Feb 16,
2001 - 11:44 PM
Wegerle's hat trick lifts Gaither to
win
STUART - Bryce Wegerle keeps finding ways to impress.
The Gaither senior scored
three goals and added two assists Friday as the Cowboys (23-3-1) beat Stuart
Martin County 5-0 in the Class 4A-Region 2 final. Gaither moves on to face
Miami Sunset as the Cowboys will try to defend their state title.
Wegerle, who scored twice
and added an assist in Tuesday's 4-1 win against Vero Beach, put on his latest
display on the same day he found out he was named the Gatorade State Player of
the Year. He also broke Jeff Thwaites' school record for goals in a season with
24.
``We were just prepared
tonight. They had a good team and I'll tell you, we were a little nervous
because for them to beat Bloomingdale [on Tuesday] 5-1 was impressive,''
Wegerle said.
But those nerves were
quickly calmed as Wegerle's corner kick in the eighth minute was headed in by
Travis Bourguignon for a 1-0 lead. Wegerle would add two more goals before the
half and completed his hat trick in the 48th minute.
Class 2A-Region 3: At Tampa, Jesuit's seventh
consecutive trip to the state soccer tournament was by no means an easy one. To
get there, the top-ranked Tigers had to overcome a determined opponent in Lake
Gibson and play with their No. 4 goalkeeper.
Still, Jesuit found a way.
With goals from defender Tom Szvetitz and forward John Kluft and a steady
performance by freshman Keith Meehan in goal, the Tigers (28-2) reached the
state final four with a 2-1 victory against the Braves.
Lake Gibson, 21-5-1 and ranked
No. 2 in Class 2A, tested Meehan, who was making his first varsity start of the
season. Meehan was forced into that situation due to the illness or absence of
three Jesuit keepers ahead of him.
The Tigers, ranked No. 2
nationally in one prep poll and No. 5 in another, scored first in the 34th
minute off a corner kick by Eric Grzybowski, who lofted the ball to the far
post where Szvetitz waited to head the ball in. Lake Gibson equalized two
minutes into the second half on a long free kick nodded in by forward Billy
Judino. After surviving repeated Braves counterattacks, Jesuit got the
game-winner in the 64th minute when Kluft scored from 18 yards out on a shot
just under the bar.
- Bill Ward
Class A-Region 2: At Clearwater, Clearwater Central
Catholic scored three second-half goals en route to a 4-0 shutout of Tampa
Catholic before a boisterous crowd of about 300 at Marauder Field.
Brett Wired put the
Marauders (20-6-3) on the board in the 20th minute. He was assisted by David
Miller, who controlled the midfield throughout the game. The Crusaders (14-7)
withstood heavy pressure for the remainder of the half and only trailed 1-0 at
the break.
In the 44th minute,
Crusaders midfielder David Smith missed a great opportunity to equalize. After
a Marauders' miscue, Smith found himself alone on the goalkeeper, but he shot
high and wide from 16 yards. Five minutes later, Wired headed in his second
goal of the night to put the game away.