Feb 12,
2001 - 03:16 PM
Hudson focuses on getting to final
game
HUDSON - Hudson tries to
make school history with a win Tuesday against Rockledge in the region
semifinals.
The opponent is unknown but
the objective isn't. Hudson's boys soccer team has never been to a region
final. A win Tuesday night against Rockledge changes that.
The determination is
evident. In the final minutes of the Cobras' 3-0 quarterfinal win against
Citrus Thursday night, midfielder Billy Boyko received a yellow card for
arguing a call. It should have been a meaningless minute in a match long over.
Boyko was still steaming when he got to the bench.
Boyko and forward Jarle Thy
are seniors. Forward Morten Frette transfers back to Norway for his senior
year. If there is ever going to be a year for the Cobras to play for a final
four berth, this is it.
``They're aware of it,''
Hudson coach Ron Ladimir said. ``They have their expectations set pretty high.
They are trying to stay on the same wavelength, which isn't easy to do when
you're a kid. I thought they did a good job Thursday. They could have
overlooked Citrus, with the record they had, but they didn't.''
The Hurricanes came into
the match at 10-10-3, a far cry from the 17-7-4 mark Rockledge brings to
Hudson. As of Friday afternoon, that is about all Ladimir knew about the
Raiders, which is fine for him.
``You get into a problem if
you start worrying too much about the other team,'' Ladimir said.
The Cobras advanced to the
region semifinals in 1997 and '99, losing most recently 2-1 to New Smyrna
Beach. That match was on the road, whereas Tuesday night's is at Cobra Stadium.
The Raiders have approximately a three-hour drive from Brevard County. They
prepared for it with trips to Jacksonville and Miami for matches during the
regular season.
Rockledge has won five
district titles in a row and 10 of 11 in what Coach Skip Arrich admits is a
``weak district.'' The Raiders never have been to the final four in Arrich's 22
years at the school but lost 2-0 to eventual state-champion Jesuit in the '99
region final.
Rodrigues out for Gators
Even though it is the most
important thing, the only good thing to come out of Land O' Lakes' trip to
Plant Thursday night was the 1-0 victory (3-1 on penalty kicks).
Gators coach Mark Pearson
compared the Hillsborough County field to ``third-world conditions,'' noting
the shortness in width and length. Goalkeeper Greg Kline played with a
102-degree fever. And, sweeper and top defender J.P. Rodrigues was lost for at
least 10 days with fluid buildup in his right eye. He'll miss Tuesday's
semifinal match at Seminole and Friday's region final if the Gators win.
Rodrigues is scheduled to
get a sonogram either Monday or Tuesday, but he has been told to avoid doing
anything that would raise his blood pressure. A capillary burst in the eye when
he was hit with the ball during the match. Pearson compared the sight to a red
eye in a photograph.
Keith Strand will move to
the sweeper position and Evan Quintero moves into the starting lineup to
replace Rodrigues, who missed nearly a month of the regular season with a
red-card suspension. The Gators didn't lose a match in that time.
``It might actually be a
blessing in disguise,'' Pearson said of the suspension. ``Keith swept with John
Paul out and we didn't lose a game. When he went out (Thursday), everybody
stepped up with everything against us.''
The Gators were battling
the flu bug before Thursday's game as Quintero didn't even dress. Pearson
expects the team to be fine by Tuesday.
The biggest challenge
against Seminole will be to find offense. Leading scorer Kyle Crawford (21
goals, 18 assists) played defensive midfield against Plant, marking the
Panthers' leading scorer, Bobby Boswell. Also, Rodrigues often pushes into the
midfield when the Gators fall behind.
``If we play with the
amount of intensity and heart we played with (Thursday) night, we should be
fine Tuesday,'' Pearson said.
(CHART) Class 3A-Region 3
semifinal
-- Who: Land O' Lakes
(25-4-1) at Seminole (18-5-4)