Preps

A first for Gators

Land O'Lakes captures title in its fifth Sarasota Invitational appearance.

LAND O'LAKES - The comparisons have not begun, but the Land O'Lakes girls team accomplished something even last season's state champions could not.

The Gators won a division title in the Sarasota Invitational, going 4-0 in Premier A of the Jan. 1-3 event. Land O'Lakes has played in that holiday tournament five times and its previous bests were two third-place finishes, both in the Elite (more competitive than Premier A and B) division.

"You can't compare," Land O'Lakes coach Vicky King said. "This is a totally different team. They're making a name for themselves."

This is the first Land O'Lakes team to win a regular-season tourney. The invitational was the Gators' 11th tourney (excluding the postseason) in 17 seasons.

"They're proving they can win," King said.

Had King known how well Land O'Lakes would start - 12-1-2 before Monday's late home game against Hudson - she might have entered her squad in the Elite division. But having lost 10 players, including five starters, from last season's Class 2A state championship team, King opted for Premier A.

"We had to commit back in May and I wasn't sure we'd be competitive in Elite," King said. "We played in Premier A, but the competition was still good."

The Gators won three of four games by shutouts - 1-0 against Punta Gorda Charlotte, 3-0 over Englewood Lemon Bay and 2-0 against Bartow.

In the closest game, Land O'Lakes edged American Heritage Delray 2-1 (5-3 on penalty kicks).

Grace Weatherford, Rebecca Gonzalez, Shannon Aitken, Elsa Kurlychek and Savannah Gorman converted PKs for the Gators.

"This was our first PK experience this season, and it was good," King said. "We didn't win easily, that's for sure. The games were very competitive."

The outcome of some games might have been different had Land O'Lakes' foes been slightly more accurate shooters. King said she counted at least four hit posts or crossbars.

"The posts and the crossbar were our friends," she said.

Weatherford, a junior midfielder who leads the team in scoring (15 goals, 6 assists, 36 points) had five goals in the tournament. Sara Brinkley, the Gators' second-leading scorer (10-4-24), had three goals.

Aitken, a senior goalkeeper, notched three shutouts and saved a PK. Aitken, who set the county record with 19 shutouts as a freshman, has 12 this season.

King lauded four starting freshmen - midfielders Gorman, Emily Arthur and Caroline Roberts, plus defender Sarah Hughes - for solid play in the classic.

"I guess it was unexpected, but they played key roles in our success," King said. "They've really stepped up and made an impact."

Gorman, Roberts and Arthur are fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively, in team scoring.

Gorman and Arthur each have five goals, and Roberts has four assists as that trio has combined for 14 goals and nine assists.

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