Pasco: Pulling double duty

Pulling double duty

Stacy Bishop is being counted on to help two teams win out-of-state soccer tournaments.

By STEVE LEE

LAND O'LAKES -- It could be called an updated version of Sleeping with the Enemy.

Stacy Bishop plays club soccer for Temple Terrace Spirit '84, but her Land O'Lakes family housed 17 members of the Florida Olympic Development Program Under-15 team for a series of recent scrimmages. On June 30, Bishop changed jerseys and scored a goal for the ODP team in a 4-1 win over the Spirit.

"It was weird," Bishop said of facing her club teammates.

Actually, the Land O'Lakes star and 1999-2000 Sunshine Athletic Conference Player of the Year was not the only Spirit player to switch her allegiance. Erin Dafeldecker, a former Central Pasco United Soccer Association star who led Tampa Bay Tech in scoring as a freshman, and Lakeland Christian's Amber Gifford also play for both teams.

All three will take part in two upcoming out-of-state soccer tournaments. They will play for the state ODP team in the Region III Trials, Thursday through next Tuesday in Montavallo, Ala. Then they will reunite with their Spirit teammates for the July 29-31 San Diego Surf Cup.

Spirit coach Phil Castro, who also coaches the Zephyrhills High boys varsity team, was impressed with his team's performance against the ODP players. Even if they were short-handed.

"They're made up of supposedly the best players in the state, but we played them with no problem," Castro said. "They had three of my players."

Asked if that made a difference, Castro responded, "Two of them (Bishop and Gifford) scored, so yeah."

ODP coach Mohammed El-Zare, of Cape Coral, and Castro spoke highly of Bishop, who is coming off a 46-goal season as a Land O'Lakes freshman.

"She's working hard to get her speed up," Castro said of Bishop, who runs daily with Castro's daughter, Dee Dee Castro, a former Zephyrhills star who will be a freshman sweeper at Florida Atlantic University.

A forward for Land O'Lakes, Bishop has been playing defense for the Spirit and center-midfield for the ODP team.

"I need somebody to anchor the midfield; somebody who can connect between the defense and the attack," El-Zare said. "She's fitting the characteristics I'm looking for."

Bishop says playing defense "is way different" and prefers being up front. But Castro said keeping Bishop in the back is making her a better all-around player.

"She's very composed," Castro said. "She doesn't panic. She gathers the ball and she's able to play it."

Composure also is how both coaches describe Dafeldecker.

"Erin's one of the hardest-working players I have," El-Zare said. "She's playing consistently."

Added Castro: "When she gets the ball, she'll shield it. It's hard to knock her off her feet."

Three other players from Pasco County and one from Citrus will join the trio when the Spirit play in the San Diego series: Land O'Lakes' Tara Eugenides, Zephyrhills' Nikki Castro and Allie Beasman, and Amber Presnick of Citrus.

All but Beasman played high school soccer last season. Beasman, an incoming freshman, played in the Zephyr Youth Soccer League but has spent the past four seasons with the Spirit.

"She has a strong right leg, but she needs to mature a little bit," Castro said. "The mental game has to get stronger."