Steinbrenner falls 2-0 in regional semifinals
By Kyle LoJacono
The Steinbrenner girls soccer team played right with undefeated Lakeland George Jenkins for 79 minutes and 21 seconds, but those 39 ticks of the clock proved to be the Warriors’ undoing.
Steinbrenner (16-4-2) lost the Class 3A regional semifinals contest 2-0 at the Eagles (24-0), ending the defending state champion’s season.
Jenkins forward Tori Abnathy took the ball up the left side and used her blazing speed to get enough separation from the Warriors’ defense to blast home the game’s first goal in the 54th minute. Lauren Greene added the insurance goal 39 seconds later off a cross from Jessie Scarpa.
First-year Steinbrenner coach Robert Woodard said the team had a mental letdown after the first goal that led to the second, but he was still extremely proud of his team’s effort.
“They gave 100 percent out there,” Woodard said. “We don’t have the depth that we normally do because of some injuries. We had to give everybody more minutes, and consequently we probably couldn’t push forward as much as we would have wanted to.”
Warriors goalkeeper Stephanie Hirsch, who suffered back spasms earlier in the week, made critical saves to keep the game within striking distance. She finished with 12.
“She did a remarkable job,” Woodard said. “She kept us in it.”
The Eagles’ defense frustrated Steinbrenner’s attack all night, deflecting away the last pass needed to spring forwards Cici Gonzalez and Taylor Valley for breakaways.
“We gave everything we had,” Woodard said. “We had a lot of possession in the first half and the first 20 minutes we were doing really well. We just could not get past their defense. I thought that if we could get 10 quality shots on goal then we’d win the game, but we weren’t able to get that. Something broke down. That pass in the final third just was not happening tonight.
“I think if we’d have gotten a couple of chances (Valley) would have put one in and same thing with Cici,” Woodard continued. “Because we couldn’t generate enough offensive pressure they were stranded up front by themselves a little bit more than I would have liked to have seen. That was our plan going in was to attack them. Unfortunately it didn’t work out that way.”
The Warriors lose three seniors — Gonzalez, Valley and defender Katelynn Snyder — but only two of those three got to hoist a state title.
Valley, who finishes the year with 12 goals, decided not to play for Steinbrenner last season during their state championship run, but returned for her final year in high school.
“I feel especially bad for Taylor Valley because this was her season,” Woodard said. “She did a remarkable job for us.”
The Warriors had no trouble scoring early and often against Bartow in the regional quarterfinals at home on Jan. 24, putting up eight goals while allowing none, resulting in the mercy rule ending the game by halftime.
Steinbrenner has forced 22 mercy-rule shortened games since the school opened in 2009, three this year, but the program had never done so in a playoff game before.
Gonzalez put the team up early, scoring the game’s first three goals. She tallied her first two by the 5th minute and finished with four total to give her 91 for her career, seven in the playoffs.
Steinbrenner also got a pair of goals from Valley and one apiece from Samantha Kay and Alexis Bredeau.
