Meet the 2022-23 Volusia-Flagler-St. Johns All-Area high school boys soccer team

Nearly half of the Volusia-Flagler-St. Johns area's high school boys soccer teams qualified for the FHSAA playoffs during the 2022-23 season. Some lived up to preseason hype, and others pulled off stunners.

Among the expected contenders, New Smyrna Beach clamped down on most of its opponents, allowing only eight goals and advancing to the third round. Creekside and Bartram Trail emerged as wild cards from one of Florida's toughest districts, Ponte Vedra continued success under a new head coach while Seabreeze and Taylor tallied a playoff win apiece.

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As for the local surprises, first-year Beachside lifted a district championship trophy after surviving a penalty-kick shootout against Bishop Kenny, and St. Augustine made a charge and snatched a postseason bid by upsetting rival Menendez in a district final.

The 12 nominees of the Volusia-Flagler-St. Johns All-Area Boys Soccer Team are up for Player of the Year. The winner will be announced at the 2023 Volusia-Flagler-St. Johns High School Sports Awards June 6 at the Ocean Center Arena. The show is produced with support from Halifax Health.

During the live show, these nominees will be honored, and the Boys Soccer Player of the Year will be selected. All official nominees can receive a free ticket. More details about the program are coming soon.

Let's introduce the tri-county area's top male soccer players from the winter season.

Nominees

GK — Dylan Dongilli, New Smyrna Beach: The junior averaged 3.55 saves per game behind the Barracudas' sturdy back line, including a highlight-reel, upper-90 robbery against DeLand. Dongilli sported the lowest goals-against average in the area at 0.36, keeping 15 clean sheets.

D — Tony DeLeon, Taylor: An honorable mention last year at Deltona, where he played further up the pitch, the senior played the most minutes of any Wildcats outfield player. He had a goal and four assists, and Taylor conceded 0.86 goals per game.

D — Joel Smith, New Smyrna Beach: The towering junior was rarely beaten in the air or off the dribble, playing a marquee role in the Barracudas' sparkling defensive record. Smith, who went the entire season without being shown a yellow card, scored a game-tying goal in the district championship win over Oviedo.

D — Hector Vasquez, Seabreeze: The senior anchored a Sandcrabs defense that limited opponents to 0.95 goals per game and scored four of his own. Seabreeze blanked a number of quality opponents during the campaign, including Creekside, Taylor and Bartram Trail.

M — Ronald Daragjati, Creekside: The senior, who earned similar plaudits in the fall as a placekicker for the Knights' football team, scored 13 goals as a free kick specialist and a constant threat in and around the box. Daragjati also provided three assists for the District 1-7A runners-up.

M — Michael Hogan, Seabreeze: Sandcrabs games ran through the creative, tenacious senior central midfielder, and he was among the area's leaders with 16 assists. Hogan scored seven times as well, including a penalty kick in a 1-1 draw against Five Star champion New Smyrna Beach.

M — Andres Villasana, Ponte Vedra: A vital piece of the Sharks' Final Four run in 2022, the senior again turned in consistently strong performances to help his squad return to the playoffs. Villasana ranked second among Ponte Vedra players with nine goals and three assists.

M — Luke Williams, Bartram Trail: The physically imposing senior is one of the area's best targets on set pieces and tempo-setters from central midfield. Williams chipped in 15 goals and 10 assists as the Bears secured the No. 2 seed in Region 1-7A.

F — Brogan Donnelly, Nease: Utilized both as a striker and an attacking midfielder, the senior pulled the Panthers within fractional points of the playoffs. Donnelly scored eight goals, including a pair of game-winners and both in a draw versus Creekside, and racked up five assists.

F — Ricardo Jaimes, Taylor: One half of the Wildcats' lethal strike force, the senior buried a team-high 11 goals as his team advanced to both the Five Star Conference final and the second round of the Class 3A playoffs, losing 2-1 to eventual state champion Trinity Prep.

F — Cole Miller, Seabreeze: The senior winger flashed flair and toughness, posting double digits in goals (12) and assists (13) for the District 5-5A champs. One of Miller's signature moments was a second-half winner at home against Bartram Trail shortly after the holiday break.

FLEX — Bruno Alves, Creekside: The senior wingback made the most of his single season with the Knights after transferring from Atlantic Coast. He bombed on down the flank with his speed and dribbling skills to score four goals with two assists.

Other Athletes of Note

GK — Ben Kopach, Matanzas: One of the area's busiest keepers, the senior maintained an 85.7% save rate while facing 7.9 shots on goal per game. Kopach fended off two penalty kicks and recorded six clean sheets.

D — Tillman Arieti, New Smyrna Beach: The Rollins signee, a Player of the Year nominee as a junior, organized the Barracudas' air-tight defense. Arieti, a captain, made 59 career starts for New Smyrna Beach.

D — Casey Cupit, Bartram Trail: Cleared to return in December from ACL surgery, the senior played nearly every minute from there on out in central defense and won 73 tackles for the Bears.

D — Tyler Ghazanfari, Nease: The sophomore centerback registered four goals, including a header in a 1-1 draw against rival Ponte Vedra, and 294 steals and ball recoveries as the Panthers kept seven clean sheets.

M — Brooks Beeman, New Smyrna Beach: Injuries hampered the senior during the first half, but Beeman came up big down the stretch with a game-winner at Oviedo and two more goals in a regional quarterfinal victory over Dwyer.

M — Will Manaute, Menendez: The senior moved into a box-to-box role under first-year coach Rodney Levy, and pushed the Falcons forward with his passing and composure on the ball, scoring seven goals.

M — Dimani Mathlin, Bartram Trail: The senior, who alternated between center-mid and winger throughout the year, totaled 22 assists for the Bears and scored seven times as well.

M — Abram Wilson, St. Joseph: The senior attacking midfielder helped the Flashes return to the Class 2A playoffs with team-highs in goals (12), including a hat trick against Palatka, and assists (11).

F — Steven Aguirre, Taylor: The senior, who can also play left back, was the main source of creativity for the Wildcats with a team-high 11 assists to pair with his five goals.

F — Samuel Galloza, St. Augustine: The Yellow Jackets returned to the state playoffs for the first time in 16 years, thanks in large part to dangerous senior forward Galloza, who scored nine goals and assisted 10.

F — Ivan Traykov, New Smyrna Beach: An every-game starter up top, the senior led the Barracudas in points with 14 goals and eight assists.

FLEX — Andreas Tate, DeLand: One of the more versatile players in the area, the senior made an impact for the Bulldogs as a defensive midfielder and, on occasion, as a goalkeeper.

Top Coach

Brandon Cisneros, New Smyrna Beach: Recognized for the second time in three years, Cisneros' squad won conference and district titles in the middle of a 19-game unbeaten streak that lasted until the Region 2-6A final, a road loss to eventual state champion Viera.

Honorable Mention

Atlantic: Ethan Palmer, Dean Primavere

Bartram Trail: Daniel Calvo, Brogan Earley, Reade Tate

Beachside: Aiden AuFerris, Will Dudley, Marc McLaren, Darek Szarek

Creekside: Chris Denegri, Gunnar Lanham, Ben Lankford

DeLand: Aurelio Silva

Deltona: Jonas Wheeler

Father Lopez: William Tucker, Kylan Young

Flagler Palm Coast: Aron Binkley, Jack Moberly, Grayson Ronk, Jace Zecca

Matanzas: Diego Bernardi, Kai Bonner, Nedas Jaronis

Menendez: Ryland Vabolis

Nease: Ryan Chacon, Santiago Garcia

New Smyrna Beach: Will DeSoto, Hugues Iguaran, Jake Larson, Jules Lower

Pine Ridge: Racso Lago, Tailor Schrieber

Ponte Vedra: Jack Lopez, Mark Romano, Will Sheehan

St. Augustine: Issiah Backman, Mathias Malvicino

St. Joseph: Lennart Kiewitt

Seabreeze: AJ Cole, Charlie Triplett

Spruce Creek: Aiden Lanier, Bo Radziul, Blake Wardzinski

Taylor: Gabriel Berriozobal, Jordi Sandoval

Tocoi Creek: Mateus Coelho, Carlo Colalillo, Tyler Evat

University: Manny Beltran, Tommy LoBasso, Jordan Youman

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Volusia-Flagler-St. Johns 2022-23 All-Area high school boys soccer team