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The Marauders coast to a 7-3 win against Osceola.
By ALEX LYNCH
© St. Petersburg Times, published December 21, 2001
SEMINOLE -- Clearwater Central Catholic pulled away from Osceola late in the second half behind four goals from Apryl Wall to win 7-3 in the Lady Warrior Holiday Tournament championship game.
Wall's energy and intensity personified the Marauders' play. CCC (13-1) outpassed, outhustled and outmaneuvered the Warriors (13-2) while living up to its mantra of "play with heart and never give up."
"We kind of took to that saying and have lived up to it pretty well," CCC coach Tom Typrowicz said. "We focus on pressuring and winning the 1-on-1 balls."
Leading 1-0 in the first half, Lisa Matuska beat two defenders in the deep left corner and centered to Wall who redirected the ball for her first goal.
Wall gave the Marauders a 4-1 lead after perfecting a give-and-go with Holly Wernberg.
"Our team's offense was all over their team's defense all night," Wall said. "That was my best game of the season. I held the ball, flicked it, passed it and crossed it at the right times all night."
Osceola made it interesting, scoring all three of its goals on free kicks and closing to 4-3 with 23 minutes left.
But Wall scored two more goals and Kari Weniger added another to give CCC a cushioned 7-3 lead.
Matuska and tournament MVP Samantha Robinson had three assists in the game and Robinson also scored.
"I had some injuries during the tournament, but I was excited and wasn't expecting to be voted the MVP," Robinson said.
Like last season, half of the Marauders are underclassmen, but the team still has high expectations.
CCC has won the Osceola tournament two years in a row, but the ultimate goal is to win a state championship.
"We're definitely more united and experienced this year," Robinson said.
"We're a young team, but we're making decisions well," Typrowicz said. "We just have to remain focused."