The Ponte Vedra Sharks are Class 6A state champions in girls soccer and could not have done so in a more dominant fashion.
The Sharks (22-1-1) looked the part in every round of the state tournament, winning every game by at least two goals and outscoring their opponents 22-2 in the process.
This included in the final four, as they cruised past Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas 5-0 in the state semifinal on Feb. 28 and finished off their postseason run by defeating Tarpon Springs East Lake 3-1 in the championship matchup on March 2.
In the end, no matter who the Sharks matched up against they proved to be too much to handle both on offense and defense.
Until the final four, they had not allowed a goal, as senior goalkeeper Audrey Johnson was a wall in net as she backed up a stout defensive play in front of her.
On offense, the Sharks had weapons throughout the lineup, but the focus of the attack centered around the play of sophomores Lily Morse and Natalie Brooks, along with junior Jenny Dearie.
Together, the three combined for 56 of the Sharks’ 76 goals heading into the final four, including Morse leading the team with 21 goals of her own.
East Lake earned a spot in the title game by beating Viera 1-0 in their semifinal matchup and proved to be an opponent that could keep pace with the Sharks offensively, having scored 78 goals through the regional finals.
And although they got one in the game it was not nearly enough to upset the Sharks, who entered the final four as the No. 1 seed and are ranked as the top team in the state and the national across all classes, according to MaxPreps.
The Sharks are the first of three Sharks winter sports squads to have a shot at a state title with boys and girls basketball both set to play their state semifinal matchups on March 7.
