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Boys soccer: Steinbrenner tops Newsome 4-0; Berkeley beats Hillsborough in PKs

 
Published Dec. 21, 2013

TAMPA — Despite missing six starters to injury or club obligations, Newsome (9-4-1) hung with heavily favored Steinbrenner on Friday — until midway through the second half, when the floodgates opened in a 4-0 Warriors win.

That marked the first of four games in Friday night's Berkeley Invitational. The host Buccaneers played the tightest match, winning a 2-1 (5-4) shootout with Hillsborough on an adjacent field.

Later, Jesuit defeated Bloomingdale 5-0 and Palmetto beat Auburndale by the same margin.

"We held them off as long as we could," said Newsome coach Allen Ware, who won his 200th career game Thursday against Wharton, coached by his brother Scott.

David McGee converted Michael Connell's crossing pass from the left side to give Steinbrenner a 1-0 lead in the 57th minute. That started a string of four goals over 20 minutes.

"It just took us that long to break through," Steinbrenner coach Chad Ebright said. "We made some small adjustments and that took care of the second half."

Connell had a hand in the next two goals, getting an assist on a corner kick headed into the net by Joshua Rodriguez and bending in a corner kick from the right side that banked in off the far post. Austin Labban closed the scoring in the 77th minute, taking a feed from Blake Wilson and dribbling through three defenders before finding the back of the net.

Steinbrenner (10-1-1) outshot Newsome 12-1 with goalkeeper Christian Knight earning the shutout behind a solid defense.

Hillsborough (5-6-1) took a 1-0 halftime lead on Blake Rehl's goal off a pass from Matia Marchi, but Berkeley Prep (4-5-3) tied it on Jeff Guttentag's second-half goal off a feed from Lance Esposito during a goalmouth scramble.

By tournament rules there was no overtime, so the outcome was decided by a shootout. The Bucs got goals from Warren Backman, Esposito, Andrew Kenny, Guttentag and Quinton Kauchick.

Only four players — Marchi, Rehl, Gabriel Mantini and Alejandro Tovar — scored for Hillsborough, the difference being Ben Milliken's save on a high shot by Jean Rony Baptiste.

Jesuit (8-2-2) got a hat trick from Jacob Vila in its shutout of Bloomingdale (6-6-2). Michael Conlon and Kurt Sierra also scored for the Tigers.

Cambridge ties Bishop McLaughlin

SPRING HILL — Though there were about 15 players between them, this was a one-on-battle and everyone knew it. Twenty-five yards from goal, Bishop McLaughlin midfielder Alex Stafford lined up the chance to break a scoreless deadlock with six minutes left.

Cambridge sophomore goalkeeper Anthony Patton, who had kept the undefeated 'Canes off the board Friday, had to come up bigger than he had all afternoon.

"Set my feet, be ready, make the save," Patton thought. Easier said than done against 24-goal scorer Stafford, but Patton got it done. Stafford's rocket free kick over the Lancers wall forced Patton to dive awkwardly, but he made the stop to preserve a 0-0 tie.

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Patton made another highlight-reel leap in the first half to deny Marcus Valancius.

"A tie is as good as a win," Patton said of Bishop McLaughlin, which had won 10 straight. The 'Canes defeated Cambridge 3-1 earlier this season.

This time the Lancers (11-4-1) controlled the bulk of the first half, and did well in the second to keep Bishop McLaughlin (11-0-2) from being able to sustain much. In between, the 'Canes (11-0-2) outshot Cambridge 7-0 but the Lancer defense (Hunter White, Grant Kelly, Josh Paskett, Josh Walcott) was solid.

Darek Sharp, Times correspondent