Team moves on to Florida�s Grand Finale for the 4th consecutive year!
May 10, 2003. Weston, FL. The Countryside Under-15 girls, coached by John Planamenta, were very concerned going into last weekend�s 2nd State Cup Round. They had drawn two division winners with reputations for being very well coached athletes that play the game very well.
The first game was against a team from the east coast called Treasure Coast United. The Lightning started this game very strong and had a 2-0 lead going into halftime. Forwards Vanessa Rangel (Fr. Freedom HS), Annie Stalzer (Fr. Palm Harbor HS), Ashley Durie (Fr. Countryside HS), and Wendy Moenart (So. Sickles HS) all turned in outstanding performances to lock in a win for Countryside 6-0! The Lightning had struggled all year with scoring but on this day, no team in the State was better!
The second game was held four hours later against the Jacksonville Fury. The Fury had won their group in the first round and had also won a State league they played in last fall. The Lightning had scrimmaged the Fury five weeks earlier but the game ended in a 2-2 tie and the same tough battle was expected this time around.
The talk around the State was that Jacksonville was destined to beat the Lightning and finally knock them out of the State�s final four. Countryside, however, had other plans and the team from Jacksonville was soon to feel the true 'fury' of 'lightning' as the girls from Countryside would strike them from the ranks of the remaining.
The game started with Jacksonville holding possession off the kick for only about 10 seconds. The Lightning took over from there and scored the game�s first goal in the 9th minute of play. Vanessa Rangel started it all when she beat the Fury�s sweeper and then fired a bullet just past a diving keeper. Ten minutes later, Courtney Whidden (Fr. Palm Harbor HS) headed home a beautiful cross from Chelsea Brinkman (Fr. Palm Harbor HS) to make the score 2-0.
The last 20 minutes of the first half became a see-saw battle with the Lightning defense, lead by goalkeeper Randi Richardson (Fr. Lake Gibson HS), along with outside backs Caitin Howard (Fr. Sickles HS) and Tricia Townsend (Fr. East Lake HS), holding firm to not give Jacksonville much scoring opportunities. Sweeper Brittany Downs (Fr. Dr. Phillips HS, Orlando) and stoppers Jen McKee (Fr. Lake Howell HS, Winter Park) and Anna Crowe (Fr. Countryside HS) were also up to the task of holding off Jacksonville for the rest of the half. The half ended with Countryside up 2-0.
The second half featured a dazzling display of offensive power by the Lightning offensive players. They struck gold four times on scores from Annie Stalzer (2), Laura James (So. Admiral Farragut HS), and Wendy Moenart. Countryside dominated most of the second half of play and the midfield group consisting of Samantha Freedman (Fr. Clearwater Central Catholic HS), Hana Kaba (Countryside HS), Kasey Boston (Fr. Dunedin), Jayne Wabeke (Fr. Palm Harbor), and Ashton Charles (Fr. Freedom HS), effectively maintained possession of the ball and controlled 75% of the play. The final score was 6-0 for the Lightning and the girls finished the day on a very high note!
Sunday�s game pitted the Largo Wolves challenging their cross county rival and trying to win their first State Cup game of the weekend. The game was meaningless for Countryside since they had already clinched a birth to the final four. Largo came out strong but goals by Ashley Durie, Wendy Moenart, and Jayne Wabeke sealed a 3-1 victory for Countryside and a fourth straight trip to Florida�s final four of youth soccer.
