Intensity ratcheted up for postseason

Nick Christensen

Friday, Feb. 4, 2005 | 9:43 a.m.

It's a brand new ballgame as prep soccer's second season starts at the Bettye Wilson Soccer Complex.

The Southern 4A girls soccer regional tournaments begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, with games moving from comfy home stadiums to the wide-open fields near Cimarron-Memorial High School. Fans move from the stands to the sidelines, and games are often decided in overtime, providing an endurance test for all involved.

"It's a whole new season right now," said Gerald Kearney, coach of defending champion Bonanza. "Anybody can beat anybody."

Three teams -- Centennial, Palo Verde and Green Valley -- come into the tournament undefeated. Palo Verde edged Centennial by a tiebreaker to take the top seed in the Northwest Division, and Green Valley beat Vo-Tech on Thursday to secure the top seed in the Southeast and eliminate Vo-Tech from playoff contention.

Green Valley coach Bill Naftaly, in his first year as the Gators' girls coach, said he's emphasized starting over to his players.

"We just reiterate that it's a brand new season, everybody starts off 0-0," he said. "We'll practice PK's quite a bit just in case, but otherwise we keep working hard in practice, and that will hopefully show up in games."

Kearney said he thinks his team is prepared to handle the possible longer games, even consecutive multiple overtimes.

"We were pushed to the limit last year; we had two double overtime games in a row," he said. "We're in top shape. This is the end of the year; conditionwise we're pretty fit."

But there are some things for whichteams simply can't practice, including the weather. Wind has played a key role in past tournaments, sending balls in various trajectories mid-air.

"Skill is countered by the wind," Hechter said. "You have to deal with what happens."

The wind and longer games have in the past made surprises reality in the Southern soccer playoffs. Northern girls teams concluded their seasons in November, and 4A champion Galena splits its title with the winner of the Feb. 17 Southern championship.

Hechter's Panthers squad made it to the final against Bonanza last year, beating the Begnals for the Sunset Region championship before falling to the same team in overtime a week later for the state title.

"Playoffs are funny things. Anything can happen," Hechter said. "On any given day, anyone can win. I hate these jock-ocracy cliches but the truth of the matter is it's true. It's a very different environment. When you look beyond the first game, you're only going to be looking at the next game in the stands."