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Highlands Today

Red Devil Girls Net First Win

Chris Hoffman/Highlands Today

Avon Park's Ch'quen Wilmot, shown here dribbling past a Sarasota Booker player on Thursday, has scored both goals for the Red Devils this season, including the game winner against the Tornadoes.

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By CHRIS HOFFMAN

Highlands today

Published: December 6, 2008

AVON PARK - There was no music being played through the loudspeaker, but head coach Jocelyn Simplice was dancing with his team after the Avon Park girls soccer team finally broke through with their first win of the season.

Midfielder Ch'quen Wilmot slipped through two defenders and hit the back of the net with a power shot at the 73-minute mark and the Red Devil defense held on to give Avon Park a 1-0 victory over Sarasota Booker in a Class 4A-District 10 match at Joe Franza Stadium on Thursday.

"It was time for a celebration," joked Simplice. "It was good to finally get a one in the win column, but for me one win isn't enough.

"We've got to work on our finish and get the midfield to keep pushing the ball forward to create more scoring chances."

Wilmot, who scored a goal in Tuesday's game against Hardee, has been the offensive spark that Simplice was looking for, as the Avon Park midfielder has scored the only two goals for the Red Devils this season.

"Ch'quen has the speed that I'm looking for to be a solid offensive player for this team," Simplice said. "I've pinpointed out her weaknesses in her game to her and now we're working on improving her skills to become a more complete player."

Wilmot's fiery attitude was on display all game long, as she played a very physical game against the Tornadoes and was at odds with the officials on several controversial calls that went against the Red Devils.

"We're just tired of losing, plain and simple," Wilmot said. "We've got to change the whole attitude of the team and work harder on the field. When it's crunch time, we've got to work together and make plays.

"The main thing is that we've got to go out and have fun. If we win, that's just icing on the cake."

Avon Park controlled the match for most of the game, moving the ball and getting eight good shots on goal against Booker, but failed to get the ball in the net.

Wilmot looked to have a breakaway opportunity midway through the second half, but was called offsides to her dismay, but the AP midfielder had the last laugh.

Minutes later, the ball was in the net and Wilmot walked toward midfield with a bit of a grin while looking at the officials.

Simplice understands Wilmot's colorful personality and believes that it can be the spark his team needs as they move forward.

"With a young team, you sometimes need a rallying point and Tiffany has shown that she can be a leader on the field," Simplice said. "We're making good progress already this year, but with any young program it takes two years to build it back up to where we want it to be. We just have to be patient and really work with the players to continue to improve as the season moves on."

Avon Park is back on the field Tuesday when they travel to face Sarasota Booker in a rematch. Game time is set for 6 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER: Sarasota Booker 6, Avon Park 0

Midfielder Lushane Denton got the opening he needed to finally get Avon Park on the scoreboard late in the first half, but his shot hit off the cross bar and came straight down into the goalies arms as he looked on in shock.

"I can't believe that it didn't go in," Denton said. "I had the perfect look."

That play has been a microcosm of the Avon Park boy's soccer season thus far: Oh so close, but so far away.

The Red Devils took a huge step forward on Tuesday with their first non-loss of the season - 0-0 tie with Hardee - but head coach Craig Morris said that they took two steps back in a 6-0 shutout loss to Sarasota Booker on Thursday in a Class 4A-District 10 match at Joe Franza Stadium.

"This was not the same team that played against Hardee," Morris said. "This was a confidence issue with this team tonight. We came out too relaxed and you can't do that against a team like Booker."

Booker's Pedro Pinon scored a goal and had three assists in leading the Tornadoes to their first district win of the season.

Pinon set up the first goal with a crossing pass to Marc Alexis who put the ball over AP goalie Arnaud Louis' head just nine minutes into the match.

Moments later, Booker scored again as Ken Graham was wide open in front of the goal for the easy score.

Avon Park's defense was lacking all night, as they crowded around players, which left wide-open players and easy scoring chances for the Tornadoes, which built a 4-0 lead before half time.

"They were a lot faster than we anticipated," AP midfielder Ryan Tracy said. "Booker scored on us pretty fast in that first half and I think the guys were really bummed out during half time. We've got to play defense a lot better than we showed tonight.

"I think we're still getting use to each other with all the new faces on the team this year. It's going to take some time, but we're working on it."

Avon Park will get a second crack at a win on Tuesday when they travel to face Sarasota Booker in a rematch. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.

Chris Hoffman can be reached at 863-386-5837 or choffman@highlandstoday.com

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