Initial district steps

For the Springstead faithful there was no carryover Tuesday night at Booster Stadium from last Thursday's narrow 1-0 setback to defending Class 4A, District 8 champion Hudson.
After opening the season 3-0, the Lady Eagles were muzzled in West Pasco.
On Tuesday, even without injured captain, senior defender Kaitlyn Duke (ankle), SHS (4-1-0 overall, 1-0-0 5A-7) bounced back to capture its first district match against visiting Ocala-West Port, 4-0.

Eagle rewind

Springstead junior center-midfielder Alyson Brady, who came into the match tied for Hernando County scoring lead with nine points, deposited two first-half goals - her fifth and sixth goals of the season.
At 26:00 minutes, senior Cristina Passafaro tapped a cross to Brady on an indirect kick, who tucked the shot just inside the right post from 26 yards out, 1-0.
Less than a minute later, senior move-in Cally Quinn notched the first of game-high two assists on a feed to Brady, who buried the 24-yard rocket, 2-0.
Though SHS out-shot the Wolf Pack (2-3-1 overall, 0-1-0 5A-7), 26-2, including 15-1 in the across the initial 40 minutes, West Port remained in the match thanks to standout goal tending by senior Ebony Thompson (14 saves).
The score remained frozen until Passafaro tallied her first goal of the season on a feed from Quinn with 10 minutes remaining, 3-0.
Junior Ashley Walker, who missed the first three matches due to a rolled up ankle, closed the scoring on an unassisted goal with six minutes left. The goal was also Walker's first of the season.
First-year Wolf Pack Head Coach Maggie White believed her team came in with a little steam after ripping Dunnellon last Thursday, 7-0.
But against Springstead, rarely did the Marion County team build up any attack against SHS goalkeeper Monica Vega (two saves), who notched her second shutout of the campaign.
"We had difficulty communicating with each other," lamented Coach White. "Springstead played very well. They worked together as a team."
Biggest positive?
"Ebony (Thompson) did a fantastic job tonight," she replied. "This is the most she's worked all season. I thought our defense played well."
Coach White praised defenders Kendra Hackey, Lonique Bennett and Emily Lopez for their play.

Eagle reaction

Tuesday's win served as a momentum builder for the Lady Eagles.
"Tonight was a big win," smiled the 17-year-old Quinn, who leads SHS with three assists on the season. "As a team you want to get ahead and make everybody else play catch-up."
How's the transition been with her new teammates?
"It's been great," she replied. "The hardest thing is not knowing how everybody plays."
"I thought it was real important to bounce back after the Hudson match," noted the 16-year-old Brady. "We had a lot of injuries that night and we didn't play like ourselves."
Biggest difference tonight?
"The effort was there," insisted Brady. "I like the way we drove toward their goal. The first district win is huge. It's a small district. Every match counts. Overall, we're young; but we're getting better every match."
SHS Head Coach Polo Furlong, who moved within two victories of surpassing John Bifulco as the winningest-ever female soccer mentor in Hernando County, was pleased with the overall effort.
"We started spreading the ball better," described Furlong following his 75th career win. "We started doing all the things we've worked on in practice with combinations. When you keep the possession, you control the match."
Biggest positive?
"Cally is new to our program, but she's such a great player," said Furlong. "She had two assists tonight and she's just learning her teammates. She carries a 4.2 GPA and is a great student, too. She'll be a great addition to someone's college team next year."

Springstead 4, West Port 0
WPS 0 0 -- 0
SPG 2 2 -- 4
Goals - SPG: Brady (2), Passafaro, Walker.
Assists - SPG: Quinn (2), Passafaro.
Shots on goal - WP: 2, SPG: 26.
Saves - WP: Thompson 14; SPG: Vega 2.
Yellow cards - none.
Blue cards - none.
Red cards - none.
Records - West Port (2-3-1 overall, 0-1-0 5A-7), Springstead (4-1-0 overall, 1-0-0 5A-7).