Stallions advance; Scots, Bulls fall in regional soccer quarters
Heritage improves to 29-0
Published January 31st, 2008
By Mario Sarmento
SPORTS EDITOR
A year ago, Melbourne-West Shore suffered the cruelest heartbreak,
as Saint Andrew’s scored a goal with 2.6 seconds left to tie
their regional final match, which the Scots won in overtime on their
way to the Class 3A state title.
Revenge was on the minds of the Wildcats Wednesday night, and forward
Merrika Livingstone scored with just 11.4 seconds left in the first
overtime to give West Shore a shocking 3-2 win.
Wildcats forward and U.S. National Team player Toni Pressley set
up the final goal when she was fouled just outside the box. But with
everyone thinking she would take the shot, she instead laid it off
to Livingstone, who was 10 yards to her right and wide open.
The junior cranked a shot that beat Scots keeper Lauren Reilly in
the right corner for the winning goal.
“I thought she was going to take the shot, but she passed
it to me, my mind was clear and I took the shot,” Livingstone
said.
Saint Andrew’s interim coach Rob Kristiensen said, “Before
we got settled, we thought 19 (Pressley) was going to take the shot.
And they were smart about it, they took a real quick one, and then
she shot it.”
It was the lone great scoring chance for the Wildcats (11-10-1)
in overtime, as Saint Andrew’s (13-3-2) mounted a furious rally
to tie the match at 2-2 and force the extra period.
Raye Sallkey blasted home the first goal at the 23-minute mark of
the first half to give the Wildcats the lead, then Pressley made a
turnaround shot seven minutes later to put the Scots in a 2-0 hole.
In the first half and through much of the second Saint Andrew’s
appeared listless, as the Wildcats continually beat them to the ball
and outmuscled them for possession.
Then Serra Tumay drew a free kick from the left side of the Wildcats’
goal just before the second half water break.
When both teams returned to the field, she ripped a shot that got
past keeper Casey Smolar from the angle, putting Saint Andrew’s
on the board.
Just over a minute later, the Scots’ best attacker and another
U.S. National Team player, Laura Weinberg, took a pass outside the
box, made a move to her left and fired home the tying goal.
“It was the desire in the kids,” Kristiensen said. “The
girls said, this is it, this is the time.”
From that point, Saint Andrew’s dominated the match.
Emily Brockway just missed on a header that would have won the match
in regulation, then Allie Weinberg missed an open net off a free kick
from Tumay.
In the first overtime, Laura Weinberg took a throw-in the length
of the field, but Smolar made a diving save to prolong the match.
Then Livingstone scored on the Wildcats’ lone counterattack
and the match was over.
Saint Andrew’s was without Coach Stacey Dent-Iaciofano, who
is on bedrest awaiting the birth of her second child, and the Scots’
championship defense ended short of the final four.
For Livingstone and the Wildcats, it was a day they had looked forward
to since last year, when Saint Andrew’s stole victory from them
in the regional finals.
“(We thought about it) a lot, a lot,” she said. “Same
circumstances, everything. We did not want that to happen again.”
Stallions win again
American Heritage had little trouble improving to 29-0, routing
South Florida HEAT 8-0 in Tuesday’s Class 2A regional semifinals.
The top-ranked Stallions led 6-0 at halftime and scored two goals
early in the second half, resulting in the mercy rule ending the match.
West Boca falls
Tishia Jewell scored two goals and the Scorpions’ defense
shut down the Bulls (19-3-2) in a Class 5A regional semifinal in Satellite
Beach.
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