zwetsch scored a hat trick as the Panthers defeated Freedom 3-0, the FSU commit being found by Kaitlyn Steckel as she made a late, unmarked run into the penalty area before shooting home her first in the 23rd minute.

Zwetsch added her second when she headed home from Molly Ganther’s corner kick, and finished off her hat trick after good work from Ellen Moore down the left provided a cross for a first-time finish.

Freedom didn’t play poorly, Jessica Baumann having a strong game, but Plant’s quality was too much for the Patriots. Panthers coach Steve McGill was happy with his side’s performance.

“I’m very happy,” McGill said. “I thought the effort from every single girl in every position was unbelievable, and I’m most happy that at 2-0, there was no letdown from our side. We kept fighting, kept putting the pressure on, it was too good of a team to let them back in. If we had started getting weak and lazy in the midfield and started losing the 50-50s, that team could have come back and really made it tough for us.”

Freedom coach Chris Hinkle was pleased with the way his side played in the first half, but was a little disappointed with its fitness as the Patriots didn’t quite have the same energy after halftime.

“I think we struggled with some fitness, which I was surprised by, I thought we were in better shape,” Hinkle said. “That’s good though, we played a good team who let us know in the first game how we’re going to match up for the rest of the season. Obviously Plant’s a good team, and it’s always tough to start out your season with that, but I’m OK with it.”

The Warhawks went behind in the first minute against Durant, but finished the game on cruise control in a 6-1 win as Sierra Lelii and Megan Lawrence each found the net twice.

Durant took the lead as Riley Andreu caught the Seminole defense napping, latching onto a ball over the top before finishing nicely into the right corner of the net. From then on, though, Seminole showed why they reached the Class 5A region final last season, scoring four before halftime as Lelii in particular was excellent going forward, adding a pair of assists to her goals.

Preps: Lady Wildcat Invitational raises curtain on fascinating season

TAMPA – Wharton High’s fifth Lady Wildcat Invitational kicks off tonight, raising the curtain on what could prove to be a fascinating season for girls soccer in the bay area.

The eight-team tournament may have the strongest field in its history, with all four of the tournament’s semifinalists returning from a season ago, and the inclusion of Freedom and Seminole, both of which return strong squads.

Plant is the defending champion, having defeated Newsome in a shootout in last year’s final. While the Panthers have lost players like Lexi Rakestraw, Megan Fate and Courtney Zwetsch, the Panthers may actually be a stronger squad than last season. Junior forward Connor Zwetsch has already committed to Florida State, while goalkeeper Lauren Bodden and center back Amy Werdine will lead what should be a strong defense.

Those players, and an increase in depth coming off the bench, have Panthers coach Steve McGill thinking big as the team starts the season.

“I expect us to contend for the (state) title” McGill said. “I expect us to be playing at the end of the season. I think we definitely have the team and the capability to do that.”

The Panthers should get a good test to open the season when they face Freedom on Tuesday evening. Patriots coach Chris Hinkle lost his best player from last season in forward Monique LaMotte, but returns the rest of his starting 11 from a season ago.

With a large freshman class having gained a lot of experience last season coupled with the experience of players like Olivia Bloemke, the Patriots have a strong chance to win their first district title this season.

“Last year, I had a handful of starters come back,” Hinkle said, “but I incorporated a lot of new freshmen into the line-up had to get them comfortable with playing 17-, 18-year-old girls when they were 14-, 15-year-olds themselves. Now I feel like as sophomores, they’re ready to play, and I’ve got a lot of options.”

A side that is facing a similar circumstance to Freedom last season is Newsome, which lost nine starters from last season, including standouts such as Ana Cate, Kendall Graham and Morgan Sammons. But Coach Kelly Townsend isn’t expecting a drop-off from her side, with the Wolves appearing to have a strong group of young players ready to step into the starting line-up.

“Nothing short of what we’ve accomplished in years past, if not further,” Townsend said when asked of expectations for this season. “I think our transition from last year to this year has been a really smooth one, I’ve had a lot of players improve over the last year, I’ve had a lot of players get stronger over the last year and I’m really excited about this.”

One team that appears to be ready to make move is host Wharton. After having squads made up primarily of underclassmen for the past few seasons, Coach Denis Vukorep now has a more balanced squad. He expects that to bring greater consistency to his side.

“I just think we’re a team that maybe people aren’t thinking about that we’re going to have a good season,” Vukorep said. “I think we’ve shown in the past that on any given day we can post a result, and I think this year we’re going to show we can be a little more consistent.”

The Wildcats open against Clearwater Central Catholic, one of two teams to come across the bay to compete in the tournament this year. The other is Seminole, which reached the Class 5A Region final last season before losing to eventual state champion Palm Harbor.

The Warhawks haven’t lost much from that squad, and return forward Megan Lawrence who had 27 goals last season. The Warhawks also return Lawrence’s strike partner Noel Forsman and junior Sierra Lelii, midfielders Melanie Benner and Gina Heyduke, defender Tara Delvin and goalkeeper Casey Merson. Seminole coach Steve Kuplicki is looking forward to seeing how his team performs this week.

“Playing in this Wharton tournament really does give us an idea of where we are early in the season,” Kuplicki said. “What coaches do is they’ll try to look for combinations and things that will work well, especially with a tournament like this early in the season. The competition is going to be good, and we’re looking forward to it.”

Preps: Seminole replaces Sickles at Lady Wildcat Invitational

Seminole has been added to the Lady Wildcat Invitational hosted by Wharton after Sickles withdrew from the tournament.

The Warhawks will meet Durant on Tuesday in the opening round, with Clearwater Central Catholic now facing host Wharton on Monday evening. The other two first round games, Alonso vs. Newsome and Plant vs. Freedom, remain as previously scheduled.

SCHEDULE

Monday, Nov. 2

Game 1 – Alonso vs. Newsome, 5 p.m.
Game 2 – Wharton vs. Clearwater Central Catholic, 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 3
Game 3 – Seminole vs. Durant, 5 p.m.
Game 4 – Plant vs. Freedom, 6:30 p.m.
Game 5 – Alonso/Newsome winner vs. Wharton/CCC winner, 8 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov.4
Game 6 – Alonso/Newsome loser vs. Wharton/CCC loser, 5 p.m.
Game 7 – Seminole/Durant loser vs. Plant/Freedom loser, 6:30 p.m.
Game 8 – Seminole/Durant winner vs. Plant/Freedom winner, 8 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 7
Game 9 – Game 3 loser vs. Game 7 loser, 9 a.m.
Game 10 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 7 winner, 10:30 a.m.
Game 11 – Game 5 loser vs. Game 8 loser, noon
Championship – Game 5 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 2 p.m.