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Orange Classic Champions - 2001
Two-time Florida Champs win South Florida's Premier Girls Tournament

January 1, 2002, Hollywood, FL - The two-time state champion, Countryside Lightning of Clearwater, FL claimed victory in the Orange Classic Girls Soccer Tournament this past weekend. The national tournament was dominated by Florida teams as the Lightning faced the Lee County Strikers in the semi-finals after winning its bracket. They went on to defeat the same team they beat in the State Finals last June - the Weston Lightning.

The bracket round games were held on December 27th through 30th in Hollywood, FL. The Countryside goalkeeper, Courtney Whidden of Palm Harbor had her hands full with small fields and larger than normal goals. "The fields were almost as small as a 6 verses 6 soccer field and the goals were about 9 foot tall," stated assistant coach Ethan Boston. "Courtney had to stay on her line to protect against shots from anywhere so she could not be as mobile as she's used to".

The Lightning ran into one obstacle along the way however. Team Boca, losing 2-0 at halftime to Countryside, mounted a tremendous comeback and scored an amazing 5 goals in the second half. The game ended in a tie at 5-5, but the Countryside defense was stunned, having never given up 5 goals in a game, let alone one half. The strong play from Boca, the field conditions and a lackluster Lightning effort had allowed Boca back into the game and the team hoped it was still able to make it through the bracket.

The next morning, the Lightning made up for the draw and defeated the Clearwater Chargers to advance with a record of 2 wins and a tie. The semi-final game against Lee County saw the same 2-0 lead float away as the Strikers tied the game at 2 with less than a minute to go in the game. The teams immediately went to sudden death overtime to decide who moved on to the finals. Scoring the golden goal in overtime was Vanessa Rangel with a one touch put away into the far post.

The finals against Weston were much less spectacular as both teams appeared fatigued at the end of a long tournament. Vanessa started everything off by once again getting a goal to give the Lightning a one-goal lead. Weston tied the score at one before Wendy Moenart scored on a penalty kick to win the game, 2-1 for Countryside.

After the game, Vanessa Rangel was awarded Tournament Most Valuable Player award because of her outstanding play throughout the week. Head Coach Hernan Nova was proud of his team. As new coach this year, this was their biggest tournament victory under his watch. "The girls came together when they needed to and won the big games when they had to," he stated after the game. "Vanessa played awesome and was a real leader down here - the whole team recognizes what a great tournament she had."

This Countryside team is currently ranked 12th in the national soccer rankings and has previously competed in two other national tournaments. (At the October Washington DC tournament and the November Raleigh Shootout tournament.) They play in a newly formed State League with 8 of the top teams in Florida.

The Lightning U14 players are:

Kasey Boston of Palm Harbor, FL
Chelsea Brinkman of Clearwater, FL
Anna Crowe of Clearwater, FL
Ashley Durie of Safety Harbor, FL
Samantha Freedman of East Lake, FL
Caitlin Howard of Odessa, FL
Kellie Minton of Palm Harbor, FL
Wendy Moenart of Lutz, FL
Vanessa Rangel of Lutz, FL
Gabi Rivera of Brandon, FL
Ashley Rogover of Palm Harbor, FL
Mollie Shaw of New Port Richey, FL
Tricia Townsend of Palm Harbor, FL
Jayne Wabeke of Palm Harbor, FL
Courtney Whidden of Palm Harbor, FL

Head Coach: Hernan Nova
Assistant Coach: Carolyn Rivera
Assistant Coach: Ethan Boston