5A soccer semifinal: Seminole makes most of early lead

SEMINOLE — Seminole's Sierra Lelii has had many labels put on her: unselfish, patient, charitable.

The sophomore wants to be known as a complete forward who is not measured by flashy goals but by assists and victories.

Still, she couldn't help herself Tuesday.

The opportunity for goals came in shiny handfuls, like coins, and Lelii took advantage. She scored once in each half. That proved to be plenty as the host Warhawks beat Bradenton Lakewood Ranch 3-0 to advance to the Class 5A region final.

Seminole started strong as Megan Lawrence scored and Lelii connected on the first of her two goals in the opening 20 minutes.

"It was great to play with the lead the rest of the game," Warhawks coach Steve Kuplicki said. "We were able to take advantage of the opportunities we had."

Ahead 2-0 at the half, Seminole continued to push the pace. Lelii, who developed a taste for goals at the right time, scored her second of the night on a shot that hit the back corner of the net.

"That was huge for us to be able to score so quickly," said Lelii, who playing in her third game of the season. "I think getting the lead got everyone pumped up. And we stayed aggressive in the second half because we didn't want them to have any chance of coming back."

The Warhawks had two more opportunities to score in the second but missed on shots in the final five minutes.

"I thought we played well and our ball control was excellent," Kuplicki said.

Seminole will play Palm Harbor University in the region final Friday.