Revamped Gators find their way

Forget rebuilding, young Land O'Lakes talent makes the season opener a success.

By DAVID MURPHY
Published November 9, 2006

BROOKSVILLE - For a Land O'Lakes team that lost 13 seniors and eight starters from a year ago, talented underclassmen like John Gorman and Frankie Villar fill a dire need.

Now, if they can only learn to drive a bus. After getting lost in Spring Hill en route to their game against Central, the Gators shook off some early-match rustiness and rode the solid play of Villar and Gorman to a season-opening 4-1 victory.

"It took us a little longer to get in our game," said coach Mark Pearson, attributing the slow start to the team's bumpy bus ride. "In the second half, we looked more like ourselves."

Actually, the key play came 30 seconds before halftime, when Gorman beat a defender on the right side of the net and found Villar with a perfect pass near the opposite post. Villar knocked the ball into the upper right corner and Land O'Lakes changed what looked to be a certain halftime tie into a 2-1 lead.

Central showed some life early, getting a goal from senior forward Joel Beiswenger to tie it at 1-all, but the Gators dominated play after Villar's goal.

Senior co-captains Louis Falcon and Marc Musto scored in the second half, and the Gators defense frustrated the Central attack.

The play of Villar, a freshman, and Gorman, a sophomore, was pleasing to Pearson. Though entering their first seasons as varsity starters, they compete on the same club team and share a special comfort level with each other. "We know each other's style of play," Gorman said.

The result is a Land O'Lakes team that shrugs off the fact it returns just three starters.

"Most teams would be in a re-building mode," Pearson said. "We're definitely not rebuilding."

[Last modified November 9, 2006, 08:01:53]