The Plant Panthers will enter the girls region playoffs as the top-ranked team in Hillsborough County as they remained No.1 in the final Hillsborough County Coaches Poll of the season when it was released on Monday morning.
The Panthers defeated No.3 Bloomingdale 1-0 for the Class 6A-District 8 title on Friday, and will host Countryside in the Class 6A-Region 2 quarterfinals on Thursday evening.
Berkeley Prep finished in the No.2 slot after winning the Class 3A-District 10 title. The Buccaneers will host Frostproof on Thursday night.
The remainder of the top five remained the same, with Newsome at No.4 and Steinbrenner at No.5. Freedom jumped into the No.6 slot after their 5-0 victory in the 5A-9 final against Hillsborough, and Tampa Prep is ranked No.8 entering the Class 2A-Region 3 playoffs.
The full poll can be found below:
1. Plant (20-1-1)
2. Berkeley Prep (17-4-2)
3. Bloomingdale (13-5-3)
4. Newsome (14-3-4)
5. Steinbrenner (15-0-2)
6. Freedom (12-3-4)
7. East Bay (12-4-2)
8. Tampa Prep (15-5-4)
9. Wharton (9-7-4)
10. Hillsborough (12-3-1)
Showing posts with label Steinbrenner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Steinbrenner. Show all posts
Monday, January 25, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
Preps: Ortiz, Steinbrenner stun Jesuit, earn No.1 seed
LUTZ – Steinbrenner boys soccer coach Chad Ebright was expecting his side’s game against Jesuit to be a measuring stick as to where his side was in its first season.
After the opening minute, the Warriors weren’t measuring up well, going behind to a goal by the Tigers’ Michael Cadavid.
“I’m thinking that the wheels can come off the cart very easily,” Ebright said of the start to the game.
But while the Tigers continued to press forward, the Warriors held strong defensively and a pair of goals by freshman Oli Ortiz, his second coming with eight minutes to go, gave Steinbrenner a 2-1 victory and the No.1 seed for the Class 4A-District 9 tournament.
Gaining confidence as the second half went on, Ortiz picked up a pass down the right from Logan Siben 40 yards out, and attacked his defender one-on-one. Ortiz then feinted to go left before cutting onto his right foot and curling a beautiful shot into the net from 20 yards out for his ninth of the season.
“My dad taught me that,” Ortiz said. “Make him go (left), then cutting him back and taking a shot.”
Ortiz produced just as good a finish in the 13th minute to get the Warriors back on even terms, running onto a pass from Philip Jorge before chipping his shot over the advancing goalkeeper into the vacant net.
Jesuit almost retook the lead a minute later, but the Warriors were able to clear the ball to safety after a scramble in their penalty area. Tiger midfielder Stephen Gathman then went close, his flicked header going just wide off a corner, and Brett Durrance saw his deflected shot go just wide as the Tigers had the better of the play in the first half.
That didn’t prevent the Warriors from carving out chances of their own, though, and Davi Martins had his shot well saved after he controlled a header by Ortiz in the penalty area before weaving past a pair of defenders to create an opening.
The Tigers then missed a pair of golden opportunities to take the lead, one coming either side of halftime. Six minutes before the break a low cross from the left was spooned over the crossbar by Chris Conlon from close-range, and then two minutes into the second half Tyler Hartlage shot high from eight yards out with the goal at his mercy after an excellent low cross by Durrance. Jesuit coach Bob Bauman was disappointed with the lack of finishing and with the effort from his side.
“I think the biggest thing was that we didn’t show up,” Bauman said. “We scored a goal and we let up and we never got back in the game. Once they scored, it got their confidence up and we missed our chances early in the second half and they took their chance late in the second half. You’ve got to hand it to them, they were two terrific goals, two stunning goals, but they came from mistakes we made.”
As disappointed as the Tigers were, the Warriors were elated, the entire bench rushing onto the field at the final whistle to celebrate completing a perfect 8-0-0 run through their district schedule. Ebright said getting the No.1 seed for the district tournament was an important step, as it should provide an easier path to a district title, and the region tournament.
“Our goal at the beginning of the season was to become the No.1 seed in the district, that was our early goal,” Ebright said. “I’m proud of the boys, I’m proud of the way we played, and we came out here to do a job, and that’s what we did. We say it every day in practice, we’re here to do a job, and that’s what we got done tonight. We came out here against a very talented team, and we played very well.”
After the opening minute, the Warriors weren’t measuring up well, going behind to a goal by the Tigers’ Michael Cadavid.
“I’m thinking that the wheels can come off the cart very easily,” Ebright said of the start to the game.
But while the Tigers continued to press forward, the Warriors held strong defensively and a pair of goals by freshman Oli Ortiz, his second coming with eight minutes to go, gave Steinbrenner a 2-1 victory and the No.1 seed for the Class 4A-District 9 tournament.
Gaining confidence as the second half went on, Ortiz picked up a pass down the right from Logan Siben 40 yards out, and attacked his defender one-on-one. Ortiz then feinted to go left before cutting onto his right foot and curling a beautiful shot into the net from 20 yards out for his ninth of the season.
“My dad taught me that,” Ortiz said. “Make him go (left), then cutting him back and taking a shot.”
Ortiz produced just as good a finish in the 13th minute to get the Warriors back on even terms, running onto a pass from Philip Jorge before chipping his shot over the advancing goalkeeper into the vacant net.
Jesuit almost retook the lead a minute later, but the Warriors were able to clear the ball to safety after a scramble in their penalty area. Tiger midfielder Stephen Gathman then went close, his flicked header going just wide off a corner, and Brett Durrance saw his deflected shot go just wide as the Tigers had the better of the play in the first half.
That didn’t prevent the Warriors from carving out chances of their own, though, and Davi Martins had his shot well saved after he controlled a header by Ortiz in the penalty area before weaving past a pair of defenders to create an opening.
The Tigers then missed a pair of golden opportunities to take the lead, one coming either side of halftime. Six minutes before the break a low cross from the left was spooned over the crossbar by Chris Conlon from close-range, and then two minutes into the second half Tyler Hartlage shot high from eight yards out with the goal at his mercy after an excellent low cross by Durrance. Jesuit coach Bob Bauman was disappointed with the lack of finishing and with the effort from his side.
“I think the biggest thing was that we didn’t show up,” Bauman said. “We scored a goal and we let up and we never got back in the game. Once they scored, it got their confidence up and we missed our chances early in the second half and they took their chance late in the second half. You’ve got to hand it to them, they were two terrific goals, two stunning goals, but they came from mistakes we made.”
As disappointed as the Tigers were, the Warriors were elated, the entire bench rushing onto the field at the final whistle to celebrate completing a perfect 8-0-0 run through their district schedule. Ebright said getting the No.1 seed for the district tournament was an important step, as it should provide an easier path to a district title, and the region tournament.
“Our goal at the beginning of the season was to become the No.1 seed in the district, that was our early goal,” Ebright said. “I’m proud of the boys, I’m proud of the way we played, and we came out here to do a job, and that’s what we did. We say it every day in practice, we’re here to do a job, and that’s what we got done tonight. We came out here against a very talented team, and we played very well.”
Preps: Steinbrenner to get to mark progress against Jesuit
Steinbrenner High’s boys coach Chad Ebright didn’t know exactly what he should expect from his side when it began its inaugural season.
Tonight, though, the Warriors have a chance to see how far they’ve come as they face perennial power Jesuit with the No.1 seed in Class 4A-District 9 at stake. Steinbrenner can earn the No.1 seed with just a draw, but a win against the most storied program in Hillsborough County would certainly make a statement for the program.
“Our goal is to get our program mentioned with the top teams in the county,” Ebright said “The only way we can do that is to play the top teams in the county.”
The Warriors have played a limited schedule this season, with the bulk of their games coming against weak district opposition. The Warriors also lost 5-2 to Alonso, and drew with Freedom 2-2 in what where the two big non-district tests of the season, with a 2-0 win against Robinson in their last game before the holiday break putting them in position to earn the No.1 district seed.
Jesuit tied Robinson 2-2 earlier in the season, leaving it behind Steinbrenner in the 4A-9 standings, doing everything by find a game-winner in the second half of the contest. The Tigers now appear to be back to their regular form, the only loss since a 4-3 defeat to Tampa Prep on Nov.18 coming against ESPN Rise No.4 New Orleans Jesuit in the High School Classic.
As intimidating as Jesuit can be, Ebright believes the most important thing for his players to realize before the game is that they aren’t playing the Tigers’ history.
“My job is to make sure the boys realize we’re not playing the history of Jesuit, we’re playing the 2009-10 team only,” Ebright said. “We need to step onto the field understanding that that’s who we’re playing against, we’re not playing against their history. As far as the play on the field goes, we need to do the best job we can to control the pace of the game, and hopefully get Jesuit to play our game and not vice-versa.”
Tonight, though, the Warriors have a chance to see how far they’ve come as they face perennial power Jesuit with the No.1 seed in Class 4A-District 9 at stake. Steinbrenner can earn the No.1 seed with just a draw, but a win against the most storied program in Hillsborough County would certainly make a statement for the program.
“Our goal is to get our program mentioned with the top teams in the county,” Ebright said “The only way we can do that is to play the top teams in the county.”
The Warriors have played a limited schedule this season, with the bulk of their games coming against weak district opposition. The Warriors also lost 5-2 to Alonso, and drew with Freedom 2-2 in what where the two big non-district tests of the season, with a 2-0 win against Robinson in their last game before the holiday break putting them in position to earn the No.1 district seed.
Jesuit tied Robinson 2-2 earlier in the season, leaving it behind Steinbrenner in the 4A-9 standings, doing everything by find a game-winner in the second half of the contest. The Tigers now appear to be back to their regular form, the only loss since a 4-3 defeat to Tampa Prep on Nov.18 coming against ESPN Rise No.4 New Orleans Jesuit in the High School Classic.
As intimidating as Jesuit can be, Ebright believes the most important thing for his players to realize before the game is that they aren’t playing the Tigers’ history.
“My job is to make sure the boys realize we’re not playing the history of Jesuit, we’re playing the 2009-10 team only,” Ebright said. “We need to step onto the field understanding that that’s who we’re playing against, we’re not playing against their history. As far as the play on the field goes, we need to do the best job we can to control the pace of the game, and hopefully get Jesuit to play our game and not vice-versa.”
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.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Preps: Panthers need shootout, but win Sarasota Elite division
Plant's girls couldn't find the net in regulation, but defeated St. Petersburg Catholic in a shootout to win the Sarasota Holiday Tournament's Elite division.
Tampa Tribune girls soccer correspondent Jarrett Guthrie was at the game, and provides details here.
Steinbrenner also completed an impressive weekend, defeating Dade Christian 3-1 in the Premiere division final. For the weekend, the Warriors outscored their opponents 14-2 in sweeping to the final. Details on that victory can be found here.
Tampa Tribune girls soccer correspondent Jarrett Guthrie was at the game, and provides details here.
Steinbrenner also completed an impressive weekend, defeating Dade Christian 3-1 in the Premiere division final. For the weekend, the Warriors outscored their opponents 14-2 in sweeping to the final. Details on that victory can be found here.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Preps: Panthers, Barons start strongly at Sarasota Tournament
Plant and St. Petersburg Catholic were the two teams to finish the opening day of the Sarasota Girls Holiday Tournament with two wins out of two, the Panthers defeating Tampa Prep 5-0 and Berkeley Prep 1-0 on Friday with the Barons edging out Bloomingdale and Miami Lourdes each by a score of 1-0.
Berkeley Prep or Bloomingdale could still advance to the final as they face each other on Saturday morning. Either side would need help to jump St. Petersburg Catholic, but could get it from Newsome, which will likely be looking to end the tournament on a high note after a 3-1 loss to Berkeley and a 2-2 tie against Tampa Prep.
Tampa Tribune correspondent Jarrett Guthrie has more details here, including Steinbrenner posting a pair of impressive wins in the Premiere division.
Berkeley Prep or Bloomingdale could still advance to the final as they face each other on Saturday morning. Either side would need help to jump St. Petersburg Catholic, but could get it from Newsome, which will likely be looking to end the tournament on a high note after a 3-1 loss to Berkeley and a 2-2 tie against Tampa Prep.
Tampa Tribune correspondent Jarrett Guthrie has more details here, including Steinbrenner posting a pair of impressive wins in the Premiere division.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Preps: Captain's leadership keying Warriors' success
Steinbrenner High boys coach Chad Ebright is crediting his side’s captains for the strong start the Warriors have made to their inaugural season.The Warriors lost their first game of the season on Tuesday night to Alonso, but rebounded with a 2-0 victory through goals by Austin Renz and Oliver Ortiz against fellow new school Strawberry Crest on Wednesday to move to 7-1-0. The Warriors are also 6-0-0 in district play so far, giving them an excellent chance of a high seed in the Class 4A-District 9 tournament.
“We have five juniors of our roster of 24,” Ebright said, “but my captains are incredible. They are incredible to coach. They want to learn, and they want the team to be successful, so it’s been a nice situation to come into.”
Juniors Phillip Jorge and Tony Melatti and sophomore Renz are the Warriors’ captains, but the Warriors' attack has been very balanced, with seven players having scored multiple goals. Ortiz leads the side with seven goals, with Jorge having added six and four assists.
The Warriors face their toughest district tests either side of the holiday break, with a game against Robinson on Wednesday, and then a game against Jesuit on Jan. 8 to close out their district schedule. Ebright said that his side is looking forward to facing the Tigers.
“The boys are all real excited to play Jesuit,” Ebright said. “We all know how successful (Jesuit coach) Bob (Bauman’s) been over there, and that team, so the boys were excited to hear that they were in our district and it’s a good measuring stick. We’ve had some success early, but the season is much longer than just those first seven games.”
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Preps: Steinbrenner aiming high in inaugural season
LUTZ – It’s rare for any new high school sports program to enter its first season with the goal of hosting a region tournament game.
But for Steinbrenner High’s girls soccer team, that goal doesn’t seem at all unrealistic.
The Warriors take the field at Gaither on Tuesday night for their first regular season game with a squad far more experienced than many others have had the good fortune to field. Within Steinbrenner’s squad are a number of players who won a district title with Sickles last season, and have the intention of doing the same thing at their new school.
“We want to make this school known for its girls soccer team,” junior Carly Keene said. “I came from Sickles, and we won districts last year, and I want to win it again because that felt great, and to be the first girls soccer team at Steinbrenner High to win districts would be awesome.”
If they are to achieve their goal of immediate success, it would appear they have the right coach in place to accomplish it. Former Gaither coach Teresa Patterson has had experience starting soccer programs on the college level, first as an assistant when the University of Alabama-Birmingham began its women’s program in 1996, and then as the head coach of Marshall in 1998.
Patterson said taking the opportunity to coach at Steinbrenner wasn’t one she could pass up.
“Those experiences (in college) let me know it would be a lot of work, but it is really rewarding because you get to start everything from the beginning and make it the way you want,” Patterson said.
What has been most rewarding for Patterson so far is the roles the experienced players on her squad have taken. From the opening day of training, the team’s goal has been to earn at least a district title. That sort of success wouldn’t be unprecedented in Hillsborough County. Six years ago, Newsome opened, and won a district title in its first season, reaching the Class 4A Region final before falling to eventual state champion Tarpon Springs. The Warriors could end up following a similar path.
“The juniors and sophomores helped frame the goal that they want to host a regional game, which means they want to win districts,” Patterson said. “I think that would be lofty for any other first-year program, but since this group has had this collective experience together, and comes from such established club programs, I think it’s realistic.”
“The best players we could possibly have, we have here,” forward CiCi Gonzalez said. Gonzalez led Sickles with 13 goals a season ago. “We’re young, but we’re skilled and we’ve played together a lot of us, so we know how to play with each other, it’s not all coming together jumbled.”
That could be trouble for the Warriors’ Class 4A-District 9 opponents. With Strawberry Crest also present, the rest of the district has not historically had strong soccer programs.
Which in turn gives the Warriors even more belief that this season could be a special one.
“They do have pride in Steinbrenner soccer, and from the beginning they have,” Patterson said. “Not one of them has anything but excitement and positive words to say about where we’re going to go as a group. Usually you hear a little bit about the past, but they’re all about the future, the present and the future, and it’s really refreshing to hear and exciting.”
But for Steinbrenner High’s girls soccer team, that goal doesn’t seem at all unrealistic.
The Warriors take the field at Gaither on Tuesday night for their first regular season game with a squad far more experienced than many others have had the good fortune to field. Within Steinbrenner’s squad are a number of players who won a district title with Sickles last season, and have the intention of doing the same thing at their new school.
“We want to make this school known for its girls soccer team,” junior Carly Keene said. “I came from Sickles, and we won districts last year, and I want to win it again because that felt great, and to be the first girls soccer team at Steinbrenner High to win districts would be awesome.”
If they are to achieve their goal of immediate success, it would appear they have the right coach in place to accomplish it. Former Gaither coach Teresa Patterson has had experience starting soccer programs on the college level, first as an assistant when the University of Alabama-Birmingham began its women’s program in 1996, and then as the head coach of Marshall in 1998.
Patterson said taking the opportunity to coach at Steinbrenner wasn’t one she could pass up.
“Those experiences (in college) let me know it would be a lot of work, but it is really rewarding because you get to start everything from the beginning and make it the way you want,” Patterson said.
What has been most rewarding for Patterson so far is the roles the experienced players on her squad have taken. From the opening day of training, the team’s goal has been to earn at least a district title. That sort of success wouldn’t be unprecedented in Hillsborough County. Six years ago, Newsome opened, and won a district title in its first season, reaching the Class 4A Region final before falling to eventual state champion Tarpon Springs. The Warriors could end up following a similar path.
“The juniors and sophomores helped frame the goal that they want to host a regional game, which means they want to win districts,” Patterson said. “I think that would be lofty for any other first-year program, but since this group has had this collective experience together, and comes from such established club programs, I think it’s realistic.”
“The best players we could possibly have, we have here,” forward CiCi Gonzalez said. Gonzalez led Sickles with 13 goals a season ago. “We’re young, but we’re skilled and we’ve played together a lot of us, so we know how to play with each other, it’s not all coming together jumbled.”
That could be trouble for the Warriors’ Class 4A-District 9 opponents. With Strawberry Crest also present, the rest of the district has not historically had strong soccer programs.
Which in turn gives the Warriors even more belief that this season could be a special one.
“They do have pride in Steinbrenner soccer, and from the beginning they have,” Patterson said. “Not one of them has anything but excitement and positive words to say about where we’re going to go as a group. Usually you hear a little bit about the past, but they’re all about the future, the present and the future, and it’s really refreshing to hear and exciting.”
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