Wednesday, November 4, 2009

MIAMI -- The Key West High girls' soccer team took one on the chin Tuesday afternoon against Miami LaSalle. The Royal Lions built a five-goal halftime lead and added one more in the second half for a 6-0 victory over the Lady Conchs.

Even worse, coach Scott Paul lost senior Chloe DeVelasco to a hamstring injury and junior sweeper Eva Hooten to a strained quad, leaving his defense without two very important starters.

"[We played] another solid team and another shutout against a very solid team," Paul said in reference to this loss and his team's preseason defeat to Westminster Christian. "We've got a ways to go."

Starting at the six-minute mark, LaSalle, winners of District 15-3A last year, scored its first goal and nailed its fifth goal just minutes before the half.

Key West held the Royal Lions to the lone second-half goal with some very young and inexperienced players.

DeVelasco pulled her hammy early in the game and tried to reenter but it was too sore and unnecessary to risk further injury. Midway through the game, Hooten re-strained her quadriceps muscle and had to be carried off the field.

"We can't exist on that kind of stuff going down. Our midfield play was solid but we're just so young in the back," Paul said. "We're playing potentially JV players at the outside mid. We only had 13 players ready to play and are without Kendall Galvan, who is running cross country, so we used three young freshmen."

The coach added, "It was depressing the first 10 minutes but we said, 'wait a minute, we knew this was going to happen.' I just don't like to lose and I don't like losing but you've got to be realistic at the same time. This team is still learning and has a lot of promise and potential.

"I've still got a lot of faith in this team but we're at the beginning of a very long process. It's going to be a little frustrating but we're not playing garbage teams. Westminster [Christian] was full of athletes, LaSalle is a solid team of athletes with a lot of club players and a national player."

Key West travels up the Keys Friday for a 4 p.m. meeting with county rival Coral Shores at Founders Park, and hosts University at noon on Saturday at the Key West High Back Yard.