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Hudson erases River Ridge's 2-0 halftime lead to advance to the semifinals.
By GREG AUMAN, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published January 30, 2002
DADE CITY -- His team trailing River Ridge by two goals with 20 minutes to play, Hudson senior Ben McCart wasn't thinking about the penalty kick he missed early in the second half. He was thinking about the end of his prep career.
"I thought we were losing. I thought this was definitely my last game," said McCart, who lived to play again as Hudson struck for two goals in 75 seconds to tie the game after a River Ridge red card. With five minutes on the clock, McCart redeemed himself, weaving through the Knights' defense to score the deciding goal in the Cobras' wild 4-3 victory.
"We pulled together, worked a lot harder and stepped it up," McCart said.
River Ridge (7-8-6) led 2-0 at halftime on goals from Richard Jata and Adam Carter, and Hudson missed a chance to cut into the lead when McCart's penalty kick was stopped by Knights goalkeeper Devon Hill.
When Hudson did get on the board with a Robert Pollock goal, River Ridge struck back one minute later, taking a 3-1 lead after Carter's second goal. Momentum shifted with 19 minutes remaining, when River Ridge defender Ryan Wierenga was issued a red card after a hard tackle.
The Knights already were essentially missing two starting sweepers -- Hill was shifted to net after the team's keeper moved last month, and his replacement, Tim Baker, watched from the sidelines with a broken leg.
Hudson (12-9) capitalized immediately. Sophomore David Connors scored on a loose ball off the free kick from Wierenga's foul.
A minute later, the game was tied. Freshman Jeremy Enix found the right corner of the net as the Cobras pulled even.
"When you're down 2-0 at halftime, you have nothing to lose," Hudson coach Ron Ladimir said. "We got a couple of chances and finished them. It's do or die, so you move everyone up forward and go for it."
River Ridge coach Concepcion Ledezma, whose team was outscored 3-0 after the red card, refused to use the shorthanded finish as an excuse.
"It was still the same, lackadaisical, sluggish effort," Ledezma said. "They were playing to hang on. When you're ahead 3-1 and you consider yourself a playoff team, there should have been a bit of a take-charge attitude. It's kind of a microcosm of our season."
Hudson returns to the same field to face top-seeded Land O'Lakes tonight at 6, with the winner earning a playoff berth and a spot in Friday's championship. No. 2 seed Gulf plays No. 6 seed Pasco in the other semifinal.