Manatee tops Riverview to set up showdown with Lakewood Ranch for girls district soccer title

BRADENTON -- George Ameres has been coaching Meredith Roberts for so long that the two know how each other thinks.

So when the Manatee High girls soccer coach told Roberts she needed to step up her game, the senior was already thinking the same thing.

His words resonated and sparked Roberts to get two early goals and spark host Manatee to 7-0 victory over Sarasota Riverview on Tuesday night in a Class 5A-District 8 semifinal match.

The triumph sends the Hurricanes to Lakewood Ranch Friday night, when Manatee will go for its third straight district title. The teams split their two matches this season and the Mustangs got the first seed thanks to a coin flip.

Ameres says this is the best team he has had in his five years coaching Manatee, but his girls might have been looking past the Rams and started off sluggish.

"Meredith was one of the ones in the first few minutes and I felt like she needed to give us a little bit more. She is a big time player and we needed for her to be a big time player," Ameres said. "I felt she came out a little soft and kind of got on her and woke her up and did my coaching duties. After she got that second goal, she played lights out."

Katherine Christenson got Manatee (14-1-1) its first goal and Roberts made it 2-0 in the 14th minute. After Jessica Schaefer scored, Roberts got her second goal and the Hurricanes went on to take a 5-0 halftime lead.

"He (Ameres) gets on me a lot, but it was what I really needed to hear, like play better," Roberts said. "Maybe it was a little cold, but you have those games where it takes a little longer to get into the game and play your game. You always have that in the back of your mind, that we've done it before (beat Riverview) and we can do it again, but you have to go out there that it's zero-zero in your mind."

Schaefer finished the night with two goals and four assists. Sydney Morrow and Kyle Ameres had a goal apiece for Manatee and Brianna Blethen and Madelyn Macinko were each credited with an assist.

Ameres' biggest concern was that his girls would be looking past Riverview to Lakewood Ranch. He credited the girls for their ability to stay focused after the slow start.

Riverview possessed the ball more than Manatee in the first 10 minutes of the match until the Canes started to click.

"In the beginning we sat back and kind of felt things out a little bit, but once we started to realize where things would work for us and where we could get our penetration and what would be effective for us then we are able to stick to that game plan and move forward and get some quality goals," Ameres said.

This is the year Roberts has been waiting for. The senior has been a key part of the Hurricanes' district titles her sophomore and junior years, but now she is looking for a long run in the postseason.

"This is year we believe it could actually happen, go to states and win it all," said Roberts, who has committed to Florida Atlantic University. "We have 11 seniors and we've grown together and become a family. (Winning state) would be a great way to end it all."

This story was originally published January 13, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Manatee tops Riverview to set up showdown with Lakewood Ranch for girls district soccer title ."