In both games, the winning teams controlled the tempo for most of the way even as Winter Springs needed a little extra time to settle things in overtime.

“Our girls stepped up and played as hard as they could to get [that last goal] when they needed to,” said head coach Kurt Oettl.

Oviedo, on the other hand, is right back where it was a year ago and hope to make the most of the position they’re in once again.

“A district tournament can help set you up for later and get you on a roll,” said Oviedo coach Scott Waisanen.

– No. 2 Winter Springs (14-5-3) over No. 3 Lake Mary (10-6-2)

In a matchup featuring two of Seminole County’s best goalkeepers – Shelby Savolainen of Winter Springs and Megan Lynch of Lake Mary – the real story was how the Bears nearly squandered away the game before coming out on top 2-1 in overtime.

Winter Springs controlled possession of the ball for much of the night, to the point where Lake Mary was unable to get as much as a shot on goal until nearly 10 minutes had passed in the second half.

The Bears were aggressive on the offensive end of the field as senior forwards Vanessa Aponte and Shelby Guenthardt, and junior midfielder Taylor Hoch forced Lynch into a busy night in the net.

Aponte scored the games first goal, her 26th of the season, when she drilled a free kick from just outside the box that landed into the lower left corner of the net a little more than eight minutes into the game.

The 1-0 lead held up most of the way, until Lake Mary junior defender Rachel Buffalo bounced a soft header past a defender as Savolainen was caught out of position to tie the game with less than nine minutes to play. It was just the fourth legitimate opportunity the Rams could muster on goal.

The overtime period didn’t last long, though. Aponte had two shots on goal saved by Lynch, the last of which was a spectacular diving effort that set up the game-winning corner kick. Once the kick sailed to the far post it bounced back toward the front of the goal off of the foot of a Winter Springs player and was promptly tapped in by junior midfielder Meredith Ciocca to end the game.

Lynch finished with nine saves in the loss but saw plenty more shots sail off the mark from the likes of senior midfielders Samantha Murphy and Michelle Samper.

– No. 1 Oviedo (17-4-1) over No. 5 Lake Brantley (8-9-3)

Oviedo has carried the torch as Central Florida’s top girls soccer team for much of the season, routinely bringing the best out of their opponents after advancing to the state semifinals a year ago.

It took some time to settle down on Wednesday during a 3-0 win over the Patriots, but the slow start did nothing to take away from a dominant effort.

Led by the aggressive play of junior midfielders Katie O’Kennedy and Morgan Campbell, the Lions continued to apply the pressure until Lake Brantley eventually broke down the stretch.

Despite missing its mark on a barrage of shots, Oviedo took an early 1-0 lead when a throw-in from April Asby slipped through the hands of keeper Lilian Valle for the first score of the night.

In typical fashion, the Lions moved the ball through a multitude of positions and had no less than 10 different players take a shot in the direction of Lake Mary’s goal.

Late in the game, Erin Phillips punched in a goal on a deflected save following a long attempt from a teammate and O’Kennedy added another goal less than three minutes later.

– More Local Girls Soccer Coverage –

Game recap at Orlando Sentinel

Game photos by Stephen M. Dowell

– To nominate athletic performances for inclusion each Wednesday to the Top-5 list of Orlando Sports Central Standouts, send over an email to JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com –

Ali Schrader (Photo by Jim Hogue)

1.) Ali Schrader – Rollins Tars – The freshman forward helped the Rollins College women’s soccer team win its first Sunshine State Conference tournament title when her goal in the 50^th minute held up in a 1-0 win over Florida Southern over the weekend. With the win, which came on their home field, the Tars (15-1-2) earned an automatic berth into the NCAA Division II Tournament against the winner between Florida Tech and Saint Leo on Saturday. Schrader was named SSC Tournament Most Outstanding Player after scoring her first three goals of the season at the tournament.

2.) Han Kim – Lake Mary Rams – Last week Kim dominated the field at the Class 2A Golf State Finals in Ocala as he shot a 9-under par 135 over two days at Silver Springs Shores to earn the gold medal. His day one score of 70 and day two efforts of 65 (on the Par 72 course) were six strokes better then all other competitors and helped Lake Mary win the team title by two strokes.

3.) Tom Smith – Apopka Blue Darters – The junior running back rushed for 152 yards on 11 carries, scoring four touchdowns and three two-point conversions in the first half for Apopka as they raced out to a 66-14 win on the road over Ocoee last week to claim the Class 6A, District 5 title. (Game Recap)

Mike Sims-Walker

4.) Jalen Singleton – Bishop Moore Hornets – By scoring three touchdowns in the second half and making big plays in the secondary for the Hornets, Singleton helped Bishop Moore wrap up the Class 2A, District 4 title in a 23-0 win at Jones. Singleton rushed for 162 yards on 22 carries, which included scores from 43, 5 and 5 yards out. (Game Recap)

5.) Mike Sims-Walker – Jacksonville Jaguars – The former Edgewater and UCF football standout posted the best receiving-yards effort for the Jaguars since 2000 on Sunday when he caught six passes for 147 yards and a touchdown in a 24-21 win against Kansas City. It was his third 100-yard game of the season.

More ––

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 11/4/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 10/28/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 10/21/09

Orlando Sports Central Standouts – 10/14/09

–– Class 2A ––

An experienced boys team at Lake Mary recorded a 583 score over two days (300, 283) thanks to a solid showing in the second day of competition at Silver Springs Shores (Par 72) in Ocala to beat out Stuart Martin County (581), Weston Cypress Bay (596), Fort Walton Beach (604) and Olympia (605).

- 2A Boys – Team Scores

Leading Lake Mary, and all other golfers in the state, was senior Han Kim with a phenomenal 9-under par score of 135 (70, 65). Olympia’s Joey Petronio tied for second in the state with a 3-under score of 141 (73, 68) at the tournament.

- 2A Boys – Individual Scores

With three freshman and two seniors on its girls golf team Lake Mary wrapped up the state title by eight strokes over Melbourne Viera, 625-633, at the 72-par Ocala Golf Club. Plant City Durant (652) came in third followed by Gulf Breeze (655), Timber Creek (667) and Olympia (670).

- 2A Girls – Team Scores

Lake Mary was led by senior Jessica Schall, who shot a 70 and 76 to tie for seventh in the individual standings. Winter Park senior Brandi Rodriguez tied for second in the state with a 2-under par score of 142 (72, 70).

- 2A Girls – Individual Scores

–– Class 1A ––

The Trinity Prep boys golf team finished in a fourth-place tie with Ocala Trinity Catholic in the team standings at the 72-par Juliette Falls in Dunnellon with a score of 606 after shooting 303 during both days of competition. North Palm Beach Benjamin took the championship with a 580 score followed by Fort Lauderdale Archbishop McCarthy (589) and West Palm Beach Cardinal Newman (590).

- 1A Boys – Team Scores

Trinity Prep was led by sophomore Collin Engelhardt, who finished tied for 12^th overall with Circle Christian freshman Ryan Stovash. They both shot a 3-over total of 147.

- 1A Boys – Individual Scores

The young girls squad at Lake Highland Prep took fourth place with a 629 score behind Plantation American Heritage (590), St. Petersburg Northside Christian (603) and Naples Community School (626) at the 72-par Golden Hills Gold & Turf Club in Ocala.

- 1A Girls – Team Scores

Sophomore Mary Fran Hillow led a Lake Highland team that featured two sophomores, two freshmen and a sixth-grader as she shot a 78 and 70 to tie for ninth overall. Lake Nona freshman Ashley Holder tied for third in the state with a 1-under par score of 143 (73, 70) while Orlando Circle Christian sixth-grader Abbey Carlson shot 1-over par to tie for sixth with a 145 score.

- 1A Girls – Individual Scores

–– More FHSAA State Championship golf coverage ––

Video recap of boys golf at Varsity Sports

Video recap of girls golf at Varsity Sports