Prep Report: Mariner girls cruise 4-0
There are tougher challenges ahead, but the Mariner Tritons took care of business Thursday night, beating South Fort Myers 4-0, as they did in a girls’ soccer season-opening victory over East Lee County Monday.
Kelsea Whitaker scored once, giving her five goals in two games. Emily DiRoma, Amanda Seny and Nicole Romano also found the net.
Whitaker added two assists. Rebecca Smith picked up one assist, and goalkeeper Sam Greenwell made four saves to record the shutout.
The Tritons (2-0) host North Fort Myers Tuesday.
Bishop Verot 5, Evangelical Christian 0: For the second straight match, sophomore Kady Otzko scored three goals, sparking the host Vikings to a win over Evangelical Christian.
McKenna Duquette and Megan Barton also scored for the Vikings (2-0). Stephanie Zavada and Lauren Cento each had one assist. Goalkeepers Kailyn Rizzo (two saves) and Chryssie Gibson combined for the shutout.
The Vikings scored three times in the first half. Barton buried a direct kick from 30 yards and Otzko scored on a pair of breakaways. Otzko added her sixth goal early in the second off a feed from Zavada.
Duquette capped the scoring with a penalty kick with six minutes left.
The Vikings host Cardinal Mooney at noon Saturday.
Cypress Lake 3, North Fort Myers 0: The visiting Red Knights had their share of scoring chances, but were unable to finish in a loss at Cypress Lake.
The Red Knights (1-1) outshot the Panthers 19-13, but the Panthers scored two first-half goals and one more in the second to post their second win of the season.
North’s Brianna Abatisti made 10 saves in the net. The Knights visit Mariner Tuesday.
Boys Soccer
Ida Baker 1, North Port 0: The Ida Baker Bulldogs are expecting plenty of offense this season from junior forward Nick Presti.
He provided enough Thursday to give the Bulldogs a win over North Port in a preseason clash at Cape High.
In the 25th minute, senior Lando Krumsick directed a ball to Presti, who used his speed and foot to finish the play, burying a shot in the bottom left corner.
Goalkeeper Rush Manterola made seven saves to help keep North Port off the board.
The Bulldogs open the regular season Monday at Fort Myers.
Bishop Verot 3, Cape Coral 0: Austin Doyle struck for a pair of goals and Jorge Aller added one, lifting Bishop Verot past host Cape Coral in a preseason match.
Goalkeeper Lucas Polk recorded the shutout and had four saves.
Riverdale 1, North Fort Myers 0: North Fort Myers goalkeeper Chris Hamilton played a strong match, keeping the Knights close, but Riverdale scored the only goal in a preseason match at the Kelly Road Complex.
The Raiders got on the board five minutes into the match, and the lead held up.
North opens the regular season Tuesday at Moody Field against Mariner.
Swimming
Region 4-2A: After winning LCAC and district championships, the Cape Coral High girls’ swim team came through with another stellar performance Thursday at the Region 4-2A Meet at Florida Gulf Coast University.
The Seahawks placed third out of 21 teams.
As usual, the Seahawks received a lift from the 200 and 400 freestyle relay teams, which consisted of seniors Christina Todd, Lauren Smith, Meghan Cotugno and sophomore Olivia Langford.
They placed fourth in the 200 free relay and third in the 400 free relay.
The Seahawks finished in the top eight in several events, including the boys’ relays, but must wait to see if they’ve secured berths in next Thursday’s Class 2A state meet at the Central Florida YMCA Aquatic Center.
The winners of each regional event secured a spot, and the next 20 fastest times statewide advance to state. The FHSAA should finalize the list of qualifiers by Sunday, at the latest.
“The kids were in a really fast region. They fought really hard,” Cape coach Dianne Kimble said. “Now it’s just a waiting game. I’m really proud of them. They’ve given 110 percent this season and that’s all I can ask.”