The Warhawks defeat Merritt Island 2-0 to earn a berth in the state final against Davie Nova.
By LAURA LEE
Published February 26, 2004
FORT LAUDERDALE - Having played on last year's championship team, most of the Warhawks are experienced at this level. But go back to the only other state title Seminole won before 2003 - way back in 1982 - and none of them had been born.
With that history, the chances of repeating, or simply winning another state title are slim. But with a 2-0 win over Merritt Island in Wednesday's Class 5A state semifinal game, they are in the position to win consecutive titles for the first time. The Warhawks play Davie Nova today at 7:30 for the championship at Lockhart Stadium.
"The window is open again," Seminole coach Rick Masi said. "It's a small door and we need to walk through it."
It's a message Masi has been stressing to his team all week and the Warhawks seemed to be receiving. Seminole took a one-goal lead over Merritt Island (20-4-1) late in the first half when junior forward Joey Brown put away a short pass from fellow junior striker Richard Legg in the 37th minute.
Seminole (22-5-3) pressured the Mustangs the entire game. Even if the Warhawks didn't have control of the play, they were in the mix making things harder for Merritt Island. The Mustangs had strong shots on goal and sophomore goalkeeper Matt Celmer, who had eight saves, responded tipping a few shots off line.
It rained much of the game, but there was no standing water on the field and it didn't seem to affect either team.
"We need to congratulate Seminole," Merritt Island coach Scooty Carey. "They're a good team. They played 80 minutes of soccer and they wanted to win the game.
"There wasn't a point in the game where they rolled over and allowed us to play."
The Warhawks had the ball deep in Mustang territory several times, but opted for dribbling and passing instead of shooting and only had two goals to show for it. Seminole's second goal came in the 74th minute. Senior midfielder Kevin Shea rocketed a cross through the middle of the box to Legg who scored. It was the finale of a combination with several quick passes.
"We haven't been shut out all year and we know eventually something's going to come," Brown said.
There have been a few ties, but Nova (18-1-3) hasn't lost a game since the first week in December. The only common opponent the Titans and Warhawks have had is Gaither. While Nova escaped with a win in Wednesday's state semifinal, Seminole defeated Gaither 3-0 in a late November meeting where neither team was at its peak.
"It doesn't matter who we play, just as long as we play our game, we'll be state champs," Legg said.
