Assuming the Plant City girls soccer team is run the same way as, say, Alabama football is a forgivable mistake.
The way these girls have been playing — outscoring its opponents 66-3 — is similar, and so is the hyped. These girls look like a lock to three-peat as district champs.
“We want to go one game further than we went last year,” coach Caleb Roberts says.
That would put the team in the state semifinals, uncharted territory. Last year’s squad — Roberts’ first as coach — went to the regional finals and lost, 1-0, to Lakewood Ranch.
Playing in that extra game, win or lose, would be a great send-off for the seniors, who have seen the program’s highest highs and lowest lows. Replacing them will be quite the challenge next season.
STICKING TOGETHER
These seniors have gotten comfortable with each other, having been Lady Raiders for the past four years and playing on some of the same teams since sixth grade at Tomlin Middle. But, for five of them, the bond goes much deeper.
Ericka Lott, Tori Nizamoff, Kelsey Brevik, Diana Corzine and Stephanie Galloway have been playing together since elementary school — always on the same teams. Rick Lott, an assistant coach, was there the entire time.
“We’ve been playing together since we were, like, 6 or 8 years old,” Ericka Lott says. “There were more of us. My dad has always said, since that age, ‘I want all of you guys to go to the same high school,’ and he originally said Durant. But, that didn’t all work out.”
Still, having five girls stick together for more than a decade is no small feat. And, it shows.
“We just have a connection on the field,” Lott says. “Sometimes, I don’t even have to pick my head up — I just know that they’re there, because we all know how each other plays.”
The seniors are the backbone of the team. Lott and Corzine are tied for the team lead in goals, with 12 apiece. Galloway’s seven assists lead the team, and Corzine is right behind her with six. Nizamoff and Brevik have each scored two goals, and Brevik has four assists to Nizamoff’s two.
All the seniors are enjoying the run while they can, because it will be their last together: None of them is planning to attend college together, and only a few plan to play on their schools’ teams. Corzine will play for Trevecca Nazarene University in the fall. Emma Mitchell, currently being considered by Southeastern University, and Christina Gutierrez would like to play wherever they end up. Lott, who will attend the University of Central Florida in the fall, doesn’t plan on playing soccer beyond intramurals.
IT’S ALL ABOUT FOCUS
Before 2012, Roberts had never been a head coach. He had inherited a girls team at his alma mater that, under coach Justin Throneburg, had just won the district for the first time in its second-ever winning season.
Roberts had been around the game for his entire life, though, and his philosophy seemed to kick in immediately.
“The first game last year, that’s when I stopped feeling pressure,” he says. “We played Wharton High School, which is a really good, consistent team … and we tied them, 3-3, at home. That was just a confidence-booster, not only for me, but (also) for the girls.”
Under Throneburg, the program ran like a club team. Fitting, because that was his coaching background.
“He was just a lot more strict about things,” Lott says.
Roberts promotes a more relaxed atmosphere in his practices, putting an emphasis on going out there and having fun. But, he does not like to waste any time: His mantra is that the team can accomplish whatever it wants with a strong enough focus, so he runs an intensive practice in the just 90 minutes.
“They’ll get more out of practice when they focus for an hour-and-a-half straight instead of stretching it out, taking too many breaks,” Roberts says. “It’s all about the focus and realization of the potential of the team.”
It seems to be working.
HIGH PRESSURE, LOW STRESS
The Lady Raiders’ run-and-gun style is designed to wear down opponents, and, so far, that’s what has happened. As a result, junior goalie Taylor Michael doesn’t face many shots. When she does have an opportunity, she makes it count.
“She’s very vocal,” Roberts says. “When she knows the ball’s coming, she takes control of her area. Everybody just gets out of her way.”
Michaels has allowed only three goals all year. The Lady Raiders — 13 of them — have scored 66. In 2012, only six girls scored goals.
“Everyone’s getting involved,” Roberts says. “It’s like the Miami Heat.”
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
TOUR DE FORCE
From Nov. 12 to Dec. 3, Plant City never scored less than 10 goals per game. And, it wasn’t just one player doing most of the work: 13 players scored at least once in that span, with as few as six in one game and as many as nine in another.
Nov. 12: Plant City 11, Brandon 0
Nov. 18: Plant City 10, Blake 0
Nov. 21: Plant City 11, Armwood 1
Dec. 3: Plant City 13, Tampa Bay Tech 0