By Kyle LoJacono
The Wiregrass Ranch girls soccer team’s second playoff trip ended at home in the regional semifinals Jan. 26, falling 4-1 to Lakeland George Jenkins.
The Bulls (20-3) got on the scoreboard first when senior forward and University of South Florida commit A.J. Blount buried home a rebound in the 30th minute.
Wiregrass Ranch kept the advantage until the 53rd minute when Lauren Green took a pass up the right side and slipped a ball by goalkeeper Dayton Wetherby, a Navy commit.
The goal threw the Bulls off their game plan, and the Eagles (22-2-2) added another tally on a similar setup three minutes later. Wiregrass Ranch was never able to regain momentum.
“I think it got away when we started being more relaxed in the back and were not as alert on the field,” Blount said. “They kept penetrating on the same side, and we kept making that same mistake. They’d take it down to that pocket corner and get on Dayton, so I think that was our biggest mistake was letting her turn and get it in.”
First-year Bulls coach Eddy Costa was pleased with the way his players defended in the first half when they gave up no shots on goal.
“Every time they got the ball we had not just one, but two or three players around her,” Costa said. “I’m not sure what happened in the second half because we came out with the same mentality, and it became a little more of a one-V-one situation, and unfortunately the one-V-one situation hurt us very bad.”
George Jenkins was able to limit Wiregrass Ranch’s dangerous forwards Berlin Waters (29 goals) and Blount (26 goals) with solid central defense.
“They’re strength was they stop everything down the middle,” Costa said. “We wanted to send it over the top of them and work the sides. We’ve done a great job of going down the middle all year with Berlin and A.J., hit them with a pass and they’re off to the races. George Jenkins would step in and give them no space.”
The Bulls were able to capture their second district title and playoff berth in the program’s seven-year history despite getting a new coach with a very different mentality than they were used to.
“It’s difficult for them coming from club soccer playing in high school and having to learn a whole new perspective of how to move the ball, how to get the ball and defending,” Costa said. “At the end of the day that’s what it’s going to take. … It was a very successful season. Unfortunately one team moves on, and we’re not that team. There were a lot of positives that come out of this.”
Wiregrass Ranch beat Lakeland 4-0 in the regional quarterfinals Jan. 23 with two goals scored by Waters and one apiece from Blount and senior midfielder Anne Cypriano.
The Bulls lose the winningest senior class in program history, which depart with a 72-16-3 record. Among those who are graduating are Blount and Waters, who leave first and second in career goals for Wiregrass Ranch with 94 and 73, respectively, despite playing there only three years.
Waters, a Saint Leo University commit, transferred from Academy at the Lakes as a sophomore, the same season the Bulls made its first playoff run. Blount missed all of last year when she tore the ACL in her right knee.
Wiregrass Ranch also loses Wetherby, Cypriano (nine goals, seven assists) and defenders Hannah Eder, Lauren Gordon and Ashley Murphy, who have all been on the squad the last four years.
Costa said the graduates will be missed, but sees a lot of talent returning.
“I still think we’re always going to be a contender,” Costa said. “I heard that John Long (Middle) had 65 kids come out, all who played together, so we’re going to have a good freshmen squad. We won’t be stacked with seniors. Lauren Luzzi is the only starting junior, and then we had three or four come in off the bench. We had four freshmen start, Taylor Müzik (12 goals) is a sophomore and some others, so we’re losing some great players, but we have a lot of underclassmen coming back.”
Blount added, “I really do feel that they can go and take care of what we helped put here. I think the best part was that we did it. It was our class that made this happen, got the first district win, first district title and got to the playoffs, so I just really want them to carry out that tradition. I know they will.”
—Follow Kyle LoJacono on Twitter: @Kyle_Laker
