Girls soccer teams track toward region championships

For Mosley, today’s region soccer semifinal is a chance to retrace the plaster-cast footprints that hasten a return to the scene of the crime.

For Rutherford, it is a journey into the unknown against a known. For Arnold, an opportunity to exact a little payback.

The goal for the three girls soccer teams still playing in the postseason is the same, however. Accomplish something rare for Bay County soccer teams, girls or boys: reach the region final and the doorstep of the state Final Four.

 Mosley, 17-3-0, hosts Niceville, 12-5-1, at Tommy Oliver Stadium. Rutherford, 12-6-3, travels to Gulf Breeze, 10-5-1, and Arnold 13-9-1 is at Pensacola Catholic, 19-2-0. All three matches start at 7 p.m.

Mosley vs. Niceville: The similarities are too profound to ignore. Last season, an unbeaten Mosley team hosted Chiles, a squad it was undefeated against in three matches and lost in the Region 1-5A semifinals on penalty kicks.

Niceville comes to Tommy Oliver Stadium in almost identical fashion, winless against the Dolphins in three tries and blocking Mosley’s path to the region final.

That hasn’t been lost on Dolphins Coach Jon Rhodes.

“Yeah, that’s going through my mind every second, we’re going through the same process we’ve gone through before,” Rhodes said. “We’re hopeful history doesn’t repeat itself.”

Rhodes said that Mosley hasn’t altered preparation and had his players spend extra time practicing penalty kicks, just in case the same scenario plays out.

“We don’t, but we might have to some day,” he said. “You say to yourself, you never want to let it get to that stage. You don’t want to put it down to a game of chance.

“A penalty kick shootout is like a lottery, one save of the keeper and it’s all over. We’ve been doing so well with the way we’ve prepared, the way we play, that to try and change something too much might upset the tempo and rhythm.”

Mosley has been bolstered by the return of leading scorer, junior Chelsey Williams, who has notched 16 goals despite missing or playing portions of the past seven matches. She was about 90 percent in the 1-0 win against Navarre last Thursday, according to trainer Ray Morris, and Rhodes said that was closer to 75 percent late in the second half.

He doesn’t feel, however, that the rest of Mosley’s accomplished roster relaxes with Williams in the lineup, expecting her skills to take over.

“We created opportunities against Navarre, we were just rusty in front of their goal,” Rhodes said. And their keeper had an amazing night. On any given day we could have put four past them.

“While Chelsey was away we scored 15 goals in four games. When she’s on the field, the important thing is the other team worries about her. They have an extra eye on her and maybe take for granted Hannah Nix or Emily Vogler.”

The Dolphins had allowed 17 goals in 20 games, sophomore keeper Emily Grammer already with 25 shutouts in two seasons. Some of the reason for that is standout sweeper Anna Hall, and a set of halfbacks who have answered the challenge.

“Leah Vickers possibly has been my best defender,” Rhodes said of the senior, who leads the Dolphins in minutes played. “She wasn’t a starter last year and kind of got thrown into the mix and has come along leaps and bounds.

“Between her and Anna Hall teams that try to bring the ball down the right side” have difficulty. “And Amber Gray and Jennifer Hickman. They’re starting to think on the same page now.”

Rutherford at Gulf Breeze: Like Niceville, which had won seven consecutive district titles until being denied by Mosley, the program at Gulf Breeze is accustomed to success.

The Dolphins have reached the Final Four in three consecutive seasons, and the streak would have been longer except for an overtime loss in the region finals in 2006.

In addition, Gulf Breeze perhaps boasts the best player in the Panhandle still competing in midfielder/forward Maggie Rodgers, who is expected to sign with the University of Florida.

Of the Dolphins’ 46 goals, Rodgers has scored 18 and assisted on 15. Her prowess isn’t lost on Rutherford coach Lisa Tonn.

“We have to have a little bit of a different tactic, most definitely,” she said. “Instead of playing zone, we’re definitely looking for a one-on-one designation.

“It will be an awesome amount of responsibility for the player going one-on-one, and the others in support will have more of a demand put on them.”

Tonn declined to name the player who will mark Rodgers. She was clear, however, that her squad has found a rallying point, one that has produced the farthest playoff progression in school history.

“They’re definitely excited about everything they have accomplished this year,” Tonn said. “I think the focus and determination comes from trying to help our four seniors, to put some extra emotion to back our seniors” and enable them to continue playing.

Tonn called Rodgers an “amazing dribbler” with a strong shot from both inside and outside the box. She added that the Rams cannot become so enamored with stopping her that they let up on offense.

“We have to score to win,” she said. We’ll divide responsibilities between sets of players.”

Arnold at Pensacola Catholic: The progression of scores has been 9-1, 2-0 and 1-0. While Arnold has gotten closer to matching the Crusaders in each game, it should be pointed out that they’ve also gotten the Crusaders’ full attention.

The Marlins can take solace in being one of three teams to score against Catholic this season. Coach James Gardner reduced their formula for success to its most simplest terms.

“Somehow we’ve got to keep them out of the goal and find a way to score,” he said. “I can’t think of a whole lot of changes that we’ll make. We just can’t get into some kind of scoring competition with them. We have to keep it close.”

Arnold has been doing so in the postseason by moving leading scorer Kirsten Crowley, a sophomore, to sweeper to fortify its defense. With her sister, Corinne, a junior, helping control midfield, the young Marlins are able to maintain striking distance.

It worked in an upset of Bay in the district semifinals, gave Arnold a shot at Catholic in the finals, and helped the Marlins defeat Florida High in double-overtime to gain this stage.

The Crusaders counter with freshman Katie Richmond, their leading scorer with 17 goals, and sophomore keeper Sarah Lowrey who has backstopped 18 shutouts.

 Both teams are dominated by underclassmen. Arnold could have the advantage of coming in off an emotional triumph.

“It could go either way,” Gardner warned. “Sometimes they get up so high after a big win that it’s hard to do it again. I worry about a letdown every day.

“How many times can these girls win by one goal in overtime? But they keep coming back. They amaze me.”

Region 1 girls soccer semifinals in classifications involving area schools. All matches will begin 7 p.m. local time Tuesday:

• Region 1-2A: South Walton at Rocky Bayou Christian, St. Francis at Maclay.
• Region 1-3A: Arnold (13-9-1) at Pensacola Catholic (19-2-0), Episcopal at Bolles.
• Region 1-4A: Rutherford (12-6-3) at Gulf Breeze, Ponte Vedra at Bartram Trail.
• Region 1-5A: Niceville (12-5-1) at Mosley (17-3-0), Fleming Island at Buchholz.