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Gulliver Prep goalie Sophia Trujillo can't stop Ocala Trinity Catholic's third goal during the second half of their Class 2A girls' soccer state championship game at Melbourne High in Melbourne on Feb. 9, 2013.
MELBOURNE -- Gulliver’s girls’ soccer team figured out how to overcome plenty of obstacles this season.
Despite injuries piling up throughout the playoffs and having to shift lineups nearly every match, the Raiders stayed undefeated and appeared on course to winning a second state title in three years.
That changed Friday night when Gulliver couldn’t find an answer for Ocala Trinity Catholic and its senior striker Tabitha Tindell.
Led by Tindell’s three goals, the Celtics poured an offensive onslaught on the Gulliver goal and dealt the Raiders a 4-1 defeat in the Class 2A state championship match at Melbourne High School.
Gulliver (21-1-4) fell one victory shy of what would have been its second state title in the past three seasons. Ocala Trinity Catholic (20-2) secured its first championship.
The Raiders lost their first match since last season’s regional final against American Heritage-Delray.
“To get where we did, if you look at our team at the start of the season to where we are now, is brilliant,” Gulliver coach Everton Edwards said. “This is a defeat, but we need to look at it as a learning experience.”
Trinity Catholic outshot Gulliver 19-4 for the match, including a staggering 13-2 in the second half.
Tindell, a Florida Gulf Coast University signee, finished the season with 52 goals and had her fourth three-goal game in the regional playoffs. Tindell and junior forward Alyssa Eashoo benefited from solid midfield play by Briana Camargo and Abigail Camargo.
Edwards said Gulliver, which has dealt with injuries to key players throughout the playoffs, had two of its top midfielders Kai-Lin Hernandez (hip flexor) and Samantha Lujan (back) still playing despite pain.
Edwards credited his team’s resilience once again as Gulliver had to shift its lineup several times in recent weeks as key starters such as Khara Vassell (out for the season with a knee injury), Samantha Earle and Natalia Verde all missed games. The Raiders were down to 12 players for their state semifinal win against Palm Beach Benjamin a week ago.
That, coupled with a young starting defensive line comprised of three freshmen and one sophomore, gave the Celtics an advantage.
“I’ve never been kept so busy in goal in a high school game, that’s for sure,” Gulliver goalkeeper Sophia Trujillo said. “They just kept coming, and [Tindell] is really tough. She’s so skillful and always knows where the goal is at when she has the ball.”
Trujillo, a San Diego State signee, made eight saves, plenty of which took athleticism to make as the Celtics pressured on the Gulliver half of the field for most of the first half with Tindell and Eashoo firing several shots on target.
Trujillo was up to the challenge until one misplay on a seemingly easier save started the scoring for the Celtics.
Trujillo appeared to control a head-on shot by Tindell from about 20 yards away. The ball slipped out of her grasp and rolled under her body as Trujillo fell forward. Trujillo couldn’t stop the ball before it rolled past the goal line with 33:28 left in the second half.
“The field was wet, and I had trouble gripping the ball,” Trujillo said.
Although the mistake appeared costly at first, it was clear from Trinity Catholic’s constant pressure that its scoring barrage was just beginning.
After a diving save by Trujillo denied Tindell a goal, Abigail Camargo controlled the loose ball and then placed a perfect arching shot just under the crossbar for the second goal.
Gulliver senior Madeline Intriago cut the deficit to 2-1, receiving a through ball on a downfield sprint. Intriago fired a shot past Celtics’ keeper Taylor Mosley to cut the deficit to 2-1 with 16:37 remaining.
But Trinity Catholic’s attack never let up.
Tindell added another off a rebound with 10 minutes left to put the Celtics back up by two goals. Tindell put away the match with another goal in the 69th minute on a shot that Trujillo deflected but could not prevent from bouncing into the corner of the goal.
“This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for us, but we proved a lot of people wrong,” Intriago said. “We can’t get the words out now because it hurts. But we’ll tell our younger players to keep their heads up because they have time to grow.”
Added Hernandez: “Things can only go up from here.”
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/02/09/3225044/gulliver-preps-bid-for-state-title.html#storylink=cpy
2/9/13
Boys’ Soccer | State semifinals
Hillel, Gulliver Prep win, will play for state titles
BY BILL DALEY The Miami Herald
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BY BILL DALEY
Special to The Miami Herald
Logic dictated that an amazing and unlikely journey for the overachieving Hillel boys’ soccer team to the state final four would have come to an end on Friday afternoon at North Miami Stadium.
Hosting a much more accomplished Melbourne Central Catholic team boasting a pair of state championships and nine trips to the state final four in a Class 1A state semifinal, surely the Cinderella journey would come to an end.
So much for logic.
Thanks to sophomore Julian Ribak, Hillel, a small Jewish school tucked away in a corner of North Miami Beach that doesn’t even have its own practice field, survived a frantic final few minutes to win 4-3 and advance to the Class 1A state championship game.
Ribak scored three of his team’s four goals and now he and his Hurricanes teammates will travel to Melbourne High School next Friday to take on Tampa Prep.
“Absolutely unbelievable,” said Hillel coach Ben Magidson, whose team improved to 19-1-1. “I have to be honest, these kids exceeded even my expectations.”
Ribak’s first goal came two minutes into the second half to snap a 1-all tie. Hillel would hold its one-goal lead until 10 minutes remained when he scored again.
That set the stage for a frantic final four minutes and injury time in which three goals were scored. The Hustlers (17-7-1) cut it to 3-2 when Hillel was called for a hand ball in the penalty box, and even though keeper Alan Landau made a great save, Lino Troisi knocked in the rebound.
Not more than 30 seconds later, Ribak beat the MCC defense down the left side, and when Lierman overcommitted and couldn’t make it to the ball and knocked the ball over his head to make it 4-2.
That goal turned out to be huge because the Hustlers, pushing everyone up, continued to apply pressure before Josh Paul knocked one in during injury time to cut the lead to one again.
“We’ll have to work very hard this week to try and stay focused,” said team captain Daniel Furmanski, who gets up with his teammates every morning to practice at 6 a.m. “We’re probably going to be treated like rock stars in school which will be nice. We really need to try and take advantage of the opportunity that’s in front of us now and that’s to win a state championship.”
• Class 2A state semifinal — Gulliver Prep 3, Tampa Berkeley 0: Out with a hip injury, the first half of Bryan Ruiz-Unger’s senior season did not start the way he wanted. But ever since the playoffs began, the midfielder has been “on fire,” according to his coach.
On Friday, Tampa Berkeley was helpless to douse those flames as a blast off the left foot of Ruiz-Unger helped Gulliver Prep prevail in a Class 2A state semifinal.
“This was my last game here on this field [Gulliver],” said Ruiz-Unger, the Raiders’ only senior starter. “I have thought about that, but [Friday] I just focused on us as a team getting to state.”
The Raiders (19-2-3) did just that, advancing to play Jacksonville Bolles in the final Friday at 8:05 p.m. in Melbourne.
Gulliver, which won four state titles from 1992 to 2006 under Jorge Dieppa, is now one win from getting back on top in the first year under coach Matias Asorey.
The Raiders had won each of their three regional games by one goal, and Ruiz-Unger had been the difference each time. In the quarterfinals, he had the winning goal in a 3-2 win over LaSalle.
In the semifinals, he had an overtime goal that beat Ransom, 2-1. And in the regional final, he had two goals in a 3-2 win over Delray American Heritage.
Gulliver was so dominant that Berkeley goalie Ben Miliken earned praise from his coach for how well he played, despite the three goals allowed.
“If Gulliver plays like that next week,” Berkeley coach Tim Cooper said, “they will win the state title.”
WALTER VILLA
2/6/13
Posted on Saturday, 02.09.13
Posted on Saturday, 02.09.13
Girls’ soccer | Class 5A state final: Lourdes vs. Oviedo, 4 p.m.
Lourdes girls primed for ‘Super Bowl’ match against Oviedo
BY ANDRE C. FERNANDEZ The Miami Herald
The steady Bobcats, who have outscored their opponents 107-3 this season, aim for ultimate glory Saturday in the program’s first state final.
Lourdes players Christine Hoynack, left, along with Michelle Figarola and other teammates join in the celebration by hugging Bailey Plummer, second from the right, after a Lourdes score early in the first half of the team's girls' soccer playoff against Cypress Bay on Jan. 29, 2013 in Miami.
Defending state champions – Class 5A: St. Thomas Aquinas; 4A: Cape Coral Ida Baker; 3A: Ponte Vedra; 2A: American Heritage Delray; 1A: St. Johns Country Day.
Friday’s results – Class 1A: St. Johns Country Day 3, Fort Myers Evangelical Christian 1; Class 2A: Ocala Trinity Catholic 4, Gulliver Prep 1.
Saturday’s schedule – Class 3A: Plantation American Heritage vs. Ponte Vedra, 10 a.m.; Class 4A: Melbourne vs. Lakeland George Jenkins, 1 p.m.; Class 5A: Lourdes vs. Oviedo, 4.
MELBOURNE -- Lourdes soccer coach Ray Walden called this past week a “mini Super Bowl week” for his team.
Alumni, parents, fans and even supporters from all-boys’ school counterpart Columbus and nearby Belen have offered their best wishes to the Bobcats in anticipation of the school’s first state soccer final.
But Walden’s senior-led team didn’t need any help handling the distractions.
“Of course, it’s been a huge deal around the school all week; that’s why I joke that it’s our own little Super Bowl,” Walden said. “But our team has remained consistent in any situation this season.”
Lourdes (20-2) has put together poised efforts throughout a season in which it has outscored its opponents 107-3 and advanced to the school’s first state final in any sport other than basketball and cross-country.
The Bobcats will try to join the cross-country team as the only other sport to win a title when they take on Oviedo (15-6-3) at 4 p.m. Saturday in the Class 5A final at Melbourne High School.
Oviedo will have a bit of an advantage in state experience.
The Lions are back in the state final two years after winning the school’s first championship.
Oviedo also was a state runner-up in 2008 and reached the final four in 2009.
But Lourdes has looked like the veterans throughout the playoffs, outscoring its six opponents 24-0.
Walden credited his six seniors — Bailey Plummer, Amanda Delgado, Nicole Perez, Cristina Rodriguez-Garcia, Lori Rodriguez and Sofia Rosell — for the team’s even-keel approach to matches.
“Sometimes you see teams sort of ease into a match,” Walden said. “With us, we’ve come out strong from the start and attacked in every game and especially during the playoffs.”
Sophomore Michelle Figarola and Plummer have been responsible for most of the scoring punch.
But it’s the defense that has been solid throughout, only allowing two teams (Gulliver and Douglas) to score on it all season.
Perez, Rodriguez, Rodriguez-Garcia and Carolina Perez have been solid in front of goalkeeper Jenny Herold.
Oviedo’s scoring tandem of junior Emily Kobryn and senior Gabrielle Rodriguez (combined 20 goals) will try to test that Lourdes line Saturday.
Oviedo advanced to state by winning its semifinal against Clermont East Lake in penalty kicks.
“They have girls with experience, and they are a sound team,” Walden said. “They seem to be peaking right now during the playoffs, and that’s what you love to see out of your team.”
Boys’ Soccer | regional finals Hillel makes its first state semi
Photos The Class 1A boys’ soccer regional final between Hillel and Sagemont was preceded by the playing of the Israeli national anthem. Then things got really different. Hillel, a small Jewish school in North Miami Beach that has been around since 1972, beat Sagemont 2-0 Tuesday night at FIU North, reaching the state semifinals for the first time in school history — in any sport. The school’s fans reacted by storming the field, and the players — some of them shirtless by this point in the celebration — took a victory lap. “This is surreal,” Hillel coach Ben Magidson said. ”We’re a tiny school. Tomorrow, we are going to watch [the movie] Hoosiers because I want them to get the small-community feel of what just happened.” Hillel (18-1-1) advanced to Friday’s state semifinal against Melbourne Central Catholic at a site to be determined. Hillel does not have a field on its campus, although one is being built for next season. The kids practice every day at 6 a.m. because that is the only time slot available for them at the Jewish Community Center. All that sacrifice paid off on Tuesday as the Hillel Hurricanes stormed past Sagemont (15-8-5) on goals by Julian Ribak and Albert Dichy. Sagemont had provided the only blemishes on Hillel’s record this season, drawing 1-1 and winning 2-1 in two previous meetings. But on Tuesday, Ribak got Hillel off to a good start, taking a corner kick from David Furmanski and heading the ball over the hands of goalie Reinaldo Marquez. This was the first playoff game of the season for Ribak, a freshman who has 17 goals but had been out six weeks due to a red card. Dichy’s goal, which came with 18 minutes left, came on a hard right-footed shot from 15 yards. Dichy, a junior, has scored in every round of the playoffs. The shutout was turned in by freshman Alan Laundau, who suffered a nose bleed after a first-half collision but hung in and made some tough saves. Hillel’s youth — there are no seniors on its roster — is even more apparent when compared to Sagemont. The Lions start seven seniors. “Some of our kids don’t even have driver’s licenses yet,” Magidson said. Magidson, who played Division II soccer in Pennsylvania after competing locally at Gulliver Prep, is in his fourth season at Hillel, and the Hurricanes have won three district titles under his watch. But what’s happening now is special, he said. “This is the best team we’ve ever had,” Magidson said. “Sagemont was bigger and stronger than us. But we have skills. I knew that if we kept the ball on the ground … we dominated them. We could have put up four or five goals.’’ WALTER VILLA • Region 4-5A final — Cypress Bay 6, South Dade 0: Some wondered when the clock might strike midnight for the South Dade boys’ soccer team. As it turned out, it wasn’t even midnight. More like 8:40 p.m. on Tuesday night when the whistle blew, ending the Bucanneers’ season and an amazing and unexpected run through the regional playoffs. Taking on two-time defending state champion Cypress Bay at Cypress Bay High School in a Region 4-5A final, the Bucs gave up a goal in the first 30 seconds and were never a factor as the Lightning cruised to an easy victory and a berth in Friday night’s 5A state semifinal, where they will host Boca Raton. South Dade, which finished as the No. 4 seed in its own district and was competing in the regional playoffs for the first time since 1999, finished 9-8-2. “I guess that’s the end of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride,” said South Dade coach Ed Callahan, talking like a coach who was hardly upset and knew midnight might come at some point. “We ran into an absolute buzz saw out there tonight in Cypress Bay. They popped that quick goal on us in the first minute, and we just were never a factor after that. What an unbelievable run by our program, and I can’t be more proud of those kids getting on that bus over there. They put South Dade soccer on the map and nobody will look at us anymore thinking they’ve got an automatic win.” The Lightning wasted absolutely no time establishing its dominance when it scored less than a minute into the game when Miguel Perez and Daniel Reese combined on a perfect corner kick/header combination to go up 1-0. Things would get a lot worse very quickly for South Dade keeper Carlos Villegas as the Lightning would pepper him the entire first half with numerous shots. Reese nailed down his second goal when he took an assist from Jake Fuhrman in the 16th minute and knocked it home to make it 2-0. Just four minutes before halftime Daniel Gutierrez split the South Dade defense perfectly down the middle and beat Villegas one-on-one to make it 3-0 before Nicolas Guevara bicycle kicked one in 30 seconds before the half, making it 4-0 and allowing Cypress Bay coaches to freely substitute in the second half. “That first goal really hurt us and really kind of took us out of our game,” said South Dade senior captain Humberto Blanco. “But that’s OK. I’m proud of my teammates as we made history this year. I’m really proud and honored to have been a part of this great run and hopefully people will take South Dade soccer more seriously from now on.” Cypress Bay (14-2-4) suffered major losses from last year’s national championship team when a rules change forced top players to choose between high school and year-round club ball BILL DALEY
Bryan Ruiz-Unger of Gulliver, left, and Casey Colucci of Ransom, right, in action as Ransom Everglades competes against Gulliver in boys' soccer on Feb. 2, 2013.
For a few moments Saturday night, Gulliver’s boys’ soccer players vented their frustrations on the sideline.
Despite controlling most of its Region 4-2A semifinal match against rival Ransom Everglades, Gulliver found itself tied at one goal each after 80 minutes.
But as he has more than once this season, senior midfielder Bryan Ruiz-Unger gave Gulliver the relief it needed.
In the seventh minute of overtime, Ruiz-Unger controlled a ball about 20 yards in front of the Ransom goal and fired a quick shot over the reach of keeper Jake Deuel to deliver a 2-1 sudden-death victory for Gulliver that sent it to the regional finals for the second consecutive season.
Gulliver (17-2-3) will host American Heritage-Delray Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. in a rematch of last year’s regional final won by Heritage in Delray Beach.
“My teammates told me if you get a good look just shoot it,” said Ruiz-Unger, who scored his 12th goal of the season and his second game-winner in as many playoff matches. “I did, and I got it through. This happens to us a lot. We get a little frustrated, but it’s for the best because it makes us get on each other’s case and be more confident as a team.”
Gulliver defeated Ransom (22-3-3) for the third time in four meetings this season, with the only setback coming in the District 16-2A final won by Ransom in penalty kicks.
During the season series, Gulliver outscored Ransom 11-2.
On Saturday, Gulliver got the first score in the first minute of the second half on a goal by Andy Alvarez that came off a rebound following a shot by Alberto Poleo.
Gulliver had numerous shots on goal throughout the match and controlled possession, but Deuel kept Ransom in it with 10 saves.
His efforts allowed Ransom to tie the match in the 50th minute on a great individual effort by Francisco Carrera-Justiz, who maneuvered downfield and angled a shot past Gulliver keeper Ryan Shellow.
Gulliver nearly took the lead with 16 minutes remaining in regulation when Luis Diego headed in a ball. But the goal was nullified by an offside call.
• Region 4-5A semifinal – South Dade 2, Coral Gables 1: Carlos Leal didn’t realize until a couple of weeks ago, how long the soccer playoffs were.
“We never saw past districts before,” Leal said. “We never even thought about regionals or state. District was the round where it ended for us.”
Leal helped South Dade’s postseason journey go a little further at Tropical Park as he and Timothy Hamby scored the goals needed to help the Bucs reach their first regional final.
South Dade (9-7-2) will travel to play defending Class 5A state champion Weston Cypress Bay Tuesday at 7 p.m.
“Our formation switch late in the season has made a big difference,” Hamby said. “But our passion for the game is what keeps us going. Down in Homestead, we don’t have club soccer like other schools so all we have is this team.”
Leal lobbed a ball from 30 yards away near the corner of the goal area and it landed over the head of Coral Gables goalkeeper Joseph Paz in the first minute of the game. Hamby added another in the 42nd minute.
Coral Gables cut the deficit to one later in the half when Michael Hernandez headed in a through ball from Kevin Lopez. The Cavaliers (7-6-5) thought for a moment they had tied the match in the final minute when it appeared Alexander Oliva had scored on a header off a corner kick. But the goal was nullified by an offside call.
ANDRE C. FERNANDEZ
• Region 4-1A semifinal – Hillel 2, Westminster Christian 0: Early goals helped the Hurricanes (17-1-1) to victory over the Warriors (10-10-1) at Cutler Ridge Park. Both teams came into this match-up having just won overtime games in the quarterfinal.
Both of Hillel’s goals were scored in the first half. Salomon Serati got the Hurricanes on the board first with a driving goal scored in the 17th minute.
Albert Dichy scored on a similar goal in the 38th minute.
Hillel freshman goalkeeper Alan Landau was not challenged often, but made impressive saves to finish with a shutout.
In the regional final the Hurricanes will play Sagemont at North Miami Stadium.
Hillel has not had success against Sagemont this season, going 0-1-1 in its two meetings.
DARREN COLLETTE
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/02/03/v-fullstory/3214584/gulliver-prep-boys-soccer-team.html#storylink=cpy
2/2/13
Girls’ Soccer | Class 5A State Semifinal: Lourdes 4, Palm Beach Central 0
Lourdes girls’ soccer advances to first state final
The Bobcats continued their onslaught in the playoffs, routing Palm Beach Central.
Amanda Delgado, right, of Lourdes High, battles with Michelle Nilsen of Palm Beach Central in a girls' soccer playoff at Columbus High School on Feb. 1, 2013.
Lourdes soccer coach Ray Walden remembers how he felt years ago when he watched one of his teams get handled at state by a nationally ranked opponent.
Walden wondered then if his team would ever be able to truly compete for a state championship.
Seven years later, the Bobcats are ready.
With the same sharp skill and technique it has displayed throughout the season, Lourdes handled another of the state’s best Friday night, routing Palm Beach Central 4-0 in a Class 5A state semifinal at Columbus.
The Bobcats (20-2) advanced to their first state final by scoring four second-half goals, including three in a 20-minute span against the Broncos (21-2), who were three days removed from eliminating defending national champion Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas.
Lourdes has now outscored its opponents 107-3 in 22 matches and 24-0 in six playoff matches.
“On this team now, everybody is playing well,” Walden said. “You just can’t point to one single player. It’s great to see.”
The result ended with the Bobcats celebrating with their fans, who rushed the field for the second game in a row.
Lourdes will play Oviedo in the Class 5A final at 4 p.m. next Saturday at Melbourne High School. The Bobcats became the first Dade team to reach the final in the sport’s largest classification since Coral Gables in 2000.
Lourdes will try to win its first state title in any sport other than cross-country. Before Friday, it had only reached the state finals twice in basketball.
The victory coupled with Gulliver’s win in Class 2A on Friday also gave Dade two teams in the girls’ soccer state finals in the same season for the first time.
“I figured it would take a few years for us or other Miami-Dade County teams to be able to compete with teams like these,” Walden said. “It took us about seven years, but the club coaching has improved, and the girls have gotten much better.’’
Lourdes clearly looked like the better team in an onslaught of second-half offense led by sophomore Michelle Figarola and junior Rebecca Alvarez that overwhelmed Palm Beach Central. Figarola had two goals, and Alvarez had one goal and an assist.
But the victory might not have been possible had it not been for two great saves by goalkeeper Jenny Herold right before halftime, including a stop one-on-one on Broncos’ star forward and Florida State-bound Yulie Lopez.
After a scoreless first half, Figarola put Lourdes on the board by heading in a corner kick from Alvarez seven minutes into the half. Figarola sealed things late with a fourth goal as she caught up to the ball just before it rolled out of bounds near the goal and angled it past the goalkeeper.
“Jenny and our defenders are our safety net every game,” Figarola said. “We always feel safe because we know they are back there keeping us in the game.”
Alvarez added one of her own a few minutes after Figarola’s first score with a perfectly placed shot to the far side out of reach of Palm Beach Central goalie Hailey Brunner.
Lourdes senior Bailey Plummer, the team’s leading scorer, got into the act with 14:40 left with a well-timed shot on another rush up field.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/02/02/3213178/lourdes-girls-soccer-advances.html#storylink=cpy
2/2/13
Girls’ Soccer | Class 2A state semifinals: Gulliver Prep 2, Palm Beach Benjamin 1
Gulliver girls’ soccer shows grit in victory
Despite being riddled with injuries, Gulliver Prep beat Palm Beach Benjamin to reach the Class 2A state final.
Samantha Lujan, right, of Gulliver Prep heads the ball away from Alex Zapata of Palm Beach Benjamin during the Class 2A girls' soccer state semifinal at Gulliver on Feb. 1, 2013.
Like many of Gulliver’s girls’ soccer players this season, senior defender Kai-Lin Hernandez feels like she’s logged in as much time in the team’s training room as she has on the soccer field.
“I live in there,” Hernandez said. “We’ve had a bunch of players get hurt this year and fight back, but when we show the kind of heart we do on the field, it makes everyone play harder.”
Hernandez’s timely goal late in the first half gave the Raiders enough of a cushion to hang on for a 2-1 victory over Palm Beach Benjamin in a Class 2A state semifinal at Gulliver Prep on Friday afternoon.
The Raiders (21-0-4) secured their second trip to the state championship match in three seasons and will play Ocala Trinity Catholic on Friday at 8 p.m. at Melbourne High School.
Benjamin (21-1-1) fell short of making it to the state final for the first time, but made its first state semifinal appearance in school history.
“If you look at the physical toll this team has taken this year, they’ve done such an amazing job of fighting through it all,” Gulliver coach Everton Edwards said. “We’re down to 11 players, and we often practice with only seven or so because some need the rest due to injuries. Our training staff has been incredible. Without them helping the girls, we wouldn’t have made it this far.”
Gulliver has played without sophomore midfielder Khara Vassell, who sustained a season-ending injury in recent weeks.
The injury list has increased in the playoffs.
Eighth-grader Samantha Earle, who had key goals in previous regional playoff wins, was out with an ankle injury and is still not guaranteed to return to action for the state final.
Freshman defender Jenna Griffiths’ face embodied Gulliver’s toughness.
In the second half, Griffiths collided with a Benjamin player and was cut under her left eye. A few minutes later, Griffiths was back in, despite having the left side of her face stained with blood, and her cheek and eyebrow swollen. She finished the match.
“Oh my, look at [Griffiths’] face,” Edwards said as he watched his team come off the field after shaking hands with Benjamin players. “That shows you the grit these players have shown.”
The Raiders survived a near comeback by Benjamin in the second half. Kali Chaplin cut Gulliver’s lead to 2-1 on a goal in the first minute of the second half.
But Raiders goalkeeper Sophia Trujillo kept Benjamin from earning the equalizer with four timely saves, including one on a close-range shot by sophomore Natalia Newman in the 68th minute.
Hernandez’s goal followed another first-half goal by senior forward Madeline Intriago, one of the team’s top strikers.
Gulliver completed a perfect season in 2011 winning the Class 3A title, which was the first in 18 years by a Miami-Dade County girls’ soccer team.
Hernandez, who recently committed to High Point University in North Carolina, was not on that championship team. Last year, she sustained a torn meniscus, was unable to play down the stretch for the Raiders, and watched their season end in the regional finals against Delray American Heritage.
“This is what we’ve been working for since last season, and it feels great to be a part of it this time as a senior,” Hernandez said. “I wanted to be there to help my teammates this time around.”
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/02/02/3213172/gulliver-girls-soccer-shows-grit.html#storylink=cpy
1/30/13
Coral Gables moving on BY ANDRE C. FERNANDEZ The Miami Herald
Photos BY ANDRE C. FERNANDEZ a1fernandez@MiamiHerald.com Coral Gables may not have entered the past couple of seasons as highly-touted as some of the nearby Miami-Dade County perennial boys’ soccer contenders. But for the second year in a row, a confident group of Cavaliers is headed to the regional semifinals. Led by a pair of goals and an assist by Michael Hernandez, Coral Gables defeated Coral Reef 3-1 in a Region 4-5A quarterfinal at Tropical Park. The Cavaliers (7-5-5) will host South Dade Saturday in the regional semifinals likely at their home field at 3 p.m. In what’s been a topsy-turvy postseason among Dade’s large school teams, the Cavaliers continued their run that began as the No. 3 seed in the district. Gables ousted Columbus in the semifinals before falling in penalty kicks in the final to rival Coral Park. But the Cavaliers, who played without two starters suspended for disciplinary reasons, recovered Tuesday with two first-half goals to take control of the match against the Barracudas (10-6-2). Hernandez and Julian Grela delivered the scores. Grela’s came first off an assist by Hernandez. Grela later scored off a corner kick. Coral Reef answered with 25 minutes left in the second half when Miles Whiting angled a corner kick that bent right into the goal untouched to cut Gables’ lead to 2-1. But on a through ball from Mariano Gonzalez, Hernandez delivered the knockout punch with a goal with 11:32 left. “We’ve had our knocks here and there, but these kids have kept fighting,” Coral Gables coach Joe Hudak said. “We tell them all the time just put the ball in play near the goal and good things will happen.” • Region 4-5A quarterfinal — West Broward 3, Miami Beach 2: A beautiful corner kick/header into the top left corner of the net from the combination of Alexander Rodriguez to Nicolas Perez in the game’s 63rd minute snapped a 2-2 tie and proved to be the game-winner for West Broward at Milander Stadium. It marked the first regional win for the Bobcats (12-7-3), who will now travel to Cypress Bay on Saturday night for a regional semifinal contest and a chance to avenge a 1-0 overtime loss to the Lightning in the district final last week. The win also avenged West Broward’s 2-1 loss to Miami Beach (12-5-3) in the same round a year ago. “Amazing,” said West Broward coach Rodrigo Frank. “Nicolas is the shortest kid out there on the field so who would’ve ever figured he’s going to be the one to go up and head it in but that’s how soccer is sometimes. A great win for us and we’re looking forward to moving on.” The first half was a relative scorefest as each team put two goals in. West Broward took the lead in the 13th minute on a Nicolas Guevara goal to go up 1-0. Then came a wild flurry in which three goals were scored in a five minute span. Beach tied it 1-1 in the 27th minute when Tomas Moffat knocked in a loose ball off a rebound from the keeper, who could not handle an Alan Diaz direct kick from 20 yards out. The Bobcats went back up 2-1 three minutes later on a perfectly executed corner kick from Santiago Santiestevan that found Guevara who headed it into the top left corner. West Broward’s lead lasted just two minutes though when the Hi-Tides executed their own corner kick, Diaz centering and Christian Sanchez popping it in tying the game at two. BILL DALEY • Region 4-5A quarterfinal — Cypress Bay 2, Miami High 0: Though not as sharp as coach John Ramos would have wanted, Cypress Bay — scoring both its goals in the first half — used its methodical quick-passing possession game to eliminate visiting Miami High. The Lightning (17-2-4) continues its bid for a second consecutive state title, advancing to Friday’s state round of 16 playoff match against West Broward at Cypress Bay on Saturday. Cypress Bay will attempt to defeat West Broward for a fourth time; the last meeting was a 1-0 victory in double overtime for the district title last week. The Stingarees (14-6-3) were left without taking a shot on goal against Cypress Bay goalkeeper Hector Ferndandez in the first half. The Lightning, on the other hand, took nine shots, converting two against Miami goalkeeper Kevin Cabrera for a 2-0 lead at intermission. Cabrera finished with 13 saves for the Stings. Daniel Gutierrez opened the scoring in the third minute, lofting a bouncing pass from left winger Nicolas Gueravara near the left pole for the one-goal lead. CONCEPCION LEDEZMA
• Region 4-4A quarterfinal — Hialeah American 1, South Broward 0: A penalty kick goal by Diego Arcon was all the Patriots needed to defeat the Bulldogs and advance to the region semifinal Wednesday night at South Broward. No goals were scored the first half. Arcon’s goal came in the 62nd minute on a penalty kick given due to a hand-ball penalty in the box. Each team came into the game without its starting goal keeper. American freshman Javier Mulero started for the Patriots and produced a shutout. The Bulldogs used their top goal scorer, Francisco Patalano, in goal. Late in the game, Patalano changed his uniform and came in to play attacker. "This is playoff soccer. It’s about surviving and advancing," said American head coach Richie Pelaez. "We scored our goal and they put the pressure on us to keep them out of the goal." DARREN COLLETTE
• Region 4-2A quarterfinal — Gulliver 3, LaSalle 2: The Raiders put the pressure on early scoring in the first 10 minutes. The first and second goals came from forward Mark Verwaay. LaSalle struck back with Chris Bared scoring on a penalty kick and Mateo Brugo on a wide open goal but it was not enough to overcome the Raiders The winning goal came from midfielder Brian Ruiz-Unger. Gulliver will face Ransom Everglades in the semifinal. COREY W. CAMPBELL
• Region 4-4A quarterfinal — Ft. Lauderdale 3, Westland Hialeah 0: Still a relative newcomer to the regional playoffs, Fort Lauderdale traveled to Milander Stadium and turned in an impressive performance, knocking off Westland Hialeah to advance to Saturday’s regional semifinals against either American or South Broward. Playing in only their second-ever regional game, the Flying L’s (17-6-1) scored twice in the first half to build a 2-0 halftime lead and coasted from there, marking their first-ever regional victory. Fort Lauderdale opened the scoring in the game’s eighth minute when Vladimyr Joseph, off a centering pass from Oscar Salsa that Westland keeper Kevin Gonzalez could not control and knocked in the loose ball. In the 24th minute, Gonzalez was called for a foul inside the penalty box and Benson Orelien drilled the ensuing penalty kick into the bottom right corner of the net to make it 2-0. Joseph added his second goal of the night in the 57th minute to complete the scoring. “A disappointing night but that doesn’t diminish what we did this year,” said Westland coach Greg Solano whose team finished 9-7-6. “We had a lot of seniors and they really blazed the trail for the future success of this program.” BILL DALEY • Region 4-2A quarterfinal — Ransom Everglades 3, Booker T Washington 0: Casey Colucci scored two goals and Ransom Everglades (22-2-3) blew past Booker T. Washington, 3-0, in the Region 4-2A quarterfinals at Robert E. Walker Field Wednesday night. Colucci’s score from the right side in the 31st minute from Matt Lirman was followed three minutes later by a David Goldstein score assisted by Fran Carrera-Justiz, three minutes later. Both goals showcased the Raiders ball control and precision passing. In the second half, Ferris Bustmante found Colucci streaking up the right sideline again for the senior captain’s second goal. The Raiders will play Gulliver on Saturday in the regional semifinals. DAVID QUINONES
1/2Roundup South Dade soccer edges Coral Park BY ANDRE C. FERNANDEZ The Miami Herald
BY ANDRE C. FERNANDEZ a1fernandez@MiamiHerald.com Ed Callahan said he didn’t have any expectations entering his first year as South Dade’s boys’ soccer coach. At the heart of what has been one of the wildest postseasons in recent memory in Miami-Dade County, the Bucs are having their best season ever. It continued Wednesday afternoon as South Dade secured its first regional playoff win by beating Coral Park 2-0 at Tropical Park in a Region 4-5A quarterfinal. “This is amazing, absolutely amazing,” Callahan said. “We didn’t expect to do much at the start of the season, and here we are now. It doesn’t get any better.” The Bucs (8-7-2) are in the regional playoffs for the first time since 1999 and will face Coral Gables on Saturday in the regional semifinals. The game will likely be played at Gables at 3 p.m. unless it is moved to Tropical Park. South Dade and Coral Gables (7-5-5) were runners-up in their respective, districts continuing a string of upsets that began with the district playoffs last week when the No. 3 and 4 seeds advanced from districts 14, 15 and 16 — the districts with Dade teams in Class 5A. Westland Hialeah, the No. 4 seed in District 16-4A, also won that championship. The Bucs began their turnaround with a string of victories in three must-win games to finish the regular season that helped them qualify for the district playoffs. South Dade then ousted GMAC champion Sunset behind Humberto Blanco’s three goals. Blanco’s stellar postseason continued Tuesday as he scored the first of two goals in a two-minute span that helped seal the win over the Rams (11-6-4), another underdog team that won District 15 as the No. 4 seed. South Dade has scored 18 goals in its past six matches — more than it had in its first 11 matches of the season. Callahan believes the output supersedes South Dade’s scoring all of last season as well. “We made a switch in our formation that was meant to emphasize our defense,” Callahan said. “The irony is that we scored more goals the past three weeks than we have the past two years I believe.” Blanco said there is a reason for the offensive spike that resulted from a more defensive strategy. South Dade’s defense posted a shutout behind goalkeeper Carlos Villegas. “It’s all in the counterattacks,” Blanco said. “We put more pressure on teams now, and that resulted in a lot of counterattacks up the field and more scoring chances.” More BOYS’ SOCCER Region 4-1A quarterfinal — Hillel 3, Palmer Trinity 2 (OT): Even with only one senior on its roster, Hillel showed grizzled resolve to come away with a victory over visiting Palmer Trinity at North Miami Stadium. Sophomore Salomon Serfati scored the game-winning goal in the fourth minute of the “sudden death” extra period. The Hurricanes (16-1-1) will play Westminster Christian on Saturday in the Region 4-1A semifinals at a site to be determined. The Hurricanes took a 2-1 lead into halftime, but saw it evaporate quickly as Palmer Trinity’s Alejandro Rodriguez-Santilli scored a goal in the 42nd minute. Hurricanes coach Ben Magidson said the victory was the product of a lot of dedication from the players. “Four years ago there was a lot of talent, but not a lot of structure. We changed some things around; really challenged the players and they responded,” Magidson said. J.T. WILCOX
Girls’ soccer roundup Gulliver captures regional final BY CHRISTINA DE NICOLA The Miami Herald
Photos BY CHRISTINA DE NICOLA Special to The Miami Herald
Gulliver senior Nicole Harris watched as the potential game-tying shot from American Heritage Boca/Delray senior Sarah Coy hit the crossbar, quickly cleared by a defender with nine minutes remaining. “My heart dropped, to be honest,” said Harris, who stood 30 yards away from the play. Senior Madeleine Intriago tacked on an additional score five minutes later for the Raiders, who beat the Stallions 4-2 in the Class 2A regional final Tuesday night in Delray Beach. Gulliver (20-0-4) won the Class 3A state championship in 2011 for the program’s first title but moved down a classification and lost to American Heritage 5-1 in the regional final last year. On Tuesday, the Raiders quickly took a 1-0 lead in the fourth minute off junior Samantha Lujan’s tap over the goalkeeper on senior Kai-Lin Hernandez’s long throw-in. The Stallions (22-1-1), the reigning three-time state champion, evened the score in the 12th minute when Coy dribbled to the top of the box, and her strike went just past the diving goalkeeper. Harris’ strike from 30 yards out with her left foot found the top-left corner of the net, recapturing the lead for the Raiders in the 29th minute. Lujan’s second goal — from 40 yards out on another assist from Hernandez — turned out to be the game-winner with 19 minutes to go when junior Hannah Coy’s rebound with 13:45 left cut the deficit to 3-2. “I’ve been working all year for this game because after last year we were heartbroken because we really wanted to go to state after coming off a state championship.” Lujan said. Of that team, just two girls returned. The Raiders will host either St. Petersburg Catholic or North Palm Beach Benjamin on Friday night in the state semifinal. Christina de Nicola • Region 4-4A final — Melbourne 4, Miami Springs 0: Miami Springs made the three-hour trip north to Melbourne for its Class 4A regional final contest against host Melbourne High School at Tom McIntyre Stadium, knowing the odds were stacked against it. The Bulldogs, a decorated program with multiple state titles — including back-to-back in 2009 and 2010 — sporting a 22-0-1 record and stacked with eight Olympic Development players, demonstrated why they were a prohibitive favorite by dominating all night long and cruising past the Golden Hawks. Melbourne advances to the 4A state semifinal on Friday and will host either Bradenton Lakewood Ranch or Plant City while Springs closed out its season at 17-6-4. Perhaps hoping to get a little mojo from playing in the same stadium they won their only state title in 25 years ago to the month, it never happened for Springs as Melbourne, with superior ball-handling and blinding speed from its forwards, ran the show from the opening whistle. “They’re [Melbourne], just a great soccer team and to make matters worse, we didn’t come out with very much energy and it showed early on,” Springs coach William Drew said. “We tried to drop some players back and keep things close in order to offset their speed, but once they got up quick on us, things just snowballed from there.” The first goal came eight minutes into the game to give Melbourne a quick lead when Kiera McCarthy, whose apparent goal just three minutes earlier had been disallowed by an offsides call, knocked one past Springs goalkeeper Lianna Guerra. Guerra was peppered throughout the first half by numerous scoring chances for the Bulldogs before they finally made it 2-0 in the 34th minute on a Hannah DeBose goal from the right side. Four minutes later, Abigail Hopping centered a perfect pass from the corner to a streaking Jessica Hopping, who knocked it in to make it 3-0 at halftime. BILL DALEY • Region 4-5A final — Lourdes 2, Cypress Bay 0: Senior Forward Bailey Plummer couldn’t stop smiling after her Bobcats defeated Broward power Cypress Bay at Columbus. “I’m ecstatic,” Plummer said. “This team has waited four years to do this — since our freshman year, the last time we went [to the state semifinals]. Because I’m a senior, I’m so excited.” That excitement could grow because the Bobcats are just two wins away from their first state soccer title. Lourdes (19-2) will be the host team Friday night in a state semifinal game against Palm Beach Central, which upset nationally ranked St. Thomas Aquinas on penalty kicks after they drew 2-2. The site of the state semifinal has yet to be determined, but it could be Columbus or Tropical Park. Lourdes’ victory on Tuesday avenged its 2012 regional finals loss to Cypress Bay. This time, though, the Bobcats were just too fast. Coach Kate Dwyer, whose Cypress Bay team finished its season at 17-3-3, said she was impressed by Lourdes’ speed. “[The Bobcats] were flying at us,” she said. The Lightning certainly had no answers for Plummer, who scored on a soft-touch header in the second minute. It was Plummer’s 32nd goal of the season, and the assist went to Amanda Delgado. Lourdes dominated possession for most of the game and nearly added to its lead. But Plummer hit the post in the first half, and Christina Hoynack smacked it off the woodwork in the second. Finally, in the 78th minute, Plummer’s pressure paid off. She got her foot on a 50-50 ball against Cypress Bay goalie Samara Stolzenberg, who took her down. Lourdes was awarded a free kick, and Sophia Portuondo converted with a low boot to the left corner. Jenny Herold got her 19th shutout of the season as the Bobcats’ defense allowed very little in the way of threats. WALTER VILLA
Lourdes' Senior Bailey Plummer's goal in the first half of a playoff game against John A. Ferguson sealed a 1-0 victory for the Bobcats on Saturday, January 26, 2013 Gregory Castillo / Miami Herald Staff
Lourdes' Junior Rebeca Alvarez heads a ball against John A' Ferguson's Natalie Solis during a varsity soccer playoff game Saturday, January 26, 2013. Gregory Castillo / Miami Herald Staff
Lourdes' Senior Bailey Plummer's goal in the first half of a playoff game against John A. Ferguson sealed a 1-0 victory for the Bobcats on Saturday, January 26, 2013 Gregory Castillo / Miami Herald Staff
Lourdes' players celebrate a first half goal that was ultimately waved off in a playoff game against Ferguson. The Bobcats would go on to win 1-0 at Columbus on Saturday, January 26, 2013 Gregory Castillo / Miami Herald Staff
Lourdes’ on-field chemistry is a big reason it has become one of the more dominant girls’ soccer teams in the state this season.
Senior striker Bailey Plummer gave an example Saturday when she gave the Bobcats all the offense it would need in a 1-0 victory against rival Ferguson.
Plummer gave Lourdes its only score in the 11th minute when her foot found the ball in traffic in front of the Falcons goal and booted it past goalkeeper Patricia Pinckombe.
Plummer, who has a team-high 31 goals this season, said she barely saw the ball or her any of her teammates as they worked to get it to her between the Ferguson defenders.
“It was chaos in front of the goal,” Plummer said. “I didn’t even see the ball coming. I just heard a yell from one of my teammates and I stuck my foot out and got enough on it. A lot of times we know where we’re going to be on the field and that makes it easier to make big plays.”
That trust factor on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball has helped Lourdes out score its opponents 101-3 in 20 matches this season.
The Bobcats (18-2) shut out Ferguson for the fourth time, and advanced to the regional finals for the second consecutive season. Lourdes will host Weston Cypress Bay Tuesday night at Columbus at 7 p.m. Cypress Bay eliminated Lourdes in the regional finals last season.
Ferguson (17-5-1) made its second regional semifinal appearance.
and first since 2006.
“We had a rough match the last time we faced them for the district title so we knew we had to expect a rough match since this one meant everything,” Plummer said.
The Falcons had a chance to tie it early when Lourdes goalkeeper Jenny Herold was called for interference inside the box resulting in a penalty kick. But Jessica Suarez’s shot rose just above the crossbar preserving the Bobcats’ lead. For the rest of the match, the Lourdes’ defenders were strong.
The group anchored by sweeper Nicole Perez, Cristina Rodriguez Garcia, Lori Rodriguez and Carolina Perez disrupted several solid scoring chances by Ferguson throughout the match.
“Our defense is our life saver,” Plummer said. “It let’s us definitely play a lot more aggressive because if we give up a loose ball we know they can make up for it back there. The fact we’ve only allowed three goals all year is incredible.”
Herold picked up her 17th shutout, but was kept active through most of the match.
“A lot of times this year, Jenny can have a picnic back there,” Walden said. “Today, was different, Ferguson attacked us often and she had to work to keep us in front.”
• Region 4-2A semifinal — Gulliver 3, Ransom Everglades 0: Since the beginning of the season the Gulliver girls’ soccer team has felt some growing pains, but that hasn’t stopped the team from winning.
Eighth-grade midfielder Samantha Earle set the tempo in the semifinal match, scoring the first goal.
“The first goal of the game is always the most exciting,” Earle said. “It set the momentum.”
Gulliver (19-0-4) found its spot in front of the goal and scored more times than not.
Now Gulliver moves on to the regional final where it will face American Heritage-Delray.
Gulliver has been bumped out of the post-season by American Heritage-Delray the past two years. The Raiders will be headed to Delray next week for the final.
COREY W. CAMPBELL
• Region 4-1A semifinal — Marathon 4, Miami Country Day 1: Avery Watson scored Country Day’s lone goal on a penalty kick.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/27/v-fullstory/3202759/plummer-leads-lourdes-to-win-against.html#storylink=cpy
1/18/13
1/18/Lourdes wins girls’ soccer district title BY DAVID FURONES The Miami Herald
BY DAVID FURONES Special to The Miami Herald Last season, the District 15-5A final came down to the same two teams. Ferguson defeated Lourdes in a dramatic match that was settled by penalty kicks. On Thursday night, the Bobcats finally earned their revenge against the Falcons with a convincing 3-0 win at Tropical Park. Lourdes, undefeated in district play this season en route to its title, will meet Coral Reef in the regional quarterfinals, and Ferguson will face District 16-5A champion Palmetto. Michelle Figarola, now with 16 goals on the season, scored twice on a pair of second-half headers to put the game away. The first came on a two-on-one break in the 48th minute where Bailey Plummer sent her a perfect feed from the right side. The second goal was scored with under eight minutes remaining off an assist from Cristina Rodriguez Garcia, who rocketed a free kick from just inside midfield into the box for Figarola. “She’s good out of the air, and she’s connected a couple times this year, but those were two really pretty ones,” Lourdes coach Ray Walden said. The Bobcats (16-2) scored their first goal in the 36th minute. A corner kick ricocheted right to Sheridan Plummer after a Ferguson defender deflected it in the box. Plummer one-timed it off her right foot to break the scoreless tie. Lourdes, out of the 4-4-2, extended its shutout streak of district foes. Behind goalkeeper Jenny Herold, the Bobcats have yet to surrender a goal in a district game all season. Natalie Valderruten, a sophomore for Ferguson (16-5-1) sustained a right knee injury with 18 minutes to play when she overextended while defending a Bobcat near the Lourdes bench. The game was delayed about five minutes before trainers carried her off the field. Valderruten told paramedics, who arrived later, she “felt it pop.” Paramedics transported her to a nearby hospital for what coach Richard Lopez called a probable medial collateral ligament (MCL) tear.
Soccer | GMAC final: Sunset 3, Varela 2 (2 OT) Pineiro leads Knights to first GMAC title since 2005 By Walter Villa The Miami Herald
Eddy Pineiro scored in the second overtime as Sunset knocked off Varela to capture the GMAC title.
Photos By Walter Villa Special to The Miami Herald Sunset’s boys’ soccer team is hoping the county championship is not a bad omen. Eddy Pineiro scored in double overtime Thursday night to lead Sunset to a 3-2 victory over Varela in chilly and windy conditions at Milander Park, giving the Knights their first GMAC title since 2005. The Knights (16-1-4) will now start the state playoffs Wednesday in a district semifinal against South Dade. Ironically, it was the South Dade girls’ soccer team that lived Sunset’s worst fears, winning the GMAC title and then getting upset in the district semifinals just a couple days later. “I saw what happened to South Dade, and I want to make a very big point to our guys,” Sunset coach Kevin Myers said. “Last year, we had a very successful [regular] season and then got bounced in the first game of the playoffs by Coral Reef. That was heartbreaking for our kids. Almost all of them are back from last year, so hopefully they’ve learned a lesson.” As for Thursday’s win, Myers said Pineiro missed “four or five” opportunities to score before finally coming through in the game’s 96th minute. Had the game gone four minutes longer, it would have been decided by penalty kicks. But this time, Pineiro would not be denied. He was positioned within six yards of the goal, with his back to keeper Juan Grimaldo. Sunset’s Jonathan Diaz lobbed a pass in to Pineiro, who controlled it off his chest, spun and kicked in the game-winner, hurting a finger on his left hand in the process. “For sure I broke it,” Pineiro said of his finger, which got tangled with Grimaldo on the winning play. Sunset’s win spoiled a strong performance by speedy Varela (11-5-2), which could play the Knights for a district title if it beats Coral Reef on Wednesday. Varela was led by Sebastian Herran, who scored two goals as the teams battled to a 2-2 tie at halftime. Sunset led 1-0 on a goal by Juan Marquez — Pineiro got the assist — and 2-1 on a marker by Jonathan Ochoa. But Varela battled back each time. But with the wind at their backs, the Knights dominated the second half and had the wind in their favor again in the second overtime. “If we play exactly like we did in the second half,” Pineiro said, “we’ll be state champions.”
Girls’ soccer | Palmetto 3, Coral Reef 1 Palmetto tops Coral Reef to win district BY WALTER VILLA The Miami Herald
Shelby Denkert scored two goals to lead Palmetto over Coral Reef, which lost a top player to a red card.
Photos BY WALTER VILLA Special to The Miami Herald
Shelby Denkert’s two goals off free kicks paid dividends for Palmetto and a late red card may yet hurt Coral Reef most of all. Denkert, a junior midfielder, scored twice on set pieces to lead Palmetto to a 3-1 win over Coral Reef Wednesday afternoon at Tropical Park. The win gave the Panthers (15-4) the District 16-5A title and a regional-quarterfinal match next Wednesday against the loser of Thursday’s game between Lourdes and Ferguson. Coral Reef, which knocked off GMAC champion South Dade on Monday on a double-overtime goal by Carina Rodriguez, will play the winner of the Lourdes-Ferguson match. But Coral Reef (10-4-7) will be without Rodriguez, who was issued a red card for kicking a Palmetto player in the last five minutes of Wednesday’s match. The red card means an automatic one-game suspension. Cudas coach Natasha Lopes said Rodriguez reacted out of frustration. “She had just gotten kicked in the stomach,” Lopes said. “It had apparently gone on all game long.” Denkert, who has 14 goals this season, has four of them on free kicks, including the one that opened the scoring on Wednesday. Her swerving kick went over the wall and beat Cudas goalie Monique Salazar to the upper left corner. Salazar avenged the play early in the second half, scoring on a 40-yard free kick that skidded past Palmetto goalie Marti Stein on one hop. About 10 minutes prior to her goal, Salazar, who has the strongest leg on the Cudas team, hit the crossbar. Lopes said Salazar has hit a post eight times this season. Denkert struck again midway through the second half, scoring on a free kick from an extreme angle on the left side. That gave Palmetto a 2-1 lead. Stein stopped a potent header by Rebecca Fallon to preserve the lead, and Palmetto got a controversial insurance goal by senior Valeria Rico, who was surprised it went in. “I didn’t think it was a goal,” Rico said of the ball that trickled by the goalie before it was cleared by Cudas defender Casey Pastor. However, Palmetto coach Lyndsay Segarra said those types of plays can be deceptive to the eyes, depending on your viewing angle. “I thought it did go in,” Segarra said. “I kept saying, ‘That’s a goal, that’s a goal!’ “Unless you are on the end line, you can never tell from any angle on the field. But my girls played great. They didn’t worry about the refs or the pushing or the kicks. We came out strong and won.”
Deno’s OT goal leads Miami Springs by Goleman BY BILL DALEY The Miami Herald
BY BILL DALEY Special to The Miami Herald After playing 80 minutes of scoreless soccer, Miami Springs’ Alyssa Deno broke up a defensive battle when she knocked one home from the left side four minutes into the first overtime to give Miami Springs a 1-0 victory over Goleman at Traz Powell Stadium. Despite a pair of lopsided wins over Goleman by a combined 10-1 margin during the regular season, the Gators played Springs tough the entire game thanks to some terrific goalkeeping from Annmarie Rodriguez, who was peppered for most of the game by Miami Springs but managed to keep the ball out of the net. That all changed four minutes into the first overtime when Deno took a perfect line pass from Debbie Yance and beat a Goleman defender down the left side. She then fired off a shot that glanced off the top of Rodriguez’s hands and into the net, ending the contest. Springs (15-4-4) will take on Mater Academy in the district final on 7 p.m. Friday at Traz Powell. Goleman, which was forced for forfeit its GMAC quarterfinal game last week because injuries left it without enough players to field a team, finished 10-10-3. • District 16-4A Semifinal — Miami Springs 1, Goleman 0 (OT): Alyssa Deno goal MORE GIRLS’ SOCCER • District 16-4A Semifinal - Mater Academy 2, American 0: Sydney Johnson goal. Alexis Rodriguez goal. Karly Villar assist. MA 22-2-1 • District 14-5A Final — Miami Beach 3, Ronald Reagan 2 (OT): Jessie Stein goal, assist. Cristy Mejill goal. Cora Coleman goal. Sabina Osman 10 saves • District 15-3A Semifinal — Archbishop McCarthy 3, Key West 0: Kristina Robles goal. Michaela Garcia goal. Alexa Rivera goal. Sarah Bowden shutout. AM 18-5-2 • District 13-2A Semifinal — North Broward Prep 5, St. Andrews 2: Christine Creighton goal, 2 assists. Adrianna Dubay goal, assist. Emma Dineen goal. Savanna Greeley goal. Cayla Creighton goal. Rachel Blow assist. NBP 16-5-3 • District 14-2A Semifinal — Cardinal Gibbons 2, Somerset 0: Kaila Jones goal. Tais Salles goal. Mackenzie Crittenberger 2 assists. Tricia Solenski shutout. CG 13-3-2 • Late Tuesday — District 15-2A Semifinal — Doral Academy 4, MAST 3: Camila Ardila goal. Alissa Bello goal. Tatiana Hoyos goal. DA 14-5-3
Rookie coach sparks title surge BY WALTER VILLA The Miami Herald
Coach Natasha Lopes has molded Coral Reef into a dangerous team heading into the District 16-5A title match Wednesday against Palmetto. BY WALTER VILLA Special to The Miami Herald Led by a 22-year-old rookie coach who spent much of the past four years on a ship in Japan, Coral Reef is one of the surprises of the girls’ soccer season. After upsetting GMAC champion South Dade on Monday, the Barracudas (10-3-7) will play Palmetto (14-3) on Wednesday for the District 16-5A title at 4 p.m. at Tropical Park. The Cudas beat South Dade 1-0 in double overtime on a goal by freshman Carina Rodriguez. It was only her second goal of the season, but it was huge. The play was set up by sophomore forward Kylan Becker, whose speed and hustle drew a foul. Junior goalie Monique Salazar, who had the shutout, took the free kick from 35 yards out, and Rodriguez collected the rebound off a South Dade defender to end the long match. “We were exhausted,” said Cudas coach Natasha Lopes, whose girls had played 98 minutes before getting the golden goal. “But I always tell the kids: ‘Your body can do more than what you think it can.’ ” Lopes, who is an American of Brazilian descent, is proof of that. At age 17, she enlisted in the Navy and worked her way up to gunner’s mate second-class petty officer. When she finished active duty in May, she moved to Miami, where she had some aunts and uncles. Lopes had played high school soccer in Virginia but had little experience coaching beyond doing some camps. Still, in September, she got the job at Coral Reef on her first try and quickly greeted 80 girls who tried out for the team. Lopes selected 18 for the varsity and battled through a tough schedule, losing twice to South Dade and twice to Palmetto and tying highly regarded Gulliver. Meanwhile, South Dade (15-2-2) was not quite 100 percent Monday. Winning three matches in four days to take the GMAC title last week had taken a physical toll on the players, including top scorer Jade Hayes, who hurt her knee. She played through the injury Monday, logging close to 80 minutes. Ironically, South Dade coach Erin Shelow works as a physical education teacher at Coral Reef and is very familiar with the Cudas program. “I said all year that I didn’t want to see Coral Reef in the [district] semifinals,” Shelow said. “We outshot them 20-5 [on Monday], but they have a strong team. I’m not surprised.”
Roundup Varela, Sunset to renew rivalry for GMAC title BY ANDRE C. FERNANDEZ The Miami Herald
BY ANDRE C. FERNANDEZ a1fernandez@MiamiHerald.com This year’s GMAC boys’ soccer championship match might give the impression someone hit the rewind button. Varela and Sunset, the premier rivalry in Miami-Dade County soccer not long ago, are picking up their intensity. The schools, which won a combined three national championships and four state titles from 2004 to 2008, each secured 1-0 victories Tuesday night at Milander Park in the GMAC semifinals. Varela (11-4-2) opened the night with a win over defending GMAC champion Ferguson (11-4-4). Sunset (15-1-4) followed suit with a victory over North Miami (15-5-1) in the other semifinal. Next, the two will square off for the county title Thursday night at 7 at Milander. Sunset leads the season series 1-0-1. It will be the first time Sunset and Varela have played for the GMAC title since 2007 when the Vipers won their lone county championship. Varela and Sunset have not played in the GMAC final since. “It’s like going back in time,” said Sunset senior Jonathan Ochoa, a four-year starter. “Just like [Varela], we’re trying to bring our history back.” Varela advanced to the final with a hard-fought defensive effort that was highlighted by Juan Grimaldo’s eighth shutout. Junior forward Alexander Tosta kicked home a rebound off a deflected shot in the 47th minute for the Vipers’ lone goal. Even after 2008 — its last state title season — Varela continued to reign among Miami-Dade’s best, advancing to the state final four in 2009 and 2011. But last season, the Vipers struggled to a 5-7-2 record, missing the regional playoffs for the first time since 2002. Tosta is one of several juniors, including midfielders Daniel Foen, Christian Santillan (game-winning assist Wednesday) and Kevin Pizzolo, who has helped during a turnaround season. “We’re playing much better and it’s due to the kids supporting each other on the field,” Varela first-year coach Juan Monge said. “If one makes a mistake, another is there to fix it.” Sunset, on the other hand, has not made the regional playoffs since 2008. The following two seasons, the Knights won a combined five matches. Last season, Sunset won 10 but was eliminated in the district playoffs. Junior Eddy Pineiro scored the lone goal Tuesday following a turnover near North Miami’s goal. Sophomore Christian Armendariz recorded his 10th shutout. “It’s good to see the resurgence of both schools after the disappointment of the past couple of years,” Myers said. “To see both of us prevail as the top two teams in the GMAC again is a great story.”
Sunset halts infighting, tops Reagan in GMAC quarterfinals By Walter Villa The Miami Herald
Last week’s best performances Teams of the week South Dade girls’ soccer team: It came back to beat Ferguson and claim its first GMAC championship with a 4-3 win. Mackenzie VanHeusen scored three goals to lead the Bucs, who had lost top scorer Jade Hayes (one goal, one assist) to injury in the game. South Dade also beat Palmetto and TERRA. Juan Grimaldo, Varela, boys’ soccer : Grimaldo posted a shutout in a 1-0 win against Coral Reef. Bailey Plummer, Lourdes, girls’ soccer : Plummer had two goals in the Bobcats’ 2-0 win against Plantation American Heritage. Patricia Pinckombe, Ferguson, girls’ soccer : Pinckombe stopped key shots in a shootout to lift the Falcons to a GMAC semifinal win over Miami Springs.
Andre C. Fernandez
By Walter Villa Special to The Miami Herald Bickering doesn’t always lead to losing, a fact the Sunset Knights proved Monday afternoon. The Knights defeated Reagan 3-1 in a GMAC quarterfinal match at Kendall Soccer Park. Reagan (11-5-3), which made it to the GMAC title game last year, was knocked off by a Sunset team that survived some first-half in-fighting during a scoreless first half. “We were fighting a lot,” Sunset senior midfielder Juan Marquez said. “At the end, we got together as teammates and won.” Sunset (14-1-4), playing its first GMAC tournament since 2008, advances to play North Miami (15-4-1) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Milander Park. The other semifinal, which starts Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Milander, will match Ferguson (11-3-4) against Varela (10-4-2). In the Sunset game, Eddy Pineiro and Jonathan Ochoa got goals before Reagan’s Kareem Baajour broke through with a penalty kick to make it 2-1. With time winding down, Sunset’s Jonathan Diaz clinched the win with a late goal. Diaz said it’s normal for the Knights to argue. He said the key was when the Knights started making the simple plays, which got the offense untracked. Overall, Sunset coach Kevin Myers was pleased with his team, especially considering this is virtually the same bunch of kids who two years ago won just two games all season. Now those freshmen and sophomores are juniors and seniors, and the Knights are a serious threat to win this week’s GMAC title — considered the city championship — and then do damage in the state playoffs. Myers, though, said the bickering among his players is something he continues to work to improve. “Snapping at one another is a sign of frustration when things aren’t going the way they want it to go,” he said. “They were trying to do too much on their own. In the second half, they started to pass it around better. But a goal and getting ahead in a game will always solve that stuff.” In the other GMAC quarterfinals: • North Miami d. American 2-2 (2-0): American (14-4-4) took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Facundo Cignarelli. But North Miami (15-4-1) battled back on goals by Widlin Alexis and Tavares Kidd. A goal by American’s Camilo Martinez sent the game to penalty kicks, where North Miami goalie Nickson Francois came up big, stopping two shots and watching one go wide. • Varela d. Columbus 0-0 (5-4): The Vipers (10-4-2) missed their first penalty kick and then hit five in a row to beat the Explorers (8-5-4). Columbus’ sixth penalty kick hit the crossbar to give Varela the win. • Ferguson d. Mourning 1-1 (6-5): Mourning (11-3-4) took the lead on a 12th-minute goal. But Ferguson (11-3-4), the defending GMAC champs, rallied with a 50th-minute marker by senior forward Michael Mejia. Ferguson then won the game when goalie David Grajales stopped two Mourning shots on penalty kicks. More boys soccer • Archbishop Curley 1, Keys Gate Charter 0: Jose Cruz-Moralles goal. Tony Yeash 3rd shutout. AC 9-9. • La Salle 3, Westland Hialeah 1: Fede Torres-Garcia goal, assist. Mateo Brugo goal. Bryan De Freitas goal. Frankie Alzuru assist. Alvaro Morales assist. LAS 8-3-1.
Brittany La Rosa, #4 (left) of South Dade High, and Nicole Rafols, #18 (right) of Ferguson High, during the GMAC girls soccer championship being played at Milander Stadium on Friday, January 11th, 2013.
Peter Andrew Bosch / Miami Herald Staff
By Walter Villa
Special to The Miami Herald
After South Dade had defeated Ferguson 4-3 on Friday night at Milander Park to earn its first girls’ soccer GMAC title, the Bucs players sprinted in a mad dash to embrace each other.
Jade Hayes, the Bucs’ leading scorer and a tri-captain, reached the celebration eventually — but only on the back and shoulders of teammate Alejandra Loboguerrero.
Hayes, who had one goal and one assist in the first half, later injured her right knee, a potentially crushing blow to what so far has been a dream season for the Bucs (15-1-2).
“This was a huge victory,” Bucs coach Erin Shelow said of the win over the 2012 GMAC champs. “But it could turn out to be a big loss [because of the injury].”
Sophomore McKenzie VanHeusen was the hero for South Dade, scoring three goals, including two after Hayes got hurt.
Hayes was injured when she went up in the air going for a ball against a defender from Ferguson (15-4-1).
“I think her foot hit my knee,” Hayes said. “I have a cleat mark right there. It’s painful, a bit swollen, but the victory kind of covers it up.”
The severity of the injury won’t be determined until at least Saturday, but here’s what we do know: These Bucs don’t quit, even when they fall behind.
The Bucs rallied to defeat Palmetto in the GMAC semifinal, and they did it again Friday. Ferguson took a 1-0 lead on a first-minute goal by freshman Nicole Rafols.
And after Hayes tied it seven minutes later, Ferguson took its second lead on an 11th-minute goal by Isa Jara.
Ferguson nearly added to its lead, but Jessica Suarez’s booming shot hit the left post. The Bucs tied the score just four minutes before halftime when Hayes assisted on a VanHeusen goal.
Hayes’ injury happened in the first minute of the second half with the score tied 2-2. VanHeusen, though, responded by completing her hat trick.
“When Jade got hurt, it brought us down a bit because she’s our top scorer,” VanHeusen said. “When she goes out, it’s not a good thing, but we held ourselves together. We knew we had to win for her.”
The victory nearly slipped away when Ferguson’s Ana Jenkins scored in the 76th minute off the hands of Bucs goalie Andrea Bueno, but South Dade held on, setting up Hayes’ piggy-back ride to midfield.
“We say it all the time in our huddle — ‘let’s be that comeback team,’’’ Hayes said.
“All our girls are so talented individually, and we have heart as a team.”
South Dade makes history with first trip to GMAC final BY WALTER VILLA The Miami Herald
BY WALTER VILLA Special to The Miami Herald South Dade rallied for a 3-2 victory over Palmetto to advance to the school’s first GMAC final in girls’ soccer. The Bucs (14-1-2) will play defending GMAC champion Ferguson (15-3-1) at 7 p.m. Friday at Milander. “We’re making history,” Bucs coach Erin Shelow said. Early on, though, it looked like Palmetto would win and set up a rematch of the 2012 GMAC final. The Panthers (12-3) got on the board first in the 15th-minute on a goal by Sophia Paz. South Dade tied the score on a blast by Allyssa Cili, but Paz’s second goal gave Palmetto a 2-1 lead. That’s when the Bucs made their move, getting the equalizer by veteran Jada Hayes and the game-winner from tiny freshman Thalia Leal, who lofted a long boot over the Palmetto goalie. “I didn’t think it was going to go in,” said Leal, flashing a smile. The Bucs had chance to get a fourth goal when Isamar Duran hit the crossbar in the 72nd minute. Palmetto nearly tied it a couple of minutes later, but Ava Gruener’s shot when wide left, and the Bucs and backup goalie Andrea Bueno survived. Ferguson also had a close call in its semifinal, tying Miami Springs 1-1 at the end of regulation and then winning 4-2 on penalty kicks. After Ferguson’s Isa Jara scored early in the second half, Miami Springs (14-4-4) tied the score when Ale Salazar was dragged down in the box and converted her penalty kick. It was her fourth goal in two days. Ferguson got off to a bad start on penalty kicks when Angelica Gomez hit the right post, and Salazar made her shot. But Ferguson’s Jessica Suarez converted, and goalie Patricia Pinckombe dove to her left to stop Springs’ Debbie Yance to preserve a 2-1 lead. “I read her body positioning and her eyes,” Pinckombe said, “and then I just went for it.” Given that opening, Ferguson put the game away with shots by Jara, Natalie Valderuten and the clincher from Marcela Ramirez. “I was just hoping it would go in the net,” Ramirez said. “I was nervous.” Ferguson, which advanced to the semifinals on a forfeit when Goleman failed to have enough healthy players to start the match, was out of rhythm, according to its coach. “This was our first match in three weeks,” Richard Lopez said. “We should be much better on Friday.”
Soccer Miami Springs wins, rested Ferguson next By Walter Villa The Miami Herald
Miami Springs defeated Reagan in a GMAC quarterfinal and will next play Ferguson, which advanced when Goleman had to forfeit. By Walter Villa Special to The Miami Herald Goleman’s forfeit might have an adverse effect on Miami Springs, but the Golden Hawks won’t go down without a fight. Miami Springs defeated Reagan 5-3 in the most competitive of three GMAC quarterfinal matches Tuesday afternoon at Kendall Soccer Park. Springs (14-3-4) will play Ferguson (14-3-1) on Wednesday at 5 p.m. in a GMAC semifinal at Milander Park. Palmetto (12-2) will play South Dade (13-1-2) at 7 p.m., also at Milander, in the other semifinal. Ferguson, which advanced when Goleman had less than the minimum seven players needed to start a match, will be the more rested team in its matchup with Springs. But Springs won’t use that as an excuse. “We’ll be fine because we are used to playing up to four matches a week,” said junior Ale Salazar, who scored three goals for the Golden Hawks on Tuesday. “We condition and practice almost every day, so we are used to having heavy legs.” Besides the three goals from Salazar, the Golden Hawks got scores from Alyssa Deno and Odailys Matos to overcome two goals by Reagan’s Paula Quintero and one from Monique Pedroza. Springs, which lost to Ferguson 2-0 earlier this season, has a young team with eight freshmen or sophomores starting. There is only one senior on the roster, and she comes off the bench. “We’re super young,” Springs coach William Drew said. “You see that in our passing. We go dribble, dribble, dribble instead of pass, pass, pass.” Springs played Tuesday without two injured starters: goalie Lianna Guerra (fractured foot) and defender Sofia De La Puenta (knee). A third starter, midfielder Veronica Lopez (knee), got hurt in Tuesday’s second half. Despite their youth and the injuries, the Hawks showed their poise against Reagan, never trailing but surviving a threat when the Bison closed to within 3-2 in the final 20 minutes. “We’re hurting,” Drew said. “But we’re not going to say we’re going to lose. We will come to play against Ferguson.” • Palmetto 4, Miami Beach 0: Taryn D’Adesky had two goals, and the Panthers got one each from Alex Perez and Sophia Perez to advance to the semifinals in the other side of the bracket. Goalie Marti Stein got the shutout. Palmetto and next opponent South Dade split two previous meetings this season. • South Dade 6, Terra 0: Jade Hayes scored four goals, and McKenzie Van Heusen added two goals and two assists to lead the Bucs. Sophomore Andrea Bueno stepped in for starter Brittany Hoskins (finger injury) and got the shutout. Hoskins also will miss Wednesday’s game.
Goleman hurt by numbers BY WALTER VILLA The Miami Herald
BY WALTER VILLA Special to The Miami Herald Athletes are known to be confident, but that’s not a trait you will find on the Goleman Gators girls’ soccer team — at least not now. The GMAC quarterfinals kick off Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. at Kendall Soccer Park, and the match between Goleman (9-10-2) and Ferguson (14-3-1) figures to be a blowout. That’s not a prediction — it’s what Goleman expects. “No way,” said Goleman’s Kaley Huguet when asked if her team can win on Tuesday. “Absolutely not.” Why such pessimism? It comes down to numbers, and the Gators don’t have nearly enough. At the end of Monday’s practice, the Gators had only six healthy players — five short of a full lineup. Because of the shortage, Gators third-year coach Brian Casanas said he wanted another school to take Goleman’s place. “But the GMAC is forcing us to show up,” Casanas said. “If we don’t, we will be banned from GMAC events for two years.” Cheryl Golden, the instructional supervisor of the GMAC, said the Gators would have been replaced had they notified her much sooner. “It’s a little late after it’s already seeded and it’s the day before the tournament,” she said. So the Gators will show up, but Casanas said they won’t play unless they get at least one more player. “The rules are that you have to have seven to play,” he said. Casanas, who started with the Gators as an assistant in 2007, said that during his short tenure Goleman has decreased in enrollment from 5,000 to 2,000 students, affecting the number of kids who come out for soccer. To make matters worse, the Gators have been hit hard by injuries. Of their top five players, defender Sarah Ojeda is out for the season because of a fractured ankle, forward Lucia Cuervo is down with an ankle injury and a severe flu bug, and defender Brittney Castillo has shin splints. That leaves just goalie Annmarie Rodriguez and Huguet as the team’s healthy standouts. But it’s probably a stretch to call Huguet “healthy.” She had ACL surgery on both of her knees in February and is playing in pain. “My chances of playing in college are probably gone,” said Huguet, a senior who had 17 goals and 19 assists last season and made second-team All-Dade. Tuesday’s other quarterfinals, all at the same location and time will include Miami Springs vs. Reagan. On the other side of the bracket, South Dade will face TERRA and Palmetto will take on Miami Beach.
Girls’ Soccer | westminster academy Adversity turns young star into a team leader BY WALTER VILLA The Miami Herald
A heart condition nearly derailed Alexia Kinsey’s career, but the rising star has learned to adjust her game and become a team leader.
Photos BY WALTER VILLA Special to The Miami Herald
If scoring 30 goals as an eighth-grader for Westminster Academy’s girls’ soccer team wasn’t compelling enough, add to that the degree of difficulty of netting more than two dozen goals with a heart that wasn’t working properly. That’s what Alexia “Lexi” Kinsey had to deal with last season, when she made a smashing varsity debut at age 13, earning second-team All-Broward honors. Kinsey, now 14 and a freshman at Westminster, has been dealing with heart issues for about three years. “When I would run, I could feel my heart racing really fast,” Kinsey said, “and that wasn’t normal.” Kinsey’s parents — Andrea and Jeff — said their daughter would also get “short-winded,” but when they took her to the hospital, nothing showed up as abnormal. Finally, doctors gave her a heart monitor that she carried with her to games and practices. When she felt her heart racing, she was instructed to run off the field and put the monitor over her chest. The machine would record her heart rate, and, after a few minutes, Kinsey would return to action. Kinsey’s parents sent the monitor’s findings to their doctor each night. It took 28 days of monitoring before doctors diagnosed her with supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), a rapid-heart rhythm that can be treated with medicine or surgery. The medicine, though, left her without much energy, and for an athlete who dreams of playing soccer at Ohio State — her parents’ alma mater — that was not a realistic option for her. “There really wasn’t any thinking about it,” Kinsey said of the surgery. “I just wanted to get it over with.” Surgery was performed on Aug. 7 and she was back playing in less than a week — without the rapid heart rate that she had been dealing with for years. She did have trouble breathing and her chest got tight while playing, which was diagnosed as exercise-induced asthma. To combat that condition, Kinsey uses a breathing machine before every workout, taking about 10 minutes to inhale medicine into her lungs. Given all she has gone through, it’s understandable that Kinsey’s goal numbers this season — eight in her first nine games — are not up to her high standards. As a proven goal-scorer, she is also facing double-teams and she’s passing more and already is posting eight assists — twice as many as she had all last season. “She doesn’t play selfishly,” said coach Dale Renwick, who has led Westminster to a 7-1-1 start. “She distributes.” Kinsey, of course, has shown an amazing ability to adjust to difficult circumstances — on the field or off. “It is disappointing,” she said of her goal numbers. “But I’ve realized how to pass, and I’ve become more of a leader since we only have one senior. I feel that I’m only going to continue to improve.”
Girls’ Soccer | carrollton Coach puts team on path to reach goals BY WALTER VILLA The Miami Herald
Former University of Miami coach Tricia Taliaferro brings a winning attitude to Carrollton.
Tricia Taliaferro, former University of Miami women's soccer coach, is now coaching at Carrollton High School in Coconut Grove. Provided by Tricia Taliaferro Photo BY WALTER VILLA Special to The Miami Herald
Before taking over this season as the girls’ soccer coach at Carrollton, Tricia Taliaferro was an assistant for the U.S. national team at the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in Azerbaijan. Coaching at that tournament, which ended Oct. 13, caused Taliaferro to be one week late to Carrollton’s tryouts. In the meantime, the Carrollton girls were nervous. “Oh God,” junior midfielder Samantha Hoadley remembers thinking, “she’s coming from the national team and then she’s going to coach us, just a bunch of Average Joes.” Hoadley’s fears, it turns out, were unfounded because Taliaferro was supportive and humble. “She didn’t address herself as a U-17 coach,” Hoadley said. “She said she was here to help us.” Taliaferro, who served as the head women’s soccer coach at the University of Miami from 2002 to 2010, certainly has helped so far, leading Carrollton to an 8-4-3 record with two games left in the regular season. Carrollton already has clinched second place in the district playoffs, which begin Jan. 14. Last season, the Cyclones finished fifth in the district with a 7-7-2 record. “We’re playing a more attack-minded style this season,” Taliaferro said. “We’re trying to get them to go forward and take chances.” The Cyclones are getting the message, which is more than can be said for some of its previous teams. Hoadley, who has been on the varsity since the seventh grade, said her first two years at the school were spent with a coach who didn’t speak English. “It was a disadvantage for gringas like me,” Hoadley said. “He would be yelling: ‘ a la linea,’ and I didn’t know until later that it meant ‘down the line.’ All I could say was ‘ si.’ “It was horrible.” Things got better last season, when Vernon Croft took over. Croft spoke English — which was a good start — but he left in February to the University of Akron, where he is now the Zips women’s soccer coach. “When [Croft] left, I was really upset,” said Carrollton senior forward Claudia Campano, who leads the team with nine goals. “But when I heard that [Taliaferro] was going to be our coach, I was excited. We had never had a girl coach before.” Campano said that as a female, Taliaferro understands more fully what girls can — and cannot — do on the field. “She has never shown anger to us,” Campano said. “When we are not playing well, she will pull us aside and tell us individually what we have to do better. She’s very patient. If we do a drill wrong, she will go over it again until we get it right. She’s just more open. I can talk to her as a friend and a coach instead of just as a coach.” Carrollton lost 5-0 to district champion Gulliver this season, which is actually an improvement over past beatings administered by the elite Raiders. Taliaferro said there is “an established gap” between the programs but said it could close in the next couple of years. She has about 60 girls in the school’s soccer program in varsity, JV and middle school, and all are learning the same attack-minded 4-3-3 formation. “We took a page out of Germany’s book,” she said of the continuity that now exists in the school’s soccer program. “You can’t recruit in high school, so you are at the mercy of who comes to your school. But because of the success we’ve had, I think we are going to start to attract better players. If we get an impact player and continue to improve, we can close that gap.”
Westland Hialeah High School player Enrique Diaz, right, steals the ball from Southwest High School player Samir Sierra (10) during their game on Dec. 20, 2012.
In his native El Salvador, Tito Herrera played soccer on rocky fields that had few — if any — patches of grass.
Life in the United States is better for Herrera, but it’s not without its challenges. The Westland Hialeah junior and his soccer teammates have had a number of practices inside the school’s parking garage.
It happens early in the season, when the boys have to share Westland’s one field with football, girls’ soccer and even band practice.
The gym is not an option because the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams practice there. And there is no baseball field at Westland.
“I don’t think too many schools have to deal with this inconvenience,” Westland coach Gregory Solano said. “Most schools have an open space, but we have a four-story building with just the one field.”
The soccer team’s “garage practices” are held in the late afternoon, when the faculty members have gone home and there are no cars in the way.
Solano puts his kids through three-on-three or five-on-five drills — there’s no room for anything more than that, he said.
“It’s a challenge, but I am willing to overcome it because soccer is my life,” said Herrera, a defender/midfielder. “It doesn’t matter where we play, I want to improve.”
Safety first
Herrera said the Westland players use tennis shoes instead of soccer cleats inside the garage, and they are careful about not slipping and getting hurt on the concrete surface.
He said some kids complained a couple of years ago, when the team began using the garage after failing to find a local park that would let them borrow a field for practice.
“I was very surprised we had to practice [in the garage],” Herrera said. “But I told my teammates that this is all we’ve got, and we have to take advantage of every opportunity to play soccer.”
Solano, who has been Westland’s only soccer coach since the school opened in 2007, has worked to improve the program year by year.
Making strides
After winning no more than three games in its first four years, Westland broke through in 2011 with a 9-7-2 record, its first winning season.
This year, Westland is off to a 2-3-6 start, including a 2-2 tie against its Class 4A rival American, which made it to the state semifinals last year.
Westland had a 2-0 lead on American before the Patriots rallied to tie.
“We’re earning respect, little by little,” said Enrique Diaz, a Westland defender and one of the team’s eight seniors. “We’ve had some bad seasons before last year, but I’m glad I’ve been a part of the program pretty much since the start.”
As for practicing in the garage, the disadvantages are tactical, where the Westland players can’t use a regulation-sized field to mimic the demands of the game.
But there are advantages to training on hard surfaces.
“Brazilian kids sometimes practice in garages,” said legendary local soccer coach Jay Flipse, who is now at Sunset. “It teaches you better control on your first touch. And the most important thing in soccer is your first touch — the second most important is your last touch.”
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/12/25/3156066/westland-hialeah-boys-soccer-improves.html#storylink=cpy
