Berkeley Prep no match for No. 1 Jesuit
ERIK ERLENDSSON Tampa Tribune correspondent
TAMPA - Berkeley Prep and Jesuit had their work cut out entering Saturday's match at Newman Stadium.
Berkeley Prep needed to try to raise its level of play and Jesuit had to maintain intensity after winning its last three games by a combined 30-0 score against district competition.
Both achieved its objective but
Jesuit, the top-ranked team in Class 2A, walked away with a 3-0 win.
``We all understand that we can play at a higher level but it is tough with the schedule we have had in the early going,'' Jesuit assistant coach Drew Griffin said.
Bryce Wegerle scored twice for the Tigers (10-0), including a left-footed 23-yard free kick in the second half, and Eric Grzybowski finished off a nice passing play from Rob Daly and Dave Ellis inside the box for the other.
``Jesuit is just a tremendous team. Their touches and their passing is first class,'' Berkeley Prep coach Dave Zimmerman. ``We have a lot of work to do but I am still happy with what we were able to do. If you look at what Jesuit has done, the rest of their games have been blowouts.
``We're going to get there and today was just the start.''
The Buccaneers (3-5-1) played the first half pretty close to virtually an even draw. Only a penalty kick, Wegerle's first goal, kept the game from being scoreless at halftime.
``I thought we made some great strides today against a great team,'' Zimmerman said. ``The effort was there, but you could see our concentration level and fitness level drop, which is one of the things that we will have to work on.''
That was evident as Jesuit took control of the second half and out-shot Berkeley, 13-1 (18-4 for the game).