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High
School Scores
Monarch High School soccer player in
hospital after stroke
16-year-old stricken during practice
 Steve
Lorenc had a hard time processing what was happening.
Lorenc, the veteran soccer coach at Monarch High, has seen his share of
traditional sports injuries, but at Monday's practice, the symptoms
affecting midfielder Juan David Becerra were anything but typical. Becerra
was struggling to speak and move.
An ambulance was called, Becerra was taken to the hospital and four days
later, a family and school are struggling to understand a puzzling
diagnosis.
Becerra, a 16-year old senior, had had a stroke.
"He's always been healthy so we don't know the cause or why it happened,"
said Angelica Becerra, Juan David's older sister. "We're trying to have
faith and be positive for him."
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Pasco blanks LOL, stays perfect in boys soccer
DADE CITY -- Pasco is sitting pretty on top.
After already beating Mitchell and Wesley Chapel, the Pirates (5-0)
knocked off heated rival and conference opponent Land O'Lakes 1-0 on Monday
evening.
"We kept on plugging at it and that was the main thing: that we kept on
plugging at it," Pasco coach Barry Grayling said.
The game's lone goal came in the second half when sophomore Alex Garcia
hit a pass to junior Jose Flores, scoring his fourth goal of the season.
"(Land O'Lakes) gives us the most competition the rest of the teams,"
Flores said. "We got our goal and we did our job tonight. That's all we
needed."
more
ST. LUCIE WEST CENTENNIAL 2, OKEECHOBEE 1: Julio Mindo
had a goal and an assist and James Craddock added a goal as the Eagles edged
the Brahmans in Okeechobee.
more
Pirates seize their chances to edge Gators
DADE CITY — Rarely does a Land O'Lakes team stand collectively on its
bench for a regular-season match. It's not often an opponent can raise the
pulse of arguably the North Suncoast's most dominant program in recent
years.
Yet there stood the Gators reserves Monday alongside a few managers,
perched atop a metal bench inside W.F. Edwards Stadium.
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Pine Crest boys still perfect
The Pine Crest boys' soccer team appears poised for a return trip to state
this season. Coming off a trip to the state final four a year ago, the
Panthers improved to 6-0 so far with a 4-0 victory against Pembroke Pines
Charter on Monday. Matt O'Connor scored a goal, and Wyatt Zeller posted the
shutout.
more
Martin County boys soccer goes 6-0
STUART — In a close and hard fought match,
Martin County High Schools boys varsity soccer team went 6-0 (3-0 districts)
against district opponent Port St. Lucie this past Tuesday evening. Taylor
Dicicco scored early in the match with and assist from Evan Greenbaum. This
is the Tigers best start since the 1996/97 season.
Palmetto beats Sarasota in boys soccer tourney
The Palmetto boys soccer team is in the finals of the Sarasota Boys
Thanksgiving Invitational thanks mostly to a timely freshman.
Pedro Calvillo scored the first two goals of his varsity career, including
one in the game’s final minutes, to help Palmetto win 3-2 (3-1 in penalty
kicks) over Sarasota during Tuesday’s semifinals.
“It was a well-played game,” said Palmetto coach Dustin Dahlquist.
The Tigers (4-1) have never won the tournament and will face Tampa Jesuit at
8 p.m. today in the championship.
more
Crescent City boys strike quickly
Like lightning over a landscape, the Crescent City Junior-Senior High
School boys soccer team put the competitive phase of Tuesday night's
District 4-3A matchup with visiting Interlachen to an end.
With a three-goal outburst within a two-minute period at the start of the
second half, the Raiders cruised to a 6-1 victory over the Rams, improving
to 5-1 overall and 2-0 record in the revamped district.
"We've been working on our defense and on different formations throughout
the year," said Raiders coach John Thomas. "We're having some luck filling
holes, but we still need to get good communication and get guys in the right
places."
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King midfielder sees big picture
TAMPA - There's a new sense of optimism around King High School's boys
soccer program, thanks in no small part to the player whose vision helped
the team to an impressive start this season.
Midfielder Steven Scrivens is that player, who after finishing with seven
goals a season ago already had five goals in the Lions' first three games
this season. But Scrivens' scoring only partly demonstrates what he brings
to the King squad.
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St. Ed's outlasts Benjamin
Sasha Benincasa and Tarek Hussamy scored first-half goals Tuesday, and
the St. Edward’s boys soccer team went on to beat Benjamin 3-1 in Vero
Beach.
Will Peckham added an unassisted goal in the second half for St. Edward’s
(2-1).
Fedner Juste and Mike Ioppolo had assists and Christian French made two
saves in goal.
St. Edward’s plays at John Carroll at 6:30 p.m. Dec.
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Belleview soccer blanks Dunnellon
The Belleview boy's soccer team took Dunnellon in a 4-0 game at Dunnellon
on Tuesday.
The score was tied at 0-0 for 38 minutes in the first half until Belleview's
offense broke through.
Zachary Tiebout had 2 goals while teammates Josh Molinski (goal) and Tommy
Crenshaw (goal) rounded out the scoring for the Rattlers.
Belleview's Jimmy Govieor had 15 blocks and Scotty Webster had 9 saves.
Dunnellon had strong offensive plays by Brent Ciquera and Daniel Herrera
while Austin Cooke, Ray Sepper and Ryan Molloy excelled defensively.
more
Patient Bauman reaches milestone
TAMPA - It took a little longer than he would have liked, but Jesuit
coach Bob Bauman recorded his 500th victory Friday
night when the Tigers breezed past Middleton for an 8-0 victory.
Bauman had earned his 499th win in the season opener, but then came ties
against Tampa Catholic and Robinson and a loss to Tampa Prep. Bauman added
win No. 501 Monday night, a 3-0 victory against Sarasota Riverview as the
Tigers improved to 3-1-2.
After winning 10 games at Chamberlain, Bauman became coach at Jesuit in
1987 and he has led the Tigers to five state titles and 14 final four
appearances. The Tigers finished the 2000-01 season ranked No. 1 in the
nation in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America/USA Today and
Student Sports Soccer polls.
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River Ridge, Land O'Lakes keep it all even in 0-0 tie
LAND O'LAKES — Blame the goalkeepers for playing so well.
Blame Thanksgiving and a prestigious club tournament for keeping some key
players off the grass. Whatever the complaint, there's nothing too
appetizing about a scoreless finish.
In the battle for the Class 4A, District 8 top spot, River Ridge and host
Land O'Lakes left Monday's 0-0 draw wondering where the other stood.
more
Fort Pierce Central surprises Jensen Beach
A one-goal deficit did not last long for Fort Pierce Central’s boys
soccer team Tuesday.
The Cobras scored three goals in a 22-minute span of the first half and
stunned Jensen Beach 3-1 in Fort Pierce for their first win this season.
Jensen Beach (2-3) had gone ahead on Jonar Wray’s unassisted goal 12
minutes into the first half, but Brandon Gutierrez tied it on a pass from
Bidson Joseph four minutes later.
Ivan Aguilar scored off an assist from Gutierrez 11 minutes before
halftime and Eduardo Serrano scored on a penalty kick in the 38th minute for
Fort Pierce Central (1-3).
Oscar Hurtado made eight saves in goal as the Cobras’ defense pitched a
second-half shutout.
more
Canes open district play with victory
NAPLES — Chris Kurtz scored the game’s only goal on an assist from Kyle
Harris as the Manatee High boys soccer team defeated host Gulf Coast 1-0 on
Friday in the district opener.
The Canes (4-0-1) are back in action at 8 p.m. Monday against Fort Myers
at the Thanksgiving Invitational in Sarasota.
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Eissele shows he's ahead of game
He comes from a soccer-loving family.
Christian Eissele's father, Bill, is Lake Mary's girls soccer coach and one
of the nation's winningest high school coaches. Older sister Meagan, a 2008
graduate of Lake Mary, is a midfielder/back on the Air Force Academy's
soccer team. Christian, a senior forward for the Rams, recently signed with
UCF.
Christian is graduating from Lake Mary in late December and will begin
taking classes at UCF in January. That meant, at most, Eissele would have
been available to the Rams for about five weeks.
Now, his availability is much shorter. One game after setting a school
record with seven assists against Oviedo last week, Eissele sprained his
right ankle and is expected to miss three weeks.
Varsity the Weekly recently talked with Eissele. ?{ Varsity the
Weekly: How did it feel to put your name into the Lake Mary record book?
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Terrapins beat Tigers, but left with food for thought
TAMPA – Tampa Prep continued its undefeated start to the season on Wednesday
night, but the manner of the Terrapins 4-3 victory against Jesuit left Coach
Doug Smith a little concerned.
“Frankly, we got the win, but I don’t think we played as well as we could
play,” Smith said. “I don’t think we controlled the ball like we are capable
of doing. We were one-dimensional, going too much over the top, we needed to
play more to feet, keep the ball, keep our composure.”
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Tie tests boys soccer powers
LAKEWOOD RANCH — Saint Stephen’s and Lakewood Ranch were not battling for
district positioning Monday night.
But the games will grow more relevant as the winter grows deeper. And the
1-1 tie the boys soccer teams played to provided each one with a strong
early-season litmus test.
The Falcons (0-0-1) and Mustangs (1-0-2) are fresh off solid campaigns —
the Falcons reached the Class 2A state final four last season and the
Mustangs won the Class 5A-District 12 title en route to reaching the Region
3 semifinals.
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Knights to face test against powerful Gryphons
Robinson’s boys soccer team has opened the season well, a 2-2 draw with
Jesuit on Monday night opening some eyes around the bay area, and the
Knights will get another strong test when they host Sickles on Thursday
night.
The Gryphons have been dominant in their first three games of the season,
winning all three by a combined score of 18-0. Knights coach Ken Thomas said
he is looking forward to seeing how his young side fares against an
experienced Gryphons squad. Robinson has been an athletic and somewhat
physical team in previous seasons, but is now seeing young players with
greater playing ability join the program. Thomas thinks the discipline his
young players have shown is the principle reason why his side has been able
to have the success it has so far.
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Greenbaum's 4 goals lead Martin County
Evan Greenbaum scored four goals, including the winning goal with a
minute to play Monday, as Martin County's boys soccer team defeated
Okeechobee 5-4 at Okeechobee.
Taylor DiCicco added a goal and two assists and Tyler Laramie and
Jonathan Albright had assists for Martin County (3-0).
more
Tampa Bay Rowdies hire former MLS player Dalglish as
coach
TAMPA — In the search for its first coach, the new Tampa Bay Rowdies
wanted to find someone who understood the Rowdies' history as well as
someone who could produce a successful team and drum up excitement for it.
After looking at 10 candidates last week, the Rowdies hired former player
Paul Dalglish, a 32-year-old Scot who played with Newcastle United in
England and won two MLS Cups in the United States with Houston.
"After talking to him, it didn't take long to realize he was the perfect
fit," said Andrew Nestor, owner and president of the Rowdies, who plan to
debut in the United Soccer League's First Division in the spring.
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Wesley Chapel, Mitchell play to 1-1 tie
TRINITY Wesley Chapel was giving Mitchell too much respect.
That is, according to Coach Brian Dorkowski, his Wildcats were giving a
lot of credit to the "overwhelming" Mustangs.
But Wesley Chapel (3-0-1, 2-0-1) stood tall against Mitchell (2-0-1,
1-0-1) in the Class 4A-District 7 matchup, pulling out a 1-1 tie Monday
night.
"I didn't want them to come in overconfident (because Wesley Chapel
dominated its first three games)," Dorkowski said. "I think we were a little
too cautious and we hung with them in the first half, we knew in the second
we'd have to be more physical."
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East Lake, PHU boys play to a draw
PALM HARBOR— As the only game scheduled between rivals Palm Harbor
University and East Lake, Friday's match between the boys soccer powerhouses
morphed into what, at times, could be described as a turf war.
Tripping, arm grabbing, shirt pulling, forearm shivers, tackles that
would make Dick Butkus proud, all were on display as the Hurricanes and
Eagles played to a 2-2 draw.
"I know a couple football coaches around here that would like to see
tackling like that," PHU coach Alex Delgado said. "We knew how it was going
to be. It's unfortunate we don't get to see each other that much. It's a
great rivalry. Both teams wanted to prove a point."
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The leader of the pack
 Over
a 10-year span, Hernando County's top two boys' soccer programs have been
F.W. Springstead and Central High.
The Bears have captured nearly 60 percent of their matches during that span
while the Eagles have won nearly 62 percent of their matches.
That pattern appears to hold serve for the 2009-10 campaign.
Here's a look at each program.
Bears 101
The Bears celebrate their 20th anniversary of soccer this winter.
The program's sixth mentor, Hank Deslaurier, enters his fourth season at the
controls.
The Bears have to be penciled in as the favorite to repeat as Hernando
County champions and appear to have the inside track to the tiny, four-team
Class 5A, District 7 Tournament beginning Jan. 25 in Marion County.
more
Varela High chasing another state title in boys' soccer
 After
back-to-back state championships and a mythical national title, the Varela
boys' soccer team enjoyed its role as an underdog last year.
But the Vipers still were Miami-Dade County's top team, with a surprising
return to the Class 6A state final four led by players who were reserves
during the championship seasons.
``The bus rides back home after every victory last year were great,''
Varela coach J.C. Gonzalez said. ``Everybody was having a blast because it
was a first every time we won another big game for most of them.''
The Vipers won't catch anyone by surprise this season.
With nine seniors returning, including seven starters, Varela will
endeavor to recapture the state title and become the second Dade team,
joining Gulliver from 1991-1994, to advance to the state tournament four
seasons in a row.
more
Bay County boys soccer preview capsules
Dunedin's Carrington Hogan out for the
year
The Dunedin boys soccer team has arguably the toughest opening-season
schedule of all county teams with Palm Harbor University, East Lake and
Countryside due up in its first three contests.
To make matters worse for the Falcons, they’ll go into all three matches as
well as the rest of their schedule without standout defender Carrington
Hogan, who will miss the season after tearing the MCL in his right knee
during the offseason.
more
Broward boys' soccer outlooks
Coral Springs Charter makes slow progress
 When
Howard Furman took control of the Coral Springs Charter boys' team four
years ago, he had plenty of work to do.
The team was undisciplined, pulling in red cards left and right under a
different coach. The players were aloof and uncommitted and went straight
from a middle school team to a losing varsity program with no room for slow
growth.
``It was pretty much a joke,'' Panthers senior forward Josh Doerr said.
``No one took it serious.''
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Martin County spoils Central coach's return
 Jay
Stewart’s return as Fort Pierce Central’s boys soccer coach began with a
loss to an old rival Thursday.
Martin County scored three goals in the final 25 minutes to beat the
Cobras 3-0 in Fort Pierce.
Stewart and Martin County coach Juan Kalb first coached against each
other in 1984, when Stewart began an 11-year run at South Fork. He coached
Fort Pierce Central for the first time from 1995-98.
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All eyes on Golden Gate in revamped district
NAPLES — Since the school opened in 2004,
Dwight Morgan has quickly turned Golden Gate’s boys soccer team into a local
power.
The Titans qualified for the regional playoffs in their second season,
won a district championship in their third and went to the state semifinals
in 2007. With two-thirds of the players back from the Class 4A semifinalist
team, Golden Gate was supposed to be a bona fide championship contender last
season. more
Naples Season Preview
Sarasota cruises past Mooney 5-0
Senior ready to kick off soccer season
 GIBSONTON
- Preparing for a new soccer season is nothing new for David Castillo.
"I've been playing soccer since I was 5," Castillo said. "So I started doing
this as soon as I could run."
The East Bay High senior is presently gearing up for his fourth and final
season as an Indian.
Castillo has high expectations for himself and his teammates.
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Canes drench Pirates
 Typically
a soccer playing field is referred to as a pitch. On Tuesday night at
Crystal River High School’s Earl Bramlett Stadium, it could simply be called
slop.
The messy playing conditions for the boys soccer match between the Citrus
Hurricanes and the Crystal River Pirates were thanks to the remnants of
Tropical Storm Ida, which passed through Citrus County during the late
afternoon hours.
By game-time the torrential rain had turned the field into a virtual mud
hole. Ironically enough, the adverse weather from the tropical storm had
little effect on the Hurricanes, who appeared to relish the poor playing
conditions as they drenched the Pirates 4-1 in both teams’ season-opener.
more
New districts open opportunity for
greater competition
TAMPA – Reclassification and redistricting
could have a major impact on the upcoming boys soccer season, with the class
5A and 6A districts involving Hillsborough County schools looking more
balanced than in recent seasons.
But despite all the movement, when the postseason comes will it be a case of
the more things change, the more they stay the same?
“Every year is a new year, and over the course of 10 years you have certain
teams who are just always there, and I don’t think that’s going to change,”
Gaither coach Eric Sims said. “I think teams with good programs as long as
their getting an influx of decent players, I think they’ll be there
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Land O' Lakes downs Gulf
NEW PORT RICHEY - When Land O' Lakes boys soccer coach Mark Pearson
showed his players the scoreboard during halftime of Monday's game against
Gulf, he didn't like the score, despite his team being up 3-2.
"I think we came into this game thinking this would be an easy win and
thought we'd have no problem," Pearson said. "We have to cut that out of our
game. We spotted them two goals in the first 10 minutes, and at halftime, I
told them they needed to turn things around."more
After Nease dynasty, it's a wide-open season for
county programs
A look at the county boys soccer program
Nease played for three consecutive state boys soccer championships and
won two of them.
But after graduations, the Panthers are starting from scratch. And that's
an opportunity for one of the county's other programs to step forward. With
new districts drawn up and lots of talent returning at Creekside and Ponte
Vedra, it's anyone's guess on how the season will play out. Menendez and St.
Augustine start the season with new coaches, and Bartram Trail will look to
make its mark after dropping down in classification.
more
Boca Raton gunning for a return trip to state
soccer tournament
 Boca
High's soccer team enters the season with vacated spots to fill after making
its first state finals appearance since 1990.
Gone are key players C.J. Phelps, Sevin Barnes and Charlie Contreras, who
all graduated and contributed to the Bobcats' high-powered offense that
averaged three goals per match during the first four rounds of the state
playoffs. more
Lakeland
Soccer Preview
First Coast high school boys soccer
Five teams to watch
Bolles:
The Bulldogs return a strong core from last season’s Class 3A state title
team, including seniors Sebastian Mikulic, Robbie Eshelman and Jacob Stenson,
and will benefit from the addition of junior Carlos Dominguez. Juniors Chris
Hazelip and Juan Pablo Villareal will compete to replace standout keeper
John Rush.
Fleming Island: Junior midfielder Noah Andone (12 goals, 15 assists), senior
defender Jacob Sprinkles and junior keeper Zack Slankard return to lead the
Class 5A regional finalist Golden Eagles, who look strong for another deep
playoff run with the addition of Bolles transfer Seth Dedmon and St. Johns
Country Day transfer Tanner Hall.
more
High hopes for newest Eagles
The Douglas boys' soccer team hopes to pick up where it left off last
year, as it closed out the season winning 11 of its final 17 games and
reached the regional semifinals.
The renewed confidence comes from two transfers, junior Sekani Sinclair
(American Heritage-Delray) and senior Donovan Henry (IMG Academy). Both have
been involved in Olympic Development Programs, and Henry is in the U.S.
National team Under-17 pool.
Sinclair scored 41 goals and added 21 assists last year and scored twice for
American Heritage-Delray in the Class 2A state championship game.
Eagles coach Paul Gregory will also count on senior Ricky Menendez to anchor
his defense. more
Treasure Coast seniors hoping for their moment
PORT ST. LUCIE — The Treasure Coast boys soccer team has gradually
progressed since its first season four years ago, and now the Titans are
ready for a whole new level.
Treasure Coast played in its first district final last year, but finished
runner-up to Bayside and lost in the Region 4-5A quarterfinals. The Titans
graduated just three players and bring back a slew of talent with
expectations for better success this season.
“The boys are pretty excited,” fourth-year coach Matt Walby said.
“Keeping healthy will be key, but they are quietly confident.”
more
Pinellas boys soccer preview
 Palm
Harbor University coach Alex Delgado came full circle last season, guiding
the Hurricanes to their third state title on the same Pepin Stadium field
where he helped the school win its first championship as a player. Now in
his third season piloting the Hurricanes boys soccer team, Delgado will
strive to bring the program another first. Repeat state titles.
The Hurricanes have three titles in the past eight seasons but never back
to back.
Despite graduating six key senior starters, including leading scorer
Matthew Tobin, PHU remains one of a handful of local schools with legitimate
title aspirations.more
Changes to North Suncoast leave powers srambling
Izzy Gould,
Times Staff Writer
In Print: Monday, November 9, 2009
 Perhaps
the greatest problem with the growth of the North Suncoast is missed
opportunity.
Consider this: Arguably the top two returning boys soccer teams — Land
O'Lakes and Mitchell — will not meet in the regular season.
The split of the Sunshine Athletic Conference is partly to blame now that
schools rotate opponents each season. There are too many schools and not
enough games.
That said, the Gators and Mustangs could meet in the playoffs now that
they both play in Class 4A. Of course, that means almost a guaranteed early
exit from the playoffs after the anticipated dominance of local teams.
more
Hillsborough boys soccer preview
 TAMPA
— Upon returning from last season's 1-0 region final defeat at Bradenton St.
Stephen's, a band of Tampa Prep players hopped a couple of school fences by
dark, crept through a dugout and gathered on the soccer field.
Not for a prank, but a pact. In the chilly downtown Tampa darkness, the
Terrapins underclassmen vowed the fate that had just befallen the seniors —
on a 74th-minute goal, no less — wouldn't repeat itself.
"We just looked at the field and said to ourselves, 'We can't let this
happen again,' " senior forward Anthony Baumann recalled.
more
PASCO COUNTY PREP SOCCER PREVIEW
Picking up where they
left off
Coaches and players in most every sport strive
to be part of one of the teams that are "peaking at the right time," as the
familiar saying goes.
Last season, several Cape area boys' soccer teams followed through on
that vision.
Through hard work and dedication, they got stronger as the season
progressed, leading to a climactic finish to the season with several teams
playing well and battling it out for every inch and every free ball in the
district tournament.
No team was hotter than the Cape Coral Seahawks, who put together an
eight-game winning streak, which included the District 5A-15 championship
and a first-ever appearance in the regional finals.
more
Sun
all-area boys soccer teams
Hillsborough: All-county boys soccer
Pinellas: All-county boys soccer
North Suncoast: All-county boys soccer
All-Central Florida boys soccer picks and county notables
Sun Sentinel
Small School Boys' Soccer First Team
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