Oak Ridge Soccer

[DarterBlue2]

Last year they finished the regular season undefeated only to lose in their first district tournament game to a team they had beaten easily during the regular season. This year a three loss Oak Ridge team (17-3-1, prior to the district tournament), has knocked off its first two opponents in the district tournament including Winter Park, last year's state finals runner up in 5A to Boca Raton, and Timber Creek, the team that upset them last year. In both of these games Oak Ridge not only had to come from behind, but did so a man down due to losing a player in each game to the dreaded red card (blue in high school).

 

In the Timber Creek game they played about 65 minutes with this player deficit and went from being 1-2, to reeling off 4 unanswered goals to win 5-2. Against Winter Park, they came back from a 0-1 deficit at the end of the first half, to send the game into double overtime and then a penalty shootout, which they won 7-6 when their keeper (a good kid, but who may be their weakest link), made a good save of Winter Park's penalty kick in the sudden death portion of the shootout, and then their star player and central striker, Sonely Cius, calmly slotted the ball into the far right hand corner of the net to seal the win after nearly two and a half hours on the pitch. 

 

Made up largely of Haitian and Latino kids, Oak Ridge has been knocking on the door for the past six or so years. The program was taken over by Jamaican/American Head Coach Kenny Coutain eight years ago, and he turned a foundering soccer school, which could not even finish the regular season due to lack of players the year before he became head coach, into a very solid Orlando area program. Kenny, who grew up in Dade County, I believe, was: a football, soccer and track athlete in high school, and went on to star at Memphis in College Football as a receiver. He spent one season with the Green Bay Packers after his college career in the early 2000s before moving on to the more mundane things most of us do for a living. He deserves a lot of credit for what he has accomplished with Oak Ridge soccer. 

 

Knowing a thing or two about soccer having grown up in Jamaica, I can honestly say that this year's team, just like last year's is truly talented. It would not surprise me if they found a way to make it to the state final four, and from there anything could happen. Since the conclusion of the football season, after they knocked off Apopka, I have become an honorary fan of theirs to root on my Caribbean brothers (I guess I should say grand kids at this stage of my life ).

 

At their coach's request, I gave them a little pep talk after they came back from a 1-3 deficit in one of the last games of the regular season to tie it 3-3, and they have responded well. They are a good group of kids battling a hard life, and unlike some of their better opponents, only a few of them get to play club soccer, which in America is so important to their development, due to a lack of financial resources. But they have made up for this disadvantage with speed, natural talent for the game, and a lot of enthusiasm. It would be nice if they could win a state championship, as this would, I believe, be the first time an urban, inner-city school in Florida would have accomplished that goal (assuming Miami Edison does not beat them to it).

[DarterBlue2]

Oakridge's soccer season ended on a bad note when Plant City scored in overtime to win 3-2 off a free kick just outside the box that was on a questionable call. It was a disappointing end to a good season. Oakridge has been knocking on the door for the past five or six seasons and I believe that their turn will come. In tonight's game they led 2-1 for most of the game. The lead evaporated inside five minutes of regular time when Plant City scored on what I will call a defensive mix-up involving a couple of defenders and the goalkeeper. 

 

I believe the kids should feel good about a good season. The team loses a lot; however, some good talent returns. I feel that if the current staff remains intact, the team will continue to perform well.