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Hernando Today

Feeding frenzy in 'The Tank'

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By RICK FULLER, Hernando Today correspondent

Published: January 15, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - Nature Coast Technical's boy's soccer team feasted on Class 4A, District 8 foe, Hernando, Wednesday evening at Shark Tank Stadium, 6-2.

It was obvious something was different when the two teams were seated on opposite sides of the field. Common sense would say the administration wanted to keep the two teams separate. It became evident in the second half when tempers flared and yellow cards were given as a swing or two flew.

NCT sophomore midfielder David MacLean was given a double yellow card for retaliation and Hernando defenseman Patrick Peacock was given a yellow card.

Up to that point, NCT led 2-0 on a goal from MacLean at the 3:52 with an assist from sophomore Zach Weeks.

On the Sharks' second goal they two reversed their roles and the goal came from Weeks, with an assist from MacLean at 10:33.

Hernando High's Robert Rook put one in the net on an assist from Travis Knox at the 12:20 mark to bring the Leopards to within one at 2-1.

The Sharks' senior forward Jean-Pierre Salazar helped his team increase the lead to two points when teammate Weeks passed the ball to him and Salazar put it into the back of the net, beyond the out-stretched hands of keeper Nick Noto, 3-1.

Padding the cushion
Nature Coast (3-12-2) scored at the 46:15 mark of the second half when Brandon Misener passed the ball to Lachlan Cameron for one of his two goals on the night, 4-1.

Hernando (2-13-1) was awarded a penalty kick at 50:10 for a hand ball and Knox sent it sailing passed a diving Nick Allegra, closing the gap, 4-2.

Soon after that, tempers flared up and NCT assistant coach Tom Brown was given a yellow card and four minutes later the skirmish broke out and NCT's MacLean was given a double yellow card and Hernando's Peacock was given a yellow.

After things calmed down and the teams return to the task at hand, Nature Coast continued to score when junior Britton Cox scored on an assist from Salazar at the 54:52, 5-2.

Then Cameron scored his second on the night with less than two minutes left on an assist from midfielder, John Hope, 6-2.

The Leopards first-year Head Coach Kevin Knox commented after the game, "We had some injuries at the beginning of the season. I'm a new coach, trying to put a new system in place. They've (Hernando) had three coaches in the last four years. So it's kinda hard. We are going to have a couple more (assistant) coaches next year. We've got a lot of young kids on this team, and J.V., so hopefully this is a learning experience."

"We changed up some positions and changed our formation a little bit," added Coach Knox. "To get a look, and they're learning a new defense, a zone and a man, so the first goal we left a man unmarked and he scored and then our defense kinda got out of position as well. So we're learning some different things, coming up on districts and we hope to surprise a couple of people."

The Sharks celebrated with skittles indicated first-year Head Coach Patrick O'Grady.

"I think this is the highest score Nature Coast has ever gotten," O'Grady said. "So I think we may have broken another record. On a positive side, we've broken some records, but this is a good one. "

O'Grady went on to say. "We were trying to go with a two-man front; we've done our different formations a little bit. Mainly I think after the break, I think these guys have won two games, now they're just more of a team, because they do things together both on and off the field. I think that's important. At first they were all good players, but not a good team. And now they are finally molding into a good team. I think tonight you could see that on the field."

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