Last updated January 7, 2000 09:30 AM ET
Sports

Lady Eagles set for Bulldog showdown
By Jason Vetter/of Hernando Today staff

SPRING HILL -- The Springstead Eagles should be jumping for joy at the season they're enjoying. An 8-1-2 record. First place in Class Class 2A-District 6. The top goal-scorer in the county. But, there is a dark lining in this silver cloud. Against the three best teams on its schedule, Zephyrhills, Citrus and Lecanto, the Eagles are just 1-1-2. And that's where coach Bill Horvath finds an area his team needs to improve.

"We're still not where I want to be on the field," said Horvath. "We have a bad habit of not playing two touch lines. We have two touch lines and we only take the ball up one. I made sure we had two touch lines [Dec. 17] against Pasco and we had five different girls score goals."

Finding a balanced scoring attack is a necessity for Springstead. Of the team's 54 goals scored this season, 31 have come from senior Angie DeAngelis. While her amazing season is a highlight for the Eagles, it can also be their downfall if she were to have an off day and no one else steps up.

Horvath said the team only brings the ball up one sideline, becoming very predictable. That's find against teams like Wesley Chapel and Crystal River. But, against the top squads, it won't get it done.

Horvath is happy with his team's play. It's tough not to be. He said the defense has played especially well. He also admits finding faults is being a bit picky, saying that, as a coach, "you're never satisfied."

"I'm exceptionally happy with the defense," he said. "We've had a couple of games where we didn't allow one shot on goal. We've shut down the opposing team's offense and helped create breakaways for ourselves. It all starts with the defense."

The unit, led by sweeper Amy Farrell, stopper Cindy Cason and Megan Frey, has held opponents to just 12 goals all season, including just four in the last seven games. Credit must also be given to Stefanie Hibbert, the last line of defense in goal. She has played every minute of every match and has allowed just 0.91 goals per match.

The Eagles (6-1-0 in district) played against Hudson last night. Tomorrow, they square off with Zephyrhills. The Bulldogs are second in the district but have yet to lose a disrict match (5-0-1). The winner of Friday's match at Booster Stadium should determine the regular season district champion. Horvath admits he's looking forward to the rematch against the only team to knock off his girls this year.

"We look forward to Friday," Horvath said. "Obviously, we'd like to not look past Hudson. But, we are gearing ourselves toward Friday's match."

When the teams mat in the first match of the season Nov. 17, the Bulldogs took a 3-2 win. Horvath said the Eagles controlled play but two defensive mistakes cost them.

"We made some first-game mistakes," he said. "They got two sloppy goals on us. I hope Friday will be a different story."

Class 2A - District 6 standings

SHS 6-1-0 12 pts.
ZH 5-0-1 11 pts.
HHS 5-3-0 10 pts.
Pasco 3-4-1 7 pts.
CHS 2-4-1 5 pts.
Hudson 2-5-1 5 pts.
Wesley Chapel 0-6-0 0 pts.

SHS scoring

Goals
DeAngelis 31
Chrissy Tapia 7
Nicole Bernhardt 5
Stacy Horvath 3
Christina Magid 3
Renee Sacino 2

Assists

Chrissy Tapia 7
DeAngelis 6
Bernhardt, Amy Farrell 4
Horvath, Sacino, Magid, Lauren McManus, Cindy Cason 3

Points
DeAngelis 68
Tapia 21
Bernhardt 14
Horvath, Magid 9
Sacino 7
Farrell 4
McManus, Cason 3

Keeper
Hibbert Gms 11, Gls All 12, GAA 0.91

Lady Eagles set for Bulldog showdown
By Jason Vetter/of Hernando Today staff

BROOKSVILLE-- As the Central High girls soccer team struggles through a 3-7-1 season, coach Rob Schenk could be panicking and looking toward next season. But, he chooses to take the glass-is-half-full approach.

"I was expecting us to be a little better, but I'm starting to see real improvement now," Schenk said. "The defense is playing a lot better and so are the midfielders."

The Lady Bears' defense has been porous this season, allowing four or more goals in six of the 11 matches. In fact, Central has allowed an average of 4.7 goals per contest. But, there are secondary circumstances.

Schenk's squad hasn't played well enough to beat the elite teams on its schedule such as Springstead and Citrus. In three losses to the two schools, the Lady Bears were outscored 24-2. Yet, there is reason for him to have hope. In Central's last match before the Christmas break, the Lady Bears played Lecanto tough in a 3-1 defeat. The Lady Panthers tied Springstead earlier this season. Central has a lot of members of the team playing together for the first time. Schenk said cohesiveness is still a problem. Defensively, the girls are still learning how to play off each other.

"They're starting to know what to expect out of each other," he said. "The team is gelling together. They know what each other can do."

Brooke Szabo has led the charge offensively with 18 goals. Her production will continue. Schenk believes the rest of the team will step up, as well.
"We'll do better than we did in the first half," he said. "I expect us to play our best and go as far as we can. Expect us to make some noise."

The Lady Bears open the stretch run tonight at Pasco, a team they battled to a 4-4 tie Dec. 1. A win by Central would move it ahead of the Lady Pirates into fourth in the district standings, behind Springstead, Zephyrhills and Hernando.

Back to Hernando Today home page