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The boys prepare for a Bloomingdale rematch with a 5-0 victory. The girls post a 3-0 win.
By JEREMY RASMUSSEN
© St. Petersburg Times, published December 12, 2001
TAMPA -- In a tuneup for Friday's district showdown with Bloomingdale, Gaither's boys shut out Riverview 5-0 on Tuesday.
Going into the game, Gaither coach Eric Sims thought his team might be looking ahead to Bloomingdale, which handed the Cowboys their only loss of the season, 1-0 on Dec. 7.
"The key is to get the No. 1 seed in district. That's our motivation," Sims said.
"We've learned we can't overlook anyone."
Gaither (5-1) took a two-goal lead in the span of 1 minute.
On the first goal, David Caldwell controlled the ball in the middle of the field, took one dribble, then blasted a hard shot from 25 yards that slipped under Sharks keeper Jason Fowler.
Sixty seconds later, Brendan Crampton followed on the rebound from his own shot to put the Cowboys up 2-0.
Riverview had first-half chances on shots by Vinnie Urso and Tyler Nuckols, but came up empty.
Gaither took a 3-0 halftime lead when Crampton finished on a corner kick from Jared Rose.
The Cowboys added goals by Logan Kesse and Richard Jackson in the second half to put things out of reach.
"I think we got caught up in the hype of the game last time (against Bloomingdale)," Sims said.
"If we play our game like we did tonight, we'll do okay."
In the girls game, Gaither (6-0-1) stayed unbeaten with a 3-0 win against Riverview.
Last year, the Cowboys finished last in their district with a 5-11-2 record.
This season, they have already beaten state champion Bloomingdale 2-0 and sit atop the district standings.
"We've still very young, but we have a good returning core of players," Gaither coach Diane Sumner said.
Anchored by senior goalie Michelle Kmiotek, the defense has given up just two goals in seven games (both in a 5-2 win against Wharton).
In Tuesday's contest, Gaither got another shutout, as Nataly Nacila notched a pair of goals and Carye Hammond had two assists to lead the Cowboys.