Like they have done the entire season, the Sunlake Seahawks boys soccer team buzz-sawed their way to their 28th win of the year Tuesday night.
Sunlake’s 7-1 win over the Citrus Hurricanes in Tuesday’s Class 3A regional semifinal was even more dominant than the score indicated. Equally impressive was Seahawk sophomore sensation Remi Pimm’s performance that re-wrote the Pasco County record book.
Pimm’s four-goal performance Tuesday put his single season goal total at 63, a new Pasco County record.
“It feels good,” said Pimm. “The hard work and dedication paid off. I always want to make records and make my name remembered,”
The previous record was held by another Sunlake player, Connor Gilboy, who traded in his shin pads for a football helmet and currently holds a roster spot on the Florida Gators football team as a punter.
While the final score looked more like a football score than a soccer tally, Sunlake (28-1-1) was in a battle with Citrus for the first 40 minutes of play. Despite outshooting the Hurricanes 16-5 in the first half, the score was tied 1-1 at intermission.
Pimm scored the first goal of the game off a thrown in at the 20:53 mark. Citrus goalkeeper Dakota Gruzdas faced constant pressure from Pimm, Cobi Shermo, Austin Goble and Jake Bachman. He corralled six saves in the first 40 minutes though keeping the damage at a minimum. Gruzdas got major support from teammate Ryan Dolan. The senior defender blocked one shot and tracked down a second just inches short of crossing the goal line with Gruzdas was out of position.
The Hurricanes answered the Sunlake goal 13 minutes later. Jonathan Kreidenweis was taken down in the box with Citrus on the offensive. Hurricane leading goal-scorer Josh Marsden, who scored the game-tying and game –winning goal against Land O’Lakes in last week’s regional quarterfinal, took the penalty kick. The senior went low and right on the shot. Seahawk goalkeeper Danny Hrenko got a glove on it but couldn’t prevent it from trickling in the net.
It was Gruzdas’ final save of the half that gave the Hurricanes momentum going into the break. Sunlake lined up for their own penalty kick with :30 seconds left in the half. Gruzdas started to lean to his right as Pimm put his foot on the ball. The sophomore goalkeeper guessed correctly and made a beautiful diving save.
Any thoughts of the Hurricanes being able to hang with the Seahawks for a second 40 minutes disappeared quickly though. Seven minutes into the second half Goble rocketed a shot from inside box that hit the left post and ricocheted into the net behind Gruzdas for what turned out to be the game-winning goal.
“I was a little nervous missing the penalty kick,” said Sunlake head coach Steve Koleduk. “Once we got that second goal we calmed down. Then we started playing our style of soccer. Normally when we score one, we keep scoring. We didn’t have a good first half by any means. I was really happy with the second half though.”
The Seahawks might not have followed up with their second goal as quickly as Koleduk would have liked but they turned it on shortly after Goble’s goal made it 2-1. Sunlake’s third (Pimm’s 2nd), fourth (Bachman) and fifth (Aaron Aucoin) goals came in a span of less than seven minutes in the second half. The air was completely taken out of the home crowd after Pimm’s second goal made it 3-1. Pimm’s skill and speed turned the lopsided 5-1 Sunlake lead into a 7-1 blowout. The sophomore added his 62 goal of the year and third of the game at the 21:34 mark of the second half. Six minutes later he beat Gruzdas for the fourth time for the Pasco County single season goals record.
“Coach lets us play with a lot of creativity and gives us the freedom to expresses ourselves,” said Pimm. “It results in scoring goals.”
Just how many goals?
Counting Tuesday night, the Seahawks have outscored their opponents this year 175-17.