Hillsborough: Girls soccer district preview

By Eduardo A. Encina, Times Staff Writer
Saturday, January 15, 2011

LUTZ — Steinbrenner soccer player Cici Gonzalez had to bite her tongue when friends from other teams would say that the Warriors' undefeated regular season last year was a byproduct of a soft schedule for the first-year school.

"You really couldn't say anything," Gonzalez said. "I'll give it to the people who criticized us last year. We didn't play anyone. We just didn't have any substance to say that we had beaten any top-level teams. This year we can back it up. We can say we beat some pretty good teams."

Granted, the Warriors enter this week's Class 4A-9 district tournament having dominated their competition so thoroughly that just allowing a goal would be a disappointment — Steinbrenner outscored league opponents 61-0 — but a tougher nondistrict schedule gives the Warriors more teeth this go around in the postseason.

"We played some of the top teams on our schedule," Steinbrenner coach Teresa Patterson said. "We won some big games. I think it showed we weren't a fluke and the development we've had from Year 1 to Year 2."

On a bitterly cold night in Lutz just off the Suncoast Expressway, Patterson's voice pierces the air as she yells to her players to not let up during the endline-to-endline sprints that complete practice.

"Set the pace," senior Carly Keene said. "That's what we say all the time."

A 5-1 season-opening loss to undefeated Newsome in the Wharton Invitational actually served the Warriors well. It quickly showed them that they needed to get quicker to play with the county's best teams.

"It definitely humbled us," Gonzalez said. "It definitely pushed us to play well. I just don't think we were prepared for that kind of speed. Last year we didn't play teams that were at our level at all."

The Warriors (14-2-2) quickly rebounded at the tournament with a shutout win over Plant and their trademark win, a 2-1 victory over Seminole, which was a Class 5A state finalist last season.

Another 1-0 win over Plant, this time on the Panthers' new turf field, followed, as did a 1-0 victory over Class 3A state finalist Berkeley Prep. The Warriors played a scoreless tie with Class 5A-9 top seed Gaither, and their only other setback was a 2-0 loss to Class 2A finalist Tampa Prep, a team Steinbrenner beat in the preseason, on a rain-soaked field in Sarasota.

"I think we're all a lot more modest," Gonzalez said. "Last year we were undefeated all season, and this year we have two losses, which makes us realize we need to work hard every day. I just think we're more focused this year. We know what we want. We're comfortable with each other. It's a lot better environment."

That comfort has come with a more balanced game plan. Last season, the Warriors averaged 5.5 goals a match. But this year, as the Warriors have gone from a 4-4-2 setup to a 3-5-2 against tougher offensive teams, the goals are down to 4.3 a match. Sophomore goalkeeper Stephanie Hirsch has allowed just one goal in 11 games, including a 12-save game against Plant and eight saves against Berkeley. And junior keeper Courtney Keene earned the two early-season wins against Plant and Seminole.

"I think the story this year has been our defense and how they've been able to hold teams in closer games," Patterson said. "We haven't scored as many goals, but we have more quality wins."

Carly Keene said their eyes are on a Class 4A state title — the Warriors lost to Lakewood Ranch in the region semifinals last season. And the three-player senior class (all starters), which arrived on campus last year when the school's doors first opened with the goal "to make Steinbrenner known for its girls soccer program," as Patterson said, have definitely reached that goal already.

"We train a lot harder because we know how good we are," senior Marissa Maries said. "We know what we can be, so we strive for that. We're 10 times more prepared for the playoffs. Last year, we were so unprepared because we didn't know how to play competitive teams. We're used to it now."

Schedules

6A-8 at Plant

Tuesday: Wharton (4) vs. Brandon (5), 7; Wednesday: Alonso (2) vs. Bloomingdale (3), 6; Plant (1) vs. Wharton/Brandon winner, 8; Friday: final, 7

5A-9 at Gaither

Tuesday: Sickles (4) vs. King (5), 2; Hillsborough (3) vs. Chamberlain (6), 4; Freedom (2) vs. Leto (7), 6; Wednesday: Hillsborough/Chamberlain winner vs. Freedom/Leto winner, 6; Gaither (1) vs. Sickles/King winner, 8; Friday: final, 7

5A-8 at Newsome

Tuesday: East Bay (3) vs. Tampa Bay Tech (6), 2; Plant City (2) vs. Armwood (7), 4; Durant (4) vs. Riverview (5), 6; Wednesday: East Bay/TBT winner vs. Plant City/Armwood winner, 6; Durant/Riverview winner vs. Newsome (1), 8; Friday: final, 7

4A-9 at Steinbrenner

Tuesday: Spoto (4) vs. Jefferson (5), 6; Wednesday: Strawberry Crest (3) vs. Lennard (6), 6; Robinson (2) vs. Middleton (7), 8; Thursday: Strawberry Crest/Lennard winner vs. Robinson/Middleton winner, 6; Steinbrenner (1) vs. Spoto/Jefferson winner, 8; Friday: final, 7

3A-10 at Berkeley Prep

Tuesday: Tampa Catholic (4) vs. Academy of the Holy Names (5), 7; Thursday: Clearwater Central Catholic (2) vs. St. Petersburg Catholic (3), 5; Berkeley Prep (1) vs. Tampa Catholic/AHN winner, 7; Friday: final, 7

2A-10 at Shorecrest

Tuesday: Shorecrest (2) vs. Keswick Christian (7), 5; Bradenton St. Stephen's (1) vs. Admiral Farragut (8), 7; Wednesday: Cambridge (4) vs. Bradenton Christian (5), 5; Sarasota Out of Door (3) vs. Northside Christian (6), 7; Thursday: Shorecrest/Keswick winner vs. Out of Door/Northside winner, 5; St. Stephen's/Farragut winner vs. Cambridge/Bradenton Christian winner, 7; Friday: final, 7

2A-9 at Indian Rocks Christian

Tuesday: Carrollwood Day (4) vs. Calvary Christian (5), 6; Thursday: Bishop McLaughlin (2) vs. Indian Rocks Christian (3), 5; Tampa Prep (1) vs. Carrollwood Day/Calvary Christian winner, 7; Friday: final, 7

2A-8 at Lakeland Christian

Thursday: Santa Fe Catholic (2) vs. Seffner Christian (3), 5; Lakeland Christian (1) vs. Winter Haven All Saints (4), 7; Friday: final, 7

Source: http://www.tampabay.com/sports/soccer/preps/hillsborough-girls-soccer-district-preview/1145822

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