Ridgewood gets the edge in shootouts to top St. Petersburg Catholic.
By STEVE LEE, Times Staff Writer
Published December 29, 2005
NEW PORT RICHEY - Officially, Wednesday's Ridgewood-St. Petersburg Catholic matchup ended in a tie, which kept the visiting Barons (12-0-1) unbeaten.
Unofficially, the Rams outlasted the Barons 1-0 in the second round of shootouts, which came after two scoreless 10-minute overtimes.
Ridgewood won its own tournament for the third time in five seasons by defeating the defending champion. St. Petersburg Catholic beat Dunedin in last season's final.
Because it was played during the regular season, Florida High School Athletic Association bylaws mandate the scoreless game through regulation resulted in a 0-0 tie. But it was the championship game for the Ridgewood Winter Tournament, so both coaches agreed to the overtimes and shootout.
"With penalty kicks, you're lucky to put it in," St. Petersburg Catholic coach Anatol Popovich said.
Matt Pappas, who netted the winner on a shot to the left side, said the outcome came down to more than just luck.
"I shot left when I saw (goalkeeper Davis Rodriguez) go to the right," said Pappas, a freshman forward.
After Pappas' goal, Barons shooter Sean Kelly clanked a shot off the right post and the Rams raced out to congratulate keeper Dave McNally.
All five shooters for both teams converted penalty kicks in the first round. McNally made a save on Justin Castellano, the Barons' second shooter, but Castellano converted a rekick when a referee ruled McNally moved before the shot was taken. Joe Renda, Ridgewood's third shooter in the first round, also converted on a rekick after hitting the right post and getting a second chance because Rodriguez moved early.
Both keepers and each team's defense played solid throughout with St. Petersburg Catholic getting the best chance in regulation. In the 76th minute, McNally made a save on Kelly near the right post and was caught out of position as Kelly got to the rebound in front of the net. But Ridgewood defender Eric Bowers got his left foot on Kelly's second shot from point-blank range.
"We knew we were up against a good team," said Ridgewood coach Ed McComiskey, whose team improved to 7-5-3 and is 4-0-1 in its past five games. "This is going to give us some confidence."
