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2nd place won't be enough
By STEVE LEE, Times Staff Writer
LAND O'LAKES -- This time, Land O'Lakes coach Vicky King feels her team can win -- or at least contend for -- a title in the fifth annual Sailor Holiday Classic in Sarasota. The Gators, 2-2-1 in their past four Sarasota winter tournaments, have allowed just one goal on their way to an 8-0 start. Last season, Land O'Lakes entered the tournament unbeaten and suffered its first loss (to champion St. Thomas Aquinas) and tie (against Cape Coral Mariner) for a 1-1-1 finish. "We're more experienced; we're a better team," King said. "This should be our best showing." She may be right. Her team's top two scorers are four-year starters, the Gators are coming off back-to-back region final appearances, and Land O'Lakes is ranked third in Class 2A. Oh, and goalkeeper Shannon Aitken, thanks to a defense led by sweeper Tara Eugenides, has saved 24 of 25 shots. Nonetheless, for the Gators to top their previous-best Sarasota finish -- third in 1999 -- they will have to get past some tough teams. Defending tournament champion St. Thomas Aquinas is ranked second in 3A, Orlando Bishop Moore is the top-ranked 2A team and Gulf Breeze is fourth in 2A. Sarasota, which won the first two Sailor Classics, is 6-3-3 and eliminated Land O'Lakes in the region finals two seasons ago. Land O'Lakes does not play any of those teams in round-robin play but could face them in the later rounds if it wins Group C. Only group winners advance. "If we see any of those teams, we'll see them in the semifinals or finals," King said. "That makes it better. (Organizers) try to separate the stronger teams." As usual, King views the tournament as her team's barometer. "It gives us a chance to evaluate where we're at, what we have to work on," King said. "This is a good opportunity. These are schools we'll never see except (possibly) in regions." King recalled how her team came on strong in the final game of last year's tourney. The Gators rallied from a 2-0 deficit for a 2-2 tie with Cape Coral Mariner. "It showed we could come from behind," King said. But King does not want to be in that position this week. Getting in front early and staying in front is imperative for the Gators to contend for the title. Land O'Lakes enters with seven shutouts in eight games. In its last game before the winter break, Land O'Lakes beat Ridgewood 3-0 on two goals by Stacy Bishop and one by Kelly Jackson. Bishop, a senior forward who plans to sign with LSU, is the team's scoring leader with 15 goals and seven assists for 37 points. "She's been playing strong lately," King said of Bishop, the Gators' all-time leading scorer. "She's triple-teamed and quadruple-teamed, and she works out of it. She steps it up to the next level and decides, 'I'm not going to let these people shut me down.' " She showed that by scoring the lone goal in the final minute of Land O'Lakes' closest game, a 1-0 win over Mitchell on Nov. 25. Bishop is followed by senior midfielder Casie Poyssick (6-4-16), who has been slowed by a sprained ankle. Sophomore midfielder Grace Weatherford, impressive as a freshman, has come on of late with two goals and eight assists. Another sophomore, midfielder Sara Brinkley, has four goals and nine points. Even Eugenides is scoring. The senior defender has three goals and seven points.
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