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Avon Park Fills The Tank

CHRIS HOFFMAN/Highlands Today

Avon Park head coach Greg Thacker instructs one of the new players to the varsity squad this season during practice on Friday.

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By Christopher  Hoffman | Highlands Today

Published: November 5, 2007

The ball sails past outstretched hands into the waiting arms of the goal, as hearts drop to the pit of one's stomach, and an upset turns into defeat.

The scene was last season's Class 4A-District 10 tournament, where the Avon Park girls soccer team was tied at one through 100 minutes of play against heavily-favored Braden River on the Pirates' home turf.

In double overtime, it came down to the rarest of events in high school soccer: penalty kicks.
Alex Brock, totally exhausted and barely able to stand from cramps in her calf, mustered the strength to send Avon Park's lone goal during the penalty kicks through the net.

But it was not enough, as the Pirates downed the Red Devils 2-1 and ended their season.

"We were so close last year," AP head coach Greg Thacker said. "We just ran out of gas.

"It was a tough ending, but those girls played phenominal. If you had asked me at the beginning of that tournament if we were going to push Braden River to double overtime, I would have said you were crazy."

Brock and many of her teammates are back this season and Thacker is enthusiastic about this year's squad going into today's season opener against Frostproof.

"The seniors are really upbeat this year," the AP coach said. "We have a lot of new faces and we're working them in."

With the loss of senior goalie Kristin Kuh and the offensive-minded Danielle West to graduation, Thacker has some big shoes to fill, as he readies his team.

Sophomore Kristazsa Allong is primed to take over as the Red Devils net-minder, while several girls are ready to step up as the offensive leader.

Brock has the prowess on the wing to be a top-flight scoring option for Avon Park, as do seniors Julie Lamb and newcomer Shelby Dressel, who played last season on the junior varsity squad.

"I think we have a good .500 team right now," Thacker said. "The problem lately has been that we haven't had all our girls here since many play fall sports and [Friday] was our first practice on a real field.

"I just want to get some good practices in and after this week's matches, see where we stand and where are deficiencies lie. I think we have the potential to be better than last year's team."

Avon Park kicks off the season at 7:30 tonight in Frostproof, with rematches against Braden River and cross-county foe Sebring all on the slate.

"I would like to minimize a slow start," Thacker said. "But the main issue is getting our girls in mid-season form as soon as we can and be playing our best ball come tournament time."

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