Boys Soccer: Mitchell wins PHU Hurricane Watch tourney

Not matter the sport, good teams know how to take advantage of fortunate situations.

For the first 10 minutes of Friday night's Hurricane Watch championship game hosted by Palm Harbor University, the Mitchell High boys soccer team did not quite look like the 16-1-3 regional power it has been all season.

A few midfield and defensive breakdowns allowed Countryside - a team Mitchell dealt with handily Tuesday night, 4-1 - to control the game's pace and make things a little less than comfortable inside the Mustangs zone.

Following Countryside forward Derya Ekren's post-clanging breakaway miss during the 7th minute, though, Mitchell firmly reminded all in attendance why it hasn't lost a game in nearly two months.

Leading scorer David Vasquez scored his first of two goals about 13 minutes after Ekren's near miss by poking in a rebound when teammate Sean Maser's header caromed off the right post.

Vasquez added some flair to his second goal five minutes later, lifting a bicycle kick over George's head and into the back of the net.

The two goals would be all Mitchell would need en route to a 3-1 victory.

"It was a pass from the right Gabriel (Ruiz) headed back to me," Vasquez said of the play. "From the 6 you can only get one touch, so I just did a bicycle kick."

Mustangs head coach Oscar Ubillus praised more than just the two goals.

"It's the way he commanded midfield. The first 10 minutes of the game wasn't great for us, but after that final 30 in the first half I think he really showed himself."

Vasquez is Mitchell's leading scorer with 15 goals and nine assists.

Mitchell extended its dominant lead to 3-0 when Robert Coleman was awarded with a penalty kick in the 32nd minute after getting tripped from behind in the Countryside goal box.

Countryside was not without additional opportunities following Ekren's miss. Cory Sauerwine and Abraham Pineda both had good looks that sailed off target. Sauerwine was stuffed by Berres on a breakaway early in the second half as well.

The Cougars' lone goal came in the 71st minute when Max Seijo drove home a rebound.

Mitchell finished the tournament 3-0. Countryside was 1-2.

"We've always liked playing in this tournament and finally winning it means you're the champion of something," Ubillus said. "That's our goal two weeks from now (in districts) and hopefully farther than that."

BOX SCORE

Countryside- 0 - 1 --- 1
Mitchell- 3 - 0 --- 3

Goals

Countryside: Seijo
Mitchell: Vasquez (2), Coleman

Shots On Goal

Countryside: 9
Mitchell: 7