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STEVE LEEThe men's and women's soccer teams go on the road to play semifinal games today.
SAINT LEO - The only thing better for the Saint Leo men's and women's soccer teams than playing in the inaugural Sunshine State Conference tournaments would have been to win and keep playing.
That is what happened Tuesday - the women beat Florida Tech 2-1 and the men rallied from a one-goal deficit to beat Tampa 3-2 - with both squads advancing to today's semifinals. The men take on Lynn in Boca Raton at 11 a.m., and the women play Tampa at Barry in Miami Shores at 4:30 p.m.
"It's certainly everything the (SSC athletic directors) envisioned," Saint Leo men's coach and athletic director Fran Reidy said of the tournament. "There was drama in both games."
Saint Leo's fourth-year women's team, which had seven wins in three seasons, aims to continue its turnaround. A win over No. 2 Tampa would pit the third-seeded Lions (12-5-2, 5-2-0) against No. 1 Barry in Sunday's final.
"I keep challenging the players, and they step up to the plate," coach Tony Paris said.
Senior midfielder Helen Brady, in her fourth season at Saint Leo, said this year's squad bears no resemblance to the previous three.
"My freshman year, we'd just lose and lose," Brady said. "It felt like it was never going to end."
"We know that we're better, so we want to work harder," said senior goalkeeper Amber Ferrol, whose 12 victories, 1.58 goals-against average and five shutouts are school records.
Saint Leo's fourth-ranked men's team (8-9-3, 4-3-1) has a tougher road. Not only is Lynn the conference's top seed, but it is the No. 1-ranked Division II team in the nation.
While Reidy acknowledged his team's underdog role, he is not ready to throw in the towel.
The Lions defeated Tampa twice in four days, ending a 16-game winless streak against the Spartans. Saint Leo has just one loss in its past five games, and intense play enabled it to overcome a 2-1 deficit Tuesday. "There was playoff intensity," Reidy said of his team's wins over Tampa (including 1-0 on Nov. 1).
John Semeraro, a junior midfielder who assisted on Brandon Jones' winning goal Tuesday, said his teammates approve of the postseason tournament. "It keeps you motivated the entire season," Semeraro said. "It's just like March Madness, except in November."