Tarpon Springs builds a 5-0 lead by halftime and rolls into the region final.
By ERIC MUSKATEVC
Published February 11, 2004
TARPON SPRINGS - With 16 minutes left in the half Brandi Bianco had herself a hat trick. By the break, her coach, John Freiermuth, was saying, "One more game."
Tarpon Springs, led by Bianco's first three-goal game of the season, defeated visiting Freedom 7-2 and will play at Newsome on Friday.
"It wasn't a surprise really," Bianco said. "We worked as a team and everyone was just handing me the ball."
Fourteen minutes into the game, Freedom keeper Emily Simpson made a point-blank save but Bianco followed through for the deflection rebound and goal. Four minutes later, Ashley Jeffris finished another tough save from Simpson, and Freiermuth's scouting report was dead on.
"I've been out here since 4 o'clock. I was nervous," said Freiermuth. "But our scouting report said, first 10 minutes, take it to them. On the second one, I knew it, and I told them, let's go, take it to them."
Bianco scored her second goal on a Jeffris corner kick with 20 minutes left, then beat three Freedom defenders on her way to her third and final goal, a one-on-one against Simpson. Savannah Beyer added a goal just before the break, giving the Spongers (17-3) a 5-0 halftime lead.
"Let's face it. The game was over at halftime," said Freedom coach David Outlaw. "But the girls went back out there and fought in the second half."
Freedom (16-5-1) managed two goals late, but not before giving up two goals to Tarpon's Paige Beyer and Libby Gianeskis. Jana Belflower cleaned up a deflected save from Sponger keeper Alexia Berg with 14 minutes to go and Vanessa Rangel beat Berg on a penalty kick five minutes later.
Tarpon's back four (Maria Tagaropoulis, Jordan Beyer, Valerie Viggiano, and Jessica Lucas) kept Freedom at midfield all night.
Simpson, a club soccer forward, took on keeper duties all season as a freshman for Freedom. She ended with 11 saves on 27 shots. Berg made five saves on Freedom's 10 shots.
