Rockledge raced to a lead and coasted past the Warriors and in to the final.
By LAURA LEE
Published February 28, 2004
FORT LAUDERDALE - Osceola players stood still, their hands on their hips, heads drooping. The Warriors looked a little lost, confused, in shock. And there were still almost 70 minutes of soccer left to play. Rockledge held on to a two-goal lead it built just 12 minutes into the game to defeat Osceola in the Class 4A state semifinal at Lockhart Stadium, winning 2-0. The Raiders (20-3-6) advanced to today's state title game against Lecanto. Osceola (13-3-3) walked off the field disappointed with its performance.
Maybe it was the three days of rain this week that kept the Warriors from practicing. Maybe the team was too excited. Maybe Rockledge just outplayed them.
"I think we were focused on this game and just got beat by a better team," Osceola coach Tim Rachford said.
The Warriors looked helpless in the first. Rockledge was quicker to the ball and won nearly all the battles. But the Raiders' defense was key. It's back line was hardly ever caught off guard.
"They wanted it more than we did," Osceola goalkeeper Rickie Bose said. "They got a few lucky bounces in the first half and that was too much to overcome."
