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Hernando Today

Antonini's First Goal Gives HHS Rare Victory

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By CHRIS BERNHARDT JR.

Hernando Today

Published: January 14, 2008

BUSHNELL – As Nicole Antonini stood on the sideline at South Sumter High Wednesday night, talking about her first varsity goal, she had no idea what her teammates were up to behind her.
The Hernando High junior had provided the difference in a 1-0 victory over the host Lady Raiders, and she was about to receive a water cooler bath as a reward.
"It was good. It felt awesome," said Antonini, seconds before her fellow Lady Leopards snuck up and dumped the water cooler over her head. "When I heard the ball go into the net and the cheering, it was nice."
Sure these types of celebrations are usually saved for big matches, and are typically aimed at coaches. But the way the season has gone for Hernando (3-16-1), no one could blame the players for savoring the moment.
The Lady Leopards recorded their second triumph of the season over equally struggling South Sumter (2-15-1), after winning 5-0 in a meeting in Brooksville on Nov. 5.
"A win is a win. I guess it's good," Hernando Head Coach Neil Riddle said. "We'll take them when we can get them.
"They tried hard. It's been a long, hard season. We've had to learn. They tried hard. The effort was good."

Total control

The Lady Leopards dominated possession for almost the entire match. They tallied 14 shots on goal forcing Lady Raider keeper Stacey Warden to make 12 saves.
Meanwhile South Sumter had no official shots on goal. Hernando keeper Megan Platt enjoyed an easy night, rarely seeing any action in front of her.
"I think we could have played better," South Sumter Head Coach Steve Sylvester said. "We didn't own the center. They owned the center. Had we owned the center we probably could have done better than that."
Despite this huge advantage, Hernando couldn't dent the scoreboard until late in the second half.
With 12:07 showing on the clock, Antonini finally broke away from the defense and put the ball into the left corner of the net.
"I had the ball. I knew we needed a goal," Antonini said. "I tried to get around as many players as I could. I was 10 yards away and I kicked it in.
"Winning is nice. We've had a lot of mental wins but this one is real, it's physical. I'm happy and we're ready for districts."
Hernando faces Sunlake in the first round of the Class 4A, District 8 Tournament next week at Nature Coast Technical. The Lady Leopards own a win and a tie versus the first-year Lady Seahawks.
"We've got Sunlake on Monday," Riddle said. "We're looking to try to get a win there. We'll go from there hopefully."

HERNANDO 1, SOUTH SUMTER 0

HER 0 1 — 1
SS 0 0 — 0

Goals – Antonini (HER).

Assists – none.
Shots – HER 14, SS 0.
Saves – HER: Platt 0; SS: Warden 12.
Blue cards – none.
Yellow cards – none.
Red cards – none.
Records – Hernando (3-16-1), South Sumter (2-15-1).

Sports writer Chris Bernhardt Jr. can be reached at (352) 544-5288 or online at cbernhardt@hernandotoday.com

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