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Hernando Today

'Grizzly' Bears fall to LO' L

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By JIM REDMILE, Hernando Today correspondent

Published: December 11, 2007

BROOKSVILLE - After a shaky start, including a yellow card two minutes into the match, things started to look pretty good for the Central Bears and Head Coach Hank Deslaurier Wednesday night at the Bears' Den.

Central's Nick Hernandez, who scored two goals in CHS' last match against River Ridge that ended in a 2-2 tie, found Cody Grey streaking down the left wing.

From midfield, Hernandez hit Grey, who took the ball into the corner, beat one man, and took a left-footed shot that seemed to hook away from the goal.

But Land O' Lakes goalkeeper Thomas Cook caught the ball and broke the plain of the net with it, giving Grey and the Bears their first and only goal of the game in the 12th minute.

Soon after, the momentum shifted in favor of the Gators, took control and never looked back capturing the Class 5A, District 7 match, 4-1.

At 24:30 in the first half, Land O' Lakes' Sebastian Garcia scored on a rebounded shot off Central goalie Mike Ogren, to tie matters, 1-1.

Two minutes later, the Gators were pressing again. This time, Garcia hit Felix Soto on a lengthy pass, right in front of the Central defender. Soto faked left, went right and around the defender and beat Ogren on a bottom left shot to put his team up, 2-1.

Land O' Lakes would strike one more time at the 35th minute of the first half when Matthew Tanner found Dominic Cutrofello, and, much like Soto, went around the Bear defender to up the score, 3-1.

The Gators dominated the second half taking two shots within the first three minutes, and getting their fourth goal from Frank Villar.

But Coach Deslaurier, as usual, seemed to take the night in stride.

"It's not a huge game for us. We need to take care of the other teams in the district," he said. "They're good, but we're still banged up. We're coming off the flu. Tonight, we came up a little short.

"They're not as good as we thought they were. They're not three goals better than us," declared Deslaurier. "A couple of miscues here and there and we're right in it. We just have to play a total game against these guys. If your going to beat them, you have to bring you're 'A' game. We didn't have that tonight."

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