American Heritage soccer hopes family ties strengthen team on road to a championship

This team is family – literally.

American Heritage’s girls’ soccer squad features three sets of sisters. The Patriots also have another category of family members on the team that is quite rare.

There’s junior forward Lily Sargent Burns, 17, and her 14-year-old niece, Victoria Burns. Victoria is the daughter of 34-year-old Richie Burns, who is Lily’s brother.

“Victoria is a freshman now, and I get to help her,” said Lily, who has the same father as Richie but a different mother.

“I’m hard on (Victoria), just like her coach. It’s tough love. I’m not cussing her out. I’m motivating her.”

Victoria said she appreciates her aunt’s motivational tactics.

“She pushes me to go harder,” Victoria said. “I love playing with her. We understand each other, and it’s a lot of fun.”

Playing for Heritage has been loads of fun historically as the Patriots have won 11 state titles in girls’ soccer. Only two programs have won more – St. Thomas Aquinas with 15 and Orange Park St. Johns Country Day (13).

Last season, the Patriots reached the regional semifinals, losing 1-0 to Naples on a penalty kick in the final two minutes.

There were 10 seniors on that Heritage team – and nine of them are now playing college soccer.

For most programs, this would qualify as a massive rebuilding season. But for veteran coach Cindy Marcial – who has a 238-25-6 record – things are not nearly so dire.

Marcial believes she has talent on her roster.

Plus, there’s the family factor.

“It bonds us stronger,” Marcial said of this team’s unique dynamic. “They listen to each other more.”

The three sets of Heritage sisters are: senior defender Nyema Freeman and freshman defender Zee Freeman; senior defender and Grambling recruit Dori Johnson and sophomore midfielder Janea Johnson; and junior midfielder Isabella Cipolla and freshman midfielder Ava Cipolla.

Nyema Freeman, who had right-knee surgery after making a cut and injuring herself in January, is regarded as the top player on the team.

She has committed to play next season for the Miami Hurricanes, and she’s interested in studying medicine.

Freeman was cleared to play in August.

“I feel good, but I still have to go over some obstacles,” said Freeman, who is a straight-A student. “After you’re out so long, you have to regain your fitness, you have to get your touch back, and there’s the mental aspect of trusting your knee.”

As for the team’s “We Are Family” dynamic, Freeman admits she is amused.

“It’s cool, but it’s also a little funny,” she said. “We’ve all grown up playing club soccer with the Sunrise Sting.”

Lily Sargent Burns, whose mother, Jennifer Fries, is a former Heritage soccer player, put it a different way.

“All the girls on the team view each other as sisters,” she said. “But when we have actual sisters, it brings us all even closer.”

▪ Lourdes, a state runner-up last season and a two-time state champion, is recovering from the loss of reigning Player of the Year Katerina Puig, who suffered severe injuries in a boat accident in the Keys in early September. Teammate Coco Aguilar, a senior forward/attacking midfielder who was also hurt in the accident, has recovered to the point where she’s participating in non-contact drills, but has not been able to play yet. The Bobcats will also be led by junior and leading scorer Tessa Abreu, senior goalkeeeper Gaby Paredes and junior midfielder Alexandra Diaz. A GoFundMe was started in September for Puig to help her family with medical expenses and future costs.

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▪ Archbishop McCarthy is led by Paloma Pena, a University of Florida recruit who represents the Dominican Republic’s national team. Pena is one of 14 seniors on the roster.

But McCarthy coach Mike Sica, who led the team to a 14-6 record and a regional semifinal berth, said “several” of his players have already been lost for the upcoming season.

▪ Cardinal Gibbons is two years removed from winning a state title and the Chiefs hope to climb back to the top this season. Senior midfielder Macy Berg, junior midfielder Juliana Torres and senior goalkeeper Andrea Stampone lead that effort.

▪ Carrollton, which returns eight starters, will be led by juniors Camila Tundidor and Catalina Quimper along with seniors Natalia Reed and Cecilia Pino and sophomore goalkeeper Madilyn Althage.

▪ Chaminade’s new coach Bert Jordan has what he calls a “rebuilding” job. Chaminade finished 5-7 last season.

“They haven’t had a winning season in 10 years,” said Jordan, formerly the coach at St. Brendan’s. “I have six club players, a number of athletes and then a bunch of girls who have never played soccer.”

His top players are junior midfielder Julian Stanish, who was the team’s leading scorer last season; sophomore forward Annabelle Rhodes; and sophomore winger Sophia Garcia. There is only one senior on the roster.

▪ Cypress Bay went 16-5-1 last season, losing in the state final. However, they graduated 10 seniors. Two other players decided to only compete in club soccer. Coach Kate Dwyer returns three starters: junior midfielder Antonella Solari, senior midfielder Sarah Rubio and senior Serena Schiano.

▪ Doral Academy went 14-5-1 last season, losing in the regional finals. Junior goalie Ayla Ramos, senior midfielder Arianna Guerra and senior defender Elizabeth Mata are this season’s leaders.

▪ Goleman, which lost eight seniors off of last season’s 6-4-2 team, is led by junior defender Daniela Sermini (three goals) and junior midfielder Mia Santana (five goals).

▪ Gulliver coach ChiChi Nwadike returns hoping to lead the Raiders to another district title and deep playoff run. Gulliver is led by sophomore forward Samantha Ehrenreich and senior goalkeeper Camila Sandaal.

▪ Highlands Christian, which went 1-17 last season, is led by junior Naomi Exavier.

▪ LaSalle went 12-6-3 last season, reaching the regional semifinals. Two first-team All-County players return, both juniors: goalie Ashley Fonseca (seven shutouts) and forward Rebecca Baldelomar (22 goals, 11 assists). There are only three seniors on the roster.

Fonseca, by the way, represented Honduras this past summer, playing for the Under-21 and Under-17 national teams. She also played for a U.S. national title in club soccer. Baldelomar plays on the U.S. Olympic Development Team and is a sprinter in track, reaching state in the 4X100 relay race.

▪ North Broward Prep is led by senior midfielder and Penn recruit Leah Finkelman, who had 34 goals and 10 assists last season, leading her squad to a 16-5-2 record. NBP won district and regional titles, losing in the Class 3A state semifinals. Senior midfielder Cailey Katz returns after producing nine assists. The defense is led by senior Zoie Brown, who had nine shutouts and a 1.06 goals-against average; junior defender Anabelle Stati, who missed last due to injury; and freshman defender Ella Munoz, who had four assists.

▪ North Miami is led by junior forward Mary Ramirez, who produced 12 goals and four assists. The team boasts speed, athleticism and aggressiveness.

▪ Nova will be coached by Georges Roumain and hopes a collective effort will lead the team to success.

▪ Palmer Trinity coach Ifeoma Dieke’s team, which went 11-3-1 and advanced to the regional finals last season, will be led by a pair of talented freshmen in Lila Algarin (13 goals, 4 assists) and Scarlett Baur (14 goals, 7 assists).

▪ Pine Crest coach Janelle Cunningham is entering her first season guiding the Panthers. They will be led by a trio of senior midfielders - Mariana Fowler, Elena Jaimes and Kiara Reid.

▪ Ransom Everglades coach Michelle Mondell, whose squad went 12-7-1 and made it to the regional quarterfinals last season, will have a strong group of juniors headlined by Sofi Rua (10 goals and 10 assists last season), Isabel Chong and Andrea Paniagua.

▪ Somerset went 15-6 and reached the regional semifinals last season. The Panthers return juniors Zoey Ziadie and A’liah Saleh to lead their offense as well as junior keeper Sofia Rozo.

▪ South Broward is led by sophomore midfielder Izzy Capellan. Coach Kylie Cerra said Capellan was her top player as a freshman, praising her technical skill and college potential.

▪ South Plantation, which went 10-5-1 last season, returns 13 players. The team is led by four seniors: Nicole McGown (23 goals, 14 assists); Olivia Tucker (22 goals, 22 assists); Rylee Cambra (15 goals, 15 assists); and defender Natalie Wirth (43 steals).

▪ Westminster Academy, which went 10-9-2, advanced to the Class 2A state semifinals for the third straight year. Senior forward Lilly Nava, who has committed to UCF, scored 22 goals and dished six assists. The Molina sisters add to the attack: Raque, a junior who scored 12 goals; and Carolina, a sophomore who scored three goals in just eight games.

This story was originally published November 2, 2022 at 7:30 AM.