Broward girls’ soccer powerhouses reloading while Miami-Dade teams poised for title runs
Broward girls’ soccer is in transition.
Margo Flack, who coached Cardinal Gibbons to three straight state finals – winning the Class 4A crown in 2021 – isn’t shy about expressing that view.
“This is a rebuilding year,” she said. “We graduated six seniors.”
Gibbons, 12-2-1 last season, returns two strong goalies: senior Alexis DeVeaux and junior Andrea Stampone.
The Gibbons attack is led by senior forward Sydney Polivka, who scored 11 goals and added eight assists last season. Other top attackers include junior Macy Berg and sophomore Samantha Fuini in the midfield and sophomore Juliana Torres at forward.
“Getting to state is a process,” Flack said. “We are back at the beginning of that process.”
Cypress Bay coach Kate Dwyer knows the feeling. She led her squad to second place in 7A last season.
However, Cypress Bay graduated forward Megan Morgan, named The Herald’s Female Athlete of the Year. She is now playing for national power Florida State.
In addition, midfielder Camila Jimenez, who scored 16 goals, signed with Alabama State.
“We’re very inexperienced,” Dwyer said.
Cypress Bay does have star senior midfielder Barbara Garcia, who had five goals and four assists last season. Senior goalie Jada Avick and junior defender Isabella Paez Pumar are coming off injuries.
But while Broward powers reload, Miami-Dade County teams appear poised for great seasons. Lourdes, which finished second in 6A last season, is ranked seventh in the state and No. 1 in its class.
Palmetto (10th), Westminster Christian (12th) and Doral (14th) are all ranked among Florida’s top-15 teams, according to MaxPreps.
Doral, coached by Omar Persad, reached the 6A regional semifinals last season. They have two seniors who are set to sign with colleges in February: midfielder Pietra Tordin with Princeton and defender Camila Lezcano (Gardner-Webb).
Douglas, which lost to Cypress Bay in the 7A state semifinals, is currently the highest-rated Broward team at No. 17. Douglas is led by senior midfielder Skylar Lund and the goalie combo of senior Carly Brodsky, who is a three-year starter, and freshman Ella Stevens.
Broward’s Archbishop McCarthy, which lost in last season’s 5A state final, graduated four starters and just lost its top player last week when junior midfielder Isabella Merchan tore her ACL.
“We still have a lot of talent,” McCarthy coach Mike Sica said.
That includes senior forward and leading scorer Sophia Goetz, who signed with Memphis; and junior Mila Erceg, who has committed to West Virginia. The team also got junior Jazmin Herrera back from a knee injury.
THIS AND THAT
▪ American Heritage, which ranks third in Florida with 11 girls’ soccer state titles, went 14-3, losing to Cardinal Gibbons, 3-2, in the 4A regional semifinals. Heritage returns all 11 starters, including its top player, Savannah Hydes, a senior midfielder. Two senior forwards have already signed with colleges: Emily Thompson (West Virginia) and Alexa Garcia (Barry).
▪ St. Thomas Aquinas returns 15 seniors from a team that won its district and lost in the 6A regional finals. Senior forward Brianna Duncan is the top returner for a program that leads Florida with 15 state titles. The Raiders also have two top senior goalies in Alexandra Carpintero and Gracey Messingschlager.
▪ La Salle didn’t make it out of districts, but the Royals return first-team All-Dade goalie Ashley Fonseca, a sophomore. The Royals also added first-team All-Dade forward Rebecca Baldelomar, a transfer from Miami Springs. Senior forwards Hanna Gonzalez and Deanna Prieto return after making All-Dade third and second-team, respectively.
▪ The Class 4A St. Brendan Sabres are led by first-team All-Dade goalie Meagan Alvarez, who posted seven shutouts last season. The 5-10 junior is a part of the USA Olympic Development Team.
▪ True North, a first-year FHSAA school, will compete in 2A. It’s a public charter school located in Kendall, and the Titans’ leading scorer is sophomore Jenny Pena. The team has no seniors and only one junior starter.
▪ Goleman is led by senior Rebekah Salcedo, who had 10 goals and seven assists for the district champs, who lost 3-0 to Doral in the 7A regional quarterfinals.
▪ North Broward Prep, which finished 13-2, reaching the regional quarterfinals, is led by junior midfielder Leah Finkelman, who had 19 goals and 10 assists.
▪ Miami Country Day, which made regional semifinals, is led by senior midfielder Sofia Nelcha.
▪ Somerset is led by senior Jaileen De Freitas, who scored 15 goals in nine games.
▪ Top players for their teams include Latyfah Ubeda (Miami Springs); Elise Donahue (Coral Glades); Tasia Robinson (Highlands Christian); and Tiffani Bergeron (Miramar).
This story was originally published December 13, 2021 at 2:24 PM.