TIMES ALL-COUNTY GIRLS SOCCER PLAYER OF THE YEAR: In need of a leader on the field, Durant turned to its senior captain, who embraced the job.
By SCOTT PURKS
Published April 6, 2003
PLANT CITY - Durant, unlike many championship soccer teams, didn't have a go-to player this season.
What it did have was Colleen Feeney, a player who could tell teammates where to go.
Not a task for the weak, considering Durant's wealth of athletes, four of whom scored 15 or more goals.
And yet it was a task Feeney embraced.
"I've always liked to be the person who takes charge," she said. "I see things and see decisions that need to be made.
"I'm a visual person and I see the field and how the action's going. I see where people need to be and I'll point that out to them if they aren't there.
"You want to please everyone and it's no fun when you sometimes have to be the bad guy. The good thing is that I hardly ever had to be the bad guy. My teammates were easy to play with.
"They were the greatest."
Most valuable?
Durant coach Dick Sheffield said Feeney was, and not just because of her talent, which was considerable (18 goals, 23 assists and a scholarship to Mount St. Mary's in Maryland).
"She was a team captain but her leadership extended both on and off the field," Sheffield said. "She led with her words and her actions. She said, "This is what we need to do, now follow me,' and they did.
"She had the respect of her teammates and she was always there for them."
And that included stepping up at big moments in big games.
In the region quarterfinal against Palm Harbor University, Feeney was moved from her usual center-midfield position to forward where she scored the tying and winning goals that sent Durant to the state semifinals.
Her one regret is that Durant came close the past two seasons to winning a state championship only to lose in the final four. In 2002, the Cougars entered the state semifinals with a 27-0-2 record, and this season they came in 24-3.
"When it was all over it was really, really tough, it was so sad," Feeney said. "It was like breaking up with your sisters.
"Many of us had spent three years working and laughing and playing together. Playing for Durant, a school that I love, was something I'll always cherish."
She said she'll keep an eye on what the Cougars do in the future, which looks bright because Feeney is one of four graduating players.
COACH OF THE YEAR
In eight years as Durant's girls soccer coach, Dick Sheffield has guided the Cougars to a region final berth seven times.
In three of the past four seasons, including the past two, Sheffield led Durant to the state's final four, where it lost in the semifinals both times.
This season, the Cougars were the only county girls team to reach the semifinals and they finished with a county-best 24-4 record.
[Last modified April 6, 2003, 01:16:49]
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