Boys and girls high school varsity soccer teams in Florida are currently in the early stages of their Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) postseason journeys. The first round of the district soccer tournaments started on Wednesday, Jan. 22. Many of the high school programs in the western communities, both boys and girls, have strong regular season records and are expecting to have deep postseason runs.
The Wellington High School boys and girls varsity teams had impressive regular- season campaigns. Both teams earned first-round byes and are expected to advance beyond their respective District 13 tournaments into the FHSAA Class 7A state playoffs.
The WHS boys soccer team (11-2-3) is focused on playing for the district championship on Wednesday, Jan. 29. The opponent will, most likely, be John I. Leonard High School. Win or lose in the district tournament, chances are strong that the WHS boys team will receive a bid into the state soccer tournament based on its strong ranking.
The WHS girls soccer team (10-2) entered the postseason with a lofty ranking — fourth-best Class 7A team in Florida. They are the clear favorite to win their district tournament. Expect the Wellington girls to host the district tournament final on Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. Their opponent will probably be Park Vista High School, which Wellington defeated, 4-0, on Dec. 4. Of Wellington’s 10 regular season wins, seven were shutouts. According to WHS head coach Ashley Adby, her team’s strength has been its defense.
“Our defense has been our backbone this year. They are a very strong set of defenders who work together, led by our junior centerback, Emilie Bach,” Adby said. “They are very hungry to keep the ball out of the net. They have been our team’s protectors all year. Behind them, goalkeeper Emma Segfeldt has been our final wall, ensuring nothing goes in the net. She plays with a lot of confidence and pride for this team.”
The boys and girls soccer teams from Palm Beach Central High School are in the same District 13 tournaments. Palm Beach Central’s boys team (5-10-3) must win three district tournament games on Jan. 22, 24 and 29 in order to advance to the Class 7A state tournament. Palm Beach Central’s girls team (6-9) must follow a similar path in order to advance, as they must also win all three district tournament games. That would require an upset win against Wellington.
At Royal Palm Beach High School, the boys soccer team (14-4-5) had a strong beginning to the regular season by starting 10-0-2. Coach Mal Hasan’s squad didn’t lose a regular-season game until falling 3-2 to the King’s Academy on Dec. 5.
Unfortunately, the Wildcats have stumbled down the stretch by going 2-3-3 since Dec. 11. Royal Palm Beach is the fourth seed in its respective Class 6A, District 13 tournament. The Wildcats hosted fifth-seeded Seminole Ridge High School (8-8-3) on Thursday, Jan. 23 in the district quarterfinals. The result was not available at press time. That was the third game between both teams this season. Back on Dec. 13, they played to a 2-2 tie, and on Jan. 10, Seminole Ridge blanked Royal Palm Beach, 2-0.
The winner of the Royal Palm Beach-Seminole Ridge district game will play at top-seeded Olympic Heights High School in the District 13 semifinals on Monday, Jan. 27 in Boca Raton. The district final will be Wednesday, Jan. 29. For Royal Palm Beach or Seminole Ridge to advance to the state tournament, both teams will probably have to win the district tournament.
The girls soccer team from Seminole Ridge High School (11-4-2) is the second seed in its district. In the quarterfinal match on Thursday, Jan. 23, Seminole Ridge hosted Royal Palm Beach High School (3-14-1). The winner of that game advances to the semifinals against either West Boca Raton High School or Forest Hill High School on Monday, Jan. 27. Seminole Ridge is hoping to reach its district final on Wednesday, Jan. 29. The most likely opponent would be top-seeded William T. Dwyer High School. In the current Class 6A rankings for girls soccer, Seminole Ridge is ranked 24th while Dwyer is ranked 22nd.
The King’s Academy girls soccer team (12-2-4) had a phenomenal regular season. Of the team’s 12 wins, six were shutouts, and in five of the wins, the defense only allowed one goal in each game. TKA is the top seed in its Class 2A, District 8 tournament. The squad doesn’t play a district game until the semifinals on Monday, Jan. 27 against either Oxbridge Academy or Pahokee High School. Assuming TKA wins on Jan. 27, they will host the District 8 final on Wednesday, Jan. 29 against either Cardinal Newman High School or the Benjamin School. As the second-ranked Class 2A team in Florida, TKA is the favorite to win its district tournament and make a deep run in the upcoming Class 2A state tournament. The TKA girls are in a strong position to advance to the state finals, which will be held in DeLand in late February.
The TKA boys varsity soccer team (9-3-2) is the second-seeded squad in its Class 2A, District 8 tournament. The Lions will host Oxbridge Academy in its district semifinal game on Tuesday, Jan. 28. A victory will propel TKA into its district final on Thursday, Jan. 30. The most likely opponent in the final will be top-seeded Cardinal Newman High School.
At Berean Christian School, both the boys (12-4-1) and girls (12-4-2) soccer teams are the top seed in their respective Class 1A, District 13 tournaments. Both programs are strong favorites to repeat as district champions. The boys will play their first district tournament game at home on Monday, Jan. 27 against either Glades Day School or SLAM. Their district final will be Thursday, Jan. 30. The girls from Berean will open district tournament play on Friday, Jan. 24, when they host Atlantic Christian Academy, hoping to advance to their district tournament final on Tuesday, Jan. 28. By winning their respective district tournaments, both Berean teams will advance to their Class 1A state tournaments.
