Wharton, Steinbrenner, Newsome and Seminole advance to Wharton Invitational semifinals

Posted Nov 3, 2011 by Jarrett Guthrie

Updated Nov 3, 2011 at 01:17 PM

TAMPA – Wharton, Steinbrenner, Seminole and Newsome advanced to tonight’s semifinals of the Wharton Invitational Soccer Tournament. The four teams won quarterfinal matches Tuesday and Wednesday in the four day, eight team tournament which kicks off this year’s girls soccer season.

In the opening game Tuesday, Seminole picked up a 1-0 win over East Bay. Senior and University of South Florida commit Gina Hayduke took a pass from sophomore Brandy Maulucci, then went down the right side before firing the decider from 15 yards out.

Tournament host Wharton got off to a solid start with a decisive 6-0 win against Tampa Catholic. The Wildcats got a first half goal from Bianca Lorenzo Tuesday to earn a spot in the semifinals. Wharton keeper Heather Montgomery made two huge back-to-back saves prior to halftime and the Wildcats dominated possession in the second half adding five more goals. Junior Ashni Deschenes had a pair of goals while senior midfielder Baylee Dozark had two assists.

The Wildcats will match up against defending 4A champions Steinbrenner, which won its quarterfinal match against Clearwater Central Catholic 1-0. The Warriors had a number of chances throughout, but weren’t able to get anything in goal until the last few minutes. After the Marauders went down a player with four minutes left due to a red card, Steinbrenner took advantage scoring in the 77th minute when Alexis Bredeau sent a pass to last season’s leading scorer Cici Gonzalez, who flicked the ball in for the decider.

The other semifinal will be a rematch of last season’s Class 5A state semifinal, as Seminole will try and exact some revenge against Newsome. The challenge will be steep as the Wolves looked impressive Wednesday night with a 5-1 win over Freedom. The Wolves took the advantage in the first half on a goal off a set piece, when Caroline Evers kicked a free kick that eventually made its way to Liz Haumschild who sent in a goal. Newsome scored its second goal when Maria Cate sent a header across the box finding Emily Jones, who sent in the eventual decider. The Patriots cut the lead quickly after the Wolves’ second goal when Jenna Stiling sent a looping shot to the back of the net from about 30 yards, but Newsome controlled the game after that as Cate added two goals and Evers scored in the 77th minute.

Today’s Semifinals
@ Wharton High School

Seminole v. Newsome, 4:30 p.m.
Steinbrenner v. Wharton, 8 p.m.