Somewhere behind all the superstars in the Land O' Lakes midfield, freshman forward Justin Lyles did in overtime of Friday's Class 5A-District 7 boys soccer final what he's done all year - sneak into the perfect position to make an impact. ...more

January 26, 2008

A dominant regular season doesn't necessarily lead to postseason success. ...more

January 25, 2008

SEBRING — When Daniel Grimaldo walked onto Firemen's Field for the second half of Tuesday's Class 4A-District 10 semifinal match, the Sebring senior realized the jog from the locker room could very well be his last. "I knew what I had to do," Grimaldo said. "Everyone was telling me: 'Go to the goal.' "That's my job." Grimaldo scored two goals in the first seven minutes of the second half, breaking a first-half tie and leading the Sebring boys soccer team to a 5-3 victory over third-seeded Braden River. The No. 2-seeded Blue Streaks (13-7-3) now face top-seeded Palmetto at 7 p.m. on Friday for the district title and home-field advantage for regionals. ...more

January 23, 2008

For thirty-eight minutes of the Class 5A, District 9 championship game, top-seeded Palm Harbor University applied heavy pressure to the East Lake defense, sending wave after wave of attacks. Clearly, the Hurricanes were controlling nearly every aspect of the game. The exhaustive initial efforts – outshooting East Lake 15-1 in those 38 minutes – paid off in the form a 1-0 deficit two minutes before halftime. ...more

January 22, 2008

For Land O' Lakes girls soccer coach Vicky King, having her squad in the district finals is nothing new. Her Lady Gators have been a district finalist for 16 consecutive years. For the third consecutive year, they have faced River Ridge. In the previous two matches, River Ridge prevailed. During the regular season, the Gators were shut out twice by the Royal Knights. ...more

January 21, 2008

As they had done twice before this year, the River Ridge Lady Knights again shutout rival Land O' Lakes to claim their third consecutive league crown during Friday night's Class 5A, District 7 championship game. ...more

January 18, 2008

LAKE PLACID — It could've been Liz Sottile's last game on the sideline, but the Lake Placid girls soccer team wasn't about to let their beloved coach step aside without a fight. Ale Lopez's goal in the 36th minute highlighted a defensive struggle on Tuesday night, as the Green Dragons extended their season with a 1-0 victory over McKeel Academy, a team they were unable to defeat during the regular season. ...more

January 17, 2008

After telling his team who would start the second half, Plant coach Stephen McGill had little to say to his girls soccer team, which was leading Robinson by a goal in the Class 5A-District 10 semifinals. McGill instead left the sideline halftime pep talk to his lone senior, sweeper Chelsea Hearne. ...more

January 17, 2008

SEBRING — The Sebring boys soccer team made sure their last regular-season home match was one to remember. Senior forward Nicholas Peters scored two goals and Austin Brady led a suffocating defense, as the Blue Streaks shut out Clewiston 4-0 on Monday night at Firemen's Field. After back-to-back poor performances last week, Peters jump-started the Sebring offense, and led an attack that peppered Tiger goalie Jose Jaimez with 16 shots. ...more

January 16, 2008

PALMETTO — Rust doesn't take long to settle in, and when you're an athlete, a three-plus week layoff from competition can be an ingredient for disaster. The No. 3-seeded Sebring girls soccer team watched in awe as the No. 6-seeded Hardee Wildcats scored first and played way above their seeding before a pair of Blue Streak penalty kicks got them back on track for a 4-1 win in the opening round of the Class 4A-District 10 tournament at Harllee Stadium on Monday. ...more

January 16, 2008