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NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
Florida small school closes with 10 straight shutouts
en route to incredible 15th state title in 21-year stretch
BY DAN STICKRADT
WEB AND CONTENT EDITOR | NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF NEWS
Premier Media Group | National Soccer Network and affiliates
BUSINESS LINE: (248) 525-2349
TW/X: @msn_stickradt @MiSoccerNetwork, @NatSoccerTV
DELAND, Fla. – Sometimes defense really does win championships.
Orange Park (Fla.) St. Johns Country Day proved that in more ways than one this winter.
The Spartans blanked Stuart (Fla.) Pine School 4-0 in the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 1A state title March 1 at DeLand Spec Martin Stadium to not only close the season with 10 straight wins and 10 straight shutouts – St. Johns Country Day did so by containing Stuart Pine’s high-flying forward/midfielder Giovanna Waksman in the state finals.
A sophomore, Waksman – who has spent time on the U14, U15 and U20 Brazilian Youth National Team – had scored a U.S.-leading 84 goals this season and in 39 career games for the Knights has already scored 158 career goals on the high school circuit. Against the Spartans and their stingy defense, Waksman only registered three total shots in the game and two on frame.
With Waksman held in check, the Spartans responded on the offensive end, scoring two goals in each half to prevail.
It marked the school’s first state title since 2022 but 15th overall. That total is second most in Florida state history – all coming between 2005-2025 (2005, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2025).
The 11 straight state crowns between 2012 and 2022 are a FHSAA state record. The Spartans have now captured state titles in 12 of the last 14 seasons – one of the better stretches in the nation for high school soccer teams.
Stuart Pine School, making its first-ever state finals appearance, finished the 2024-25 campaign with a 16-2-1 record. The Knights had their 12-game win streak snapped in the state finals – a stretch where the small school outscored the opposition 94-13. Pine School outscored the opposition 132-27 this season, averaging some 6.95 goals a game as a team with Wakeman averaging 4.6 goals a contest herself.
St. Johns Country Day became the first team to keep Stuart Pine School off the scoreboard all season.
Senior forward Cece Nowicki finished with a pair of goals and junior forward Reygan Ropero had a goal and two assists to lead the attack in the state finals. Junior Victoria Sarka scored the other goal, while seniors Kaitlyn Sunderhaus and Cal Holshauser and junior midfielder Calli Berrang also drew assists for the Spartans (20-3-1).
Berrang scored twice in the state semifinals in a 6-0 rout of Fort Lauderdale South Florida Heat Academy.
Junior Alyvia Bishop collected just two saves for her 17th shutout of the season and 10th straight in the title match. In fact, St. Johns Country Day finished 7-0 in the postseason with an incredible 35-0 scoring edge en route to the state title.
During the Spartans’ 10-game streak, St. Johns Country Day outscored the opposition, 48-0, and the team did contest one non-league game after the start of the state tournament. For the entire season, the Spartans held a 68-13 scoring edge, or a plus-55 differential this winter, to go along with the 17 clean sheets.
The team had not lost since Dec. 20, a 3-1 setback to Orlando Bishop Moore – the eventual Class 4A state runner-up – while the other two losses came back in the second and fifth games of the campaign, both in November. Those setbacks came against Ponte Verda (4-0) and St. Johns Bartram Trail (2-0), and those two schools went on to capture the Class 5A and Class 6A state titles, respectively.
As a unit, St. Johns Country Day posted a sterling 0.55 goals-against-average as a team to become perhaps one of the top defensive teams in Class 1A – the small school circuit in the FHSAA.
Bishop recorded a brilliant campaign between the pipes as the team’s starter in goal, collecting 68 saves in 76 chances while allowing just eight goals in some 1,420 minutes. She posted a 0.45 goals-against-average and a .895 save percentage, while her backups allowed the other five goals this season.
In front of Bishop, senior center back Mia Johnson shined bright, along with stellar play from freshman Annabelle Ernst and the aforementioned Sunderhaus and Holshauser who all joined forces to create one stingy defensive unit this winter.
In the state finals, Bishop, Ernst and Johnson all logged all 80 minutes, as did Berrang, Saraka and Nowicki. A total of 15 players saw action in the state finals win over Stuart Pine out of a roster of 27 players.
Johnson was also named the Orange Park Rotary Clay County Athlete of the Winter for her sterling defensive play and leadership in the back for the Spartans, both in the state tournament run and all season.
Coach Mike Pickett’s St. Johns Country Day side outshot Stuart Pine 20-7 overall in the finals, including 13-2 with shots on frame.
The game marked the Spartans’ 15th state title in 21 seasons. The contest also marked St. Johns Country Day’s 17th state title game appearance and 21st Final Four appearance, while the Spartans have also captured 21 regional titles and 24 district titles in program history.
Those totals are all amongst the all-time leaders in the FHSAA state tournament lore.
THE STATE TITLE RUN FOR ORANGE PARK (FLA.) ST. JOHNS COUNTRY DAY
District Semifinals: Jacksonville Bolles (2-0)
District Finals: Lakeland Christian (3-0)
Regional Quarterfinals: Tallahassee St. John Paul II (8-0)
Regional Semifinals: Jacksonville Christ’s Church Academy (5-0)
Regional Finals: Jacksonville University Christian (7-0)
State Semifinals: Fort Lauderdale South Florida Academy (6-0)
State Finals: Stuart Pine School (4-0)
COURTESY PHOTO
FAST FACTS
STATE TITLES: 15
STATE FINALS APPEARANCES: 17
FINAL FOUR APPEARANCES: 21
REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: 21
DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIPS: 24
CONFERENCE TITLES: Not available
OVERALL RECORD: 20-3-1
CONFERENCE RECORD: Independent Mid-State Conference
GAMES PLAYED: 24
GOALS SCORED: 68
GOALS ALLOWED: 13
SHUTOUTS: 17
SHUTOUTS AGAINST: 2
TEAM GOALS AGAINST AVERAGE: 0.55
STREAKS: 10 straight wins to close the season, all shutouts
STATE TOURNAMENT NOTABLES: 7-0, 35-0 scoring edge, seven shutouts
(The National Soccer Network will profile state championship high school and youth club girls soccer and boys soccer teams from across the country. Please submit all pertinent details, including the head coach’s contact number, as well as any courtesy team or action photos to National Director of News / Web and Content Editor Dan Stickradt at dstickradt@thepremiermediagrp.com and news@nationalsoccernetwork.com )
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(Have a story suggestion for the Premier Media Group and the National Soccer Network regarding club/youth soccer, high school varsity, amateur soccer, collegiate soccer or professional soccer involving teams, players or coaches with ties to a particular state or states, contact Web and Content Editor/Director of News Dan Stickradt via email at dstickradt@thepremiermediagrp.com and news@nationalsoccernetwork.com, or call 248-525-2349. Dan Stickradt is a 32-year veteran of the Michigan and national media circles and recently joined the staff full time at PMG in March of 2024. Want to schedule a broadcast game or live show, contact PMG/NSN Director of Broadcasting Jonathan Turner for availability and pricing at jonathan@thepremiermediagrp.com.)
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