It was shot heard around the county

When freshman Marcy Mills slammed in a shot from 20 yards out, the decisive goal in Citrus' 2-1 victory over Pasco in a region quarterfinal Tuesday, she put her hands to her head and turned toward her teammates.

The look of disbelief in her eyes was priceless, and it was fitting.

Four weeks ago, many of us thought the Hurricanes would be done by now. Four months ago, it seemed possible that a winning soccer record might elude them. Instead, the 'Canes, who play again Tuesday, are among 16 teams alive in Class 2A.

"This was huge," first-year coach Ethan Eldridge said after Citrus' lastest triumph.

Last week, the Hurricanes upset top-seeded Lecanto to win the District 7 title, which kept them from having to play state-ranked Land O'Lakes on the road.

Flashback to August, when the program took two crushing hits.

Midfielder Amber Presnick, the three-time area player of the year and the region's most dominating force, opted not to play her senior season. She chose to graduate in December and enroll at the University of Florida so she could get a jump on her college career. One week later, Brady Bogart, the coach responsible for leading Citrus to a 115-23-1 record, 6 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference championships and 4 district crowns in 6 seasons, stepped down for personal reasons.

Presnick had been the backbone of the program. Bogart had been the glue. Suddenly, both were gone.

Eldridge, who grew up in New York and played on community and school-sponsored teams from first-ninth grade before switching to football in high school, was hired in September, with Tom Taylor and Tracy Beuttner as his assistants.

In early-season games, Citrus struggled. As players tried to adapt to the styles of their new coaches, the Hurricanes had to learn to live without Presnick, the player everything had gone through the past three years. That's not to say she was the entire squad. She wasn't. But the offense and defense started with her, and there was no smarter player around.

Senior Sonya Segars stepped into Presnick's spot, and after a tough transition at first began to shine. As her play improved, so did that of her teammates. Instead of waiting for things to happen (which is what the 'Canes often did when Presnick had the ball), they started forcing the issue.

"The kids were very receptive (to the coaches)," Citrus athletic director Vicki Overman said. "They came in, and we haven't missed a beat. They took a group of kids without two of their leaders, and the kids bought into their system."

Late in the regular season, Lecanto coach Kevin Towne noted that the Hurricanes were playing more as a team than at any time he could recall. Talk about foreshadowing. In the district final, Citrus had its best game of the season. In 80 minutes of dramatic action, the 'Canes edged Lecanto 1-0, ending the Panthers' 12-game winning streak. Freshman Kayla Nelson scored the only goal. Keeper Laura Woythaler had a diving save of a penalty kick in the 67th minute.

Eldridge carried the championship trophy toward Bogart, who has been a regular at games. "He wanted me to share the trophy," Bogart said. "I told him, 'No.' He said, 'It's your team, too.' But it's his team. I just built the foundation."

On Tuesday, more magic. Down 1-0 to Pasco, 5-foot-1 forward Jenny Floyd headed a shot past a much taller player to tie it in the second half. And with three minutes left, Mills -- who was sick with a cold for several days and spent much of the game on the bench wrapped in a blanket -- delivered the pivotal goal.

"It feels totally awesome," Floyd said.

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