- April 18, 2024
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The Beautiful Game is back, and schools around Orange County and the rest of Florida are ready after a long off-season of training and conditioning.
Last season, teams like the Olympia boys and Dr. Phillips girls teams finished with 10 or more wins — making the area one of the strongest in Central Florida when it comes to soccer.
The following is a quick breakdown of each school going into the 2019-20 season.
Coach: Michael Babin
2018-19 Record: 12-6-4
Outlook: At 5-2-2, the Dr. Phillips boys soccer team finished fourth place in the district, despite an otherwise solid year. This year will be an interesting one for the Panthers, who have lost seniors Rafael Silva Azevedo (13 goals, six assists) and Raymond Negron (four goals, three assists), but that doesn’t mean this team is devoid of talent. Junior Pierre Abon — who co-led the Panthers in goals (13) — is back for another year and so is Enzo Teles (eight goals).
Coach: Billy Matthews
2018-19 Record: 18-3-1
Outlook: Last season, Dr. Phillips dominated on the field all the way to a district title. The Panthers utilized a high-powered offense (scoring 4.2 goals per game), while simultaneously shutting down opposing offenses with a defense that gave up an average of only 1.5 goals per game. Unfortunately for DP, the Panthers hit a buzzsaw in the first round as they fell to eventual state runner-up Oviedo.
Coach: Lou Romao
2018-19 Record: 15-3-3
Outlook: Once again, Olympia head coach Lou Romao saw his Titans team show out, as they picked up another 15-plus win season and another district title — something that has become a norm for the Titans. This year’s team, however, will be filled with a bunch of new faces, as the Titans lost a good chunk of its lineup to graduation. Despite the loss of players like Beto Ydrach and Gio Guazzaroni, Romao still will have a core of guys like Christian Lizyness and Javawney Williams to lean on.
Coach: Adnane Taifi
2018-19 Record: 8-8
Outlook: Last season saw Olympia finish a respectable 8-8 and 2-3 in a district loaded with talented teams like Dr. Phillips and West Orange. First-year head coach Adnane Taifi has a senior-laden team to work with — led by Elle Ferguson, who last year co-lead the team in goals alongside Cameron Cisewski.
Coach: Joshua Andone
2018-19 Record: 3-14
Outlook: The 2018-19 season was a tough one for the TFA boys team, as the Royals only managed to pick up three wins. A leaky backline — which gave up an average of 3.4 goals per game — led to struggles, including a six-game losing streak to start off the season. This year the Royals will look to right the ship and get back to work.
Coach: Jennifer Keltner
2018-19 Record: 12-5
Outlook: After going 4-14 during the 2017-18 season, the TFA girls team managed to work its way back above .500 as the Royals finished last season with a 12-5 record. Both sides of the ball saw massive improvements, with the offense going from scoring only 14 goals in 2017-18 to 92 last year. On the defensive side of the ball, the Royals gave up 32 less goals.
Coach: Trent Frederick
2018-19 Record: 16-3-1
Outlook: Despite being in its second season last year, the Windermere boys soccer team dominated on the pitch — winning 16 of its 20 games. Windermere managed to outscore opponents 64-to-19 throughout the season, which helped the Wolverines to their first-ever district title and first playoff appearance — making it to the regional semifinal where they lost 2-1 to Melbourne.
Coach: Trent Frederick
2018-19 Record: 11-4-3
Outlook: Last year was another successful year for the Windermere girls team, but it came with a frustrating ending. For the second year in a row, the Wolverines fell to Montverde in the district final before falling in the first round of the playoffs. Luckily for head coach Trent Frederick, the Wolverines no longer share the same district as Montverde, and he has 14 returners — including Kira Skretteberg, leading goal scorer Victoria Gonzalez and Madison Maroulis — back for the new year.
Coach: Jonathan Griffiths
2018-19 Record: 13-7
Outlook: The Windermere Prep boys soccer team started off last year strong with a five-game winning streak, before going on to win a respectable 13 games. Despite falling in the district semifinals to end the 2018-19 season, the Lakers come into the new year with a fire to build onto last season’s successes.
Coach: Greg Stone
2018-19 Record: 9-3-1
Outlook: No team in the area had a season as big as the Windermere Prep girls soccer team, as the Lakers finished the year on a six-game win streak — which concluded with a SSAC state title (a 2-1 win over Master’s Academy). This year’s team will look much different, as head coach Greg Stone lost a chunk of his roster. Luckily, he has a talented bunch of young players to lean on, including junior defender Isabella “Bel” Teixeira, sophomore midfielder Courtney Mogauro and freshman midfielder Brielyn Knowles.
