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Bloomingdale makes it through 'growing pains'

The girls soccer team rallies after a loss of veterans from last year. And with an eye toward district play, it's one game at a time.

By BRANDON WRIGHT, Times Correspondent
Published December 28, 2007

VALRICO - Aileen Herrera sat in a hospital bed, gripping the cell phone while awaiting the next text message. As Bloomingdale High battled Newsome in the girls soccer regional finals, Herrera was recovering from surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

The bad news came just days before the district tournament.

"I'd sprained it earlier in club soccer," Herrera said. "So I'd been playing on the torn (ACL) for weeks before we realized there was something more serious."

Herrera then got a text message saying Bloomingdale goalkeeper Cristina Coca was getting ready for penalty kicks. "That was the last (text) I got," Herrera said. "Then there was nothing."

Although she could hardly contain her excitement, Herrera wouldn't know for roughly 10 painstaking minutes the outcome of the penalty kicks.

That's not a whole lot different from the uncertainty Herrera had about this season -both personally and team-wise.

Her Feb. 2 surgery to repair the ACL in her right knee left a potential dark cloud over her junior season.

"It's slow but it's definitely progressing," she said. "I didn't have my fitness when I initially came back, so it's been slow."

Herrera was just one of a number of questions at the start of Bloomingdale's season. The Bulls graduated four-year starters Alex Regin, Caitlin Oser, Jan Carlen and Kelsey Primiano from last season's regional finalist team.

Combine that with the loss of two-time defending St. Petersburg Times player of the year Marissa Kazbour and it's clear why there was a wait-and-see approach to this season.

"We had a great group that left last year, but you have to adjust," coach Sue Peet said. "It became time for supporting players to step up and contribute."

Players such as Nancy Davison, Kelsey Bowers, and Jordan Johnson have stepped up.

Herrera, who is getting "close to 100 percent," said she's seen the loss of last year's stability as a rallying point.

"I mean, how do you replace a Marissa Kazbour? You can't," Herrera said.

"There was apprehension at first heading into the season, but we quickly learned to play as a collective team without a big superstar there."

The Bulls have done a good job of that, starting the season 8-3-2. But whereas Peet knew she had a veteran core last season that could sometimes run on autopilot, the longtime coach recognized that luxury wouldn't be there this year.

"With us, we have to take it game by game, and my job is to make them realize that one game doesn't make a season," Peet said. "We need to make that effort every single day. There are no days off."

Bloomingdale had one of those "days off" against Freedom on Nov. 29. The match - and the way it was decided - left a sour taste in the Bulls' mouths.

"It was like a slap in the face," Herrera said. "We'd never been beaten 4-0 while I was in a Bulls uniform, and it was at home, where I'd never lost a game."

But as bad as the Freedom pasting hurt, Bloomingdale eased the sting in its next match with a 1-0 win against Newsome, handing the Wolves their lone loss of the season. As with any younger team, the consistency is present.

"We've gone through our growing pains," Peet said. "But when we get to districts, I really think it's a tossup and we'll just have to wait and see."

Kind of like Herrera's wait that February afternoon in the hospital room. The news finally trickled in: Newsome had won the match and advanced to the state semifinals.

"I hated not being there," Herrera said. "We've had players step up this season and meet the challenges and we're looking forward to the districts."

We'll just have to wait and see.

Brandon Wright can be reached at b21wright@yahoo.com.

[Last modified December 27, 2007, 23:35:06]