Elite eleven: St. Johns Country Day girls soccer wins 11th consecutive state title

Time was running out for Julia Boaventura as the end of the senior's high school career neared, and St. Johns Country Day girls soccer coach Mike Pickett knew the chance to make some highlights was right now.

"I told her, 'If you want to make it special, you've got to do it now,'" Pickett said.

The striker was listening, and now St. Johns Country Day's magical run is still going strong.

The Sunshine State's greatest girls soccer dynasty rolled once more through the grass of Spec Martin Stadium in DeLand, defeating St. Petersburg Shorecrest Prep 2-0 in Wednesday night's Florida High School Athletic Association Class 2A championship.

Boaventura tallied both goals after halftime, a header and a left-foot blast, breaking the deadlock after 55 minutes of extraordinary goalkeeping by Shorecrest Prep keeper Sonoma Kasica.

Boaventura came through in the games that mattered most for St. Johns Country Day (19-3-1): three goals in the regional championship, four in the state semifinal and two more Wednesday.

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"I'm not going to lie, I was a little bit nervous at the beginning," said Boaventura, a part of the last three St. Johns titles since arriving from Brazil. "But then I was just trying to keep calm and just think positive, and that's what I did."

A dynasty without defeat in the playoffs since 2011 — when the current generation of Spartan seniors was still in first grade — St. Johns Country Day lifted the trophy once more.

Shorecrest Prep (15-4), and particularly Kasica, didn't make it easy.

"She was unbelievable," Pickett said. "I think she made six 1-v-1, point-blank saves where we were in tight that were [normally] goals. She definitely kept them in the game."

A one-on-one left-wing break from Ava Johnson. A point-blank blast from Spartans midfielder Hannah Lemieux inside the first 15 minutes. A Kamryn Towers shot from the corner of the box. A crisp backward header from Lauryn Mateo moments before halftime.

Kasica, a sophomore goalkeeper who also won Florida's state championship in the javelin as a freshman, denied them all, plus nearly a half-dozen more scoring opportunities. Spartan worries were growing.

"I told my assistants, 'We can't go to PK's.' This kid's too athletic," Pickett said.

"We were getting a little nervous. We really had to settle down. We were not playing up to where we needed to be," Lemieux said. "Coach Pickett pulled us all in and he was like, 'Guys, you've got to settle down and play your game.'"

But even Kasica couldn't keep the ball out in the 56th minute. Spartans midfielder Avery Raimondo charged down the right wing and crossed the ball inside, where Boaventura lined a header inside the far post for her eighth goal in her last three games.

Moments later, the Southern Miss signee had her ninth.

This time, Towers and Lemieux helped to keep a set play alive at the top of the box. When Shorecrest Prep couldn't clear the loose ball, Boaventura pounced, driving a hard and low shot to the corner.

"I wanted to put it in the mixer and just hope that somebody got on the end of it," Towers said.

Meanwhile, at the defensive end, the Spartans locked down their ninth consecutive title-game shutout, a streak dating to 2013. St. Johns keeper Roxy Mathews denied Shorecrest Prep's only serious opportunity, punching a long Gabby Marshall shot over the bar in the second half.

The Spartans' tight pressure largely sealed the Chargers into their own half for most of the night, limiting touches for Shorecrest Prep's speedy top scorer Kaja Dionne.

"Our best defense is our offense," Towers said. "So for that, we really stuck to the game plan."

The Spartans also climbed Florida's all-time standings. Their 14th FHSAA title lifts them to within one of Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, winner of 15 championships between 1990 and 2017.

"I'm just so proud of all the hard work and it means everything that we go out with another win, keeping the tradition alive," Lemieux said.

The roster changes, but the winning tradition carries on. Next year, the Spartans will have to weather turnover at more key positions, including graduating college-bound seniors Boaventura (Southern Miss), Lemieux (Holy Cross-Indiana) and Towers (Coastal Carolina).

With nine middle schoolers already on the roster, including eighth-grade starting midfielder Sydney Schmidt, the future remains bright. For now, the Spartans' starting eleven — and their next 11 — are celebrating another night, and another year, atop Florida's soccer world.

"I hope the other team that's coming next year just keeps the legacy going," Boaventura said. "It's amazing. Every year, it's a different feeling."

Clayton Freeman covers high school sports and more for the Florida Times-Union. Follow him on Twitter at @CFreemanJAX.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: St. Johns Country Day wins 2022 FHSAA girls soccer championship