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By RODNEY PAGE
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 14, 2001
SEMINOLE -- Land O'Lakes midfielder Sophie Spratley picked the right time to hang out in front of the Seminole goal during Tuesday night's Class 3A regional semifinal. A minute after the second half began, Spratley was there as two Seminole defenders failed to clear a ball 10 yards from the goal.
She calmly cleaned up the loose ball and launched a shot past goalkeeper Nikki Paquette that eventually became the game-winner in a 1-0 Gators victory. Land O'Lakes (24-5-1) advances to the regional final for the first time in 14 years and for the first time in five tries. The Gators will travel to Sarasota on Friday.
Seminole (20-5) outshot Land O'Lakes 10-4 but had nothing to show for it.
"I didn't even see it go in," Spratley said. "I jumped up before it went in. I think their defenders thought the other one was going to take it and the ball came to me."
That was the only error either team made the entire game. Land O'Lakes goalkeeper Shannon Aitken made six saves, including one with 17 minutes remaining on a shot from Brandi Herrmann. Herrmann launced a shot from 20 yards, but Aitken just got a hand on the ball to tip it over the bar.
Seminole furiously tried to score the equalizer in the final 10 minutes but was unsuccessful. With eight minutes left, there was a scrum right in front of the Land O'Lakes goal but the ball was eventually kicked over the end line.
"We had our chances but we couldn't score," Seminole coach Steve Kuplicki said. "Our defense played great except for the one breakdown, but that's the way it goes sometimes."
The Gators kept their season alive despite only four shots. "Everyone was saying how Seminole was so good, and they are," Land O'Lakes coach Vickie King said. "But I thought we were just as good. This proves to them that they're as good as these other teams. We can play with these teams."