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By CAREY FREEMAN
© St. Petersburg Times, published January 13, 2001
LECANTO -- They came to Lecanto girls coach Kevin Towne offering congratulations and sympathies. Congratulations for what might have been the Panthers' best effort ever against rival Citrus and sympathies for a difficult 4-3 loss.
So it is with Lecanto, which has never beaten Citrus. Even when the Hurricanes (12-0-3) show a little weakness in the back, they more than make up for it with a dynamic offensive punch led by Amber Presnick's hat trick and game-winning goal by Amy Bowen, who notched her 150th career goal in the 75th minute. "We played the best we could tonight, but we were still a little short-handed with some injuries we had over the Christmas break," Towne said. "Crystal Drew is out for the season, and Ann Marie Comeau is out for the season (both after a car crash). That's our center midfielder and outside defender. "But Amber Presnick is the real deal. We tried to adjust at halftime, telling the girls not to stab, but to try to contain her. It takes more than one person to stop her." Lecanto (11-2-2) opened the scoring in the 10th minute when Hollie Johnson chipped a shot over the head of Citrus keeper Sally Lanigan. Presnick answered five minutes later when the sophomore midfielder pounced on a loose ball in front of the goal and slipped it through the hands of Trish Chenowith.
The teams then traded goals. Presnick gave Citrus a 2-1 lead in the 31st minute, taking a short pass from Shelia Wollatz and putting a shot to the right of Chenowith. Lecanto answered four minutes later when Heather Vantine bent a free kick around the wall and past Sally Lanigan. Presnick added her third goal of the game -- and 19th of the season -- in the final minute of the first half, slicing her way past three defenders and blasting a shot into the right corner. The second half wasn't as offensive but did have its share of key plays.
Lecanto's Dani Sawell tied it at 3 in the 72nd minute when she collected a loose ball in the box and beat Lanigan.
Bowen, though, answered almost three minutes later, taking a cross from Jessica Macdonald, turning and blasting the game-winner past Chenowith.