5A-12 girls soccer: Speed aids Largo in win over Northeast

ST. PETERSBURG — Largo overcame an early deficit and held on late, defeating host Northeast 2-1 to claim the 5A-12 district championship Friday.

The Packers fell behind early, allowing the Vikings' recently converted forward, Lindsey Brown, to score off a well-placed pass from teammate Kathryn Sexton.

Largo forward Frankey McCormick scored minutes later after coming free on a corner kick.

"We have a couple of girls that play up top that just have a tremendous amount of speed," said Packers coach Dan Flynn.

"We created a lot of opportunities."

Largo relied on that speed and stellar goalkeeping to lock the game up in the second half. With 16 minutes remaining, Packers forward Ronnica Harris maneuvered her way through four Viking defenders and found uncovered teammate Sara Pinamonti for the winning goal.

"She's got the whole package," said Flynn of Harris. "She's got speed and strength. She's got tremendous control of the ball …and she's a physical player."

The Vikings (7-7-1) made a late push to tie, remaining only yards from the Largo goal for the final two minutes.

But the Packers defense held behind the leadership of keeper Fontana Cogino, who finished with nine saves.