PLANT CITY — The day before Tuesday's Class 4A region semifinal against rival East Bay, Plant City freshman Sammi Gutierrez practiced shooting at the net with her father. She shot high, low and worked on her hooks.
That practice apparently paid off. For the second straight game Gutierrez had the lone goal in a game. She hooked a high shot into the left side of the net from 25 yards out in the final minute of the first half in leading the Raiders to a 1-0 win.
"I was just practicing everything," said Gutierrez, who has eight goals including five in postseason play. "I just wanted it in the air, somewhere where the keeper couldn't reach it."
"She's feeling it," Plant City coach Caleb Roberts said.
Four-time district champion Plant City (15-2-1), which has defeated East Bay in each of those title games, advances to the region finals for the second time in the past three seasons. The Raiders have played three one-goal games against the Indians (13-4-1) this season, losing 1-0 in the regular season and winning 3-2 in the district final.
"Those (East Bay) girls are awesome; both teams. It's so much fun," Roberts said.
In a game without a shot until the 26th minute and the teams combining for just five each, defense was in the forefront. Roberts singled out defenders Bre Ruedeman and Alicia Marquez for solid defensive efforts.
Plant City keeper Taylor Michael had five saves and East Bay's Caitlyn Northrop had three.
5A: Wolves roll on
LITHIA — In what would be Newsome's final post-match huddle on its home field this year, coach Kelly Townsend had some closing words directed toward the immediate future.
"Three more (matches) …three more. That's all we got," she said.
Newsome kept its unbeaten season and Class 5A state championship hopes alive Tuesday night with a 4-0 win against Orlando Timber Creek. It was the 17th shutout for Newsome (19-0-1), which plays Friday at Palm Harbor University in its first region final since 2011.
If Newsome can win three more matches to complete its storybook campaign, it will have to do so without junior Taylor McNeff, who tore the ACL and meniscus in her left knee in last week's 6-0 win against Winter Park. Newsome showed its versatility against Timber Creek (13-5-2) with Karli Gutsche moving from defensive center mid to sweeper.
Sparked by Gutsche, an Auburn commit, Newsome didn't allow Timber Creek a shot on goal for the first 57 minutes as it took a 2-0 lead on first-half goals by Addison Ura and Hannah Roth.
"Awesome," Gutsche said, referring to Newsome's defense. "It's just like every other game. We hold (the opponent) and don't let them get past us. No matter who we have back there, it's strong."
Newsome outshot Timber Creek by a 28-6 margin. Goalkeeper Madison Rowe preserved the shutout with a diving stop of a Carrie Lawrence blast at the 67-minute mark.
Townsend said her team will have to rally around the loss of McNeff. "I wish (McNeff) could play on, but she can't — which means the rest of us have to step up and play for her," she said.
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Explore all your optionsJenna Oldham and Lauren Evans added goals for Newsome.
4A: Mitchell sweeps
TRINITY — In their two previous meetings, Wiregrass Ranch got progressively closer to Mitchell. Tuesday night gave the Bulls their last opportunity this season to close the gap.
But as near as it came, Wiregrass could not get a ball across the goal line, and the Mustangs prevailed 2-0 in the Class 4A region semifinals. Mitchell (20-1) hosts Viera on Friday.
Sabrina Wagner scored five minutes in, her 41st goal of the season, on a low line drive on Mitchell's first shot. It took more than an hour before Noah Stokes gave the Mustangs a chance to exhale, as Wiregrass has four prime chances to even the score.
"That was some big insurance," said Stokes of her left-footed shot from a tough angle in the 70th minute. "They were putting the pressure on us."
Wiregrass Ranch lost 4-1 to Mitchell during the regular season, but kept it to a 1-0 margin in the 3A-8 district final. Tuesday the Bulls (18-4-1) played fairly even in terms of possession and did not want for scoring opportunities.
With one minute before halftime, Wiregrass junior Chloe Lipovestsky drilled a bar off the crossbar. It landed 6 inches from the goal line.
Mustang goalie Mia Calderone denied top Bulls threat Vanessa Jordan in the 53rd minute. Then came two big chances in the 63rd, when Jordan broke in but had her shot deflected wide by Martina Calabrese. Seconds later Calderone leapt high to grab freshman Jenna Gant's header.
Correspondents Don Jensen and Darek Sharp contributed to this report.