The varsity girls soccer team from Berean Christian School has a great chance of making the deepest postseason run in school history.
At the end of the recently completed regular season, Berean had compiled an impressive 12-4 record. Of those 12 victories, six were shutouts, thanks to a defense anchored by senior and Palm Beach Atlantic University commit Ellie Schartner.
According to head coach Jon Iverson, other key players on the roster include three juniors — Maddie Stutzman, Katharina Jochem and Kira Schartner, who is Ellie’s younger sister.
“Maddie is the best crosser of the ball that we have ever had, Kira does a great job of controlling the midfield and Cat scores goals when she’s on target with her shots,” said Iverson, now in his 15th year as Berean’s varsity girls soccer coach.
One of the big reasons for Berean’s success in girls soccer is the experience factor. “A number of our players are playing travel ball, and many of them play travel ball on the same team,” Iverson explained. “We also have a number of players with unique skill sets.”
The next match on the schedule was the final of the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 1A, District 13 tournament. The match was played on Thursday, Jan. 22 against Glades Day School. The game was a rematch of a Dec. 11 encounter when Berean prevailed 2-0. The result of the district match was not available at press time.
Win or lose, Berean will receive a bid into the FHSAA’s Class 1A state tournament, based on the team’s strong ranking. Going into the game against Glades Day, Berean was sixth in the latest Class 1A Florida rankings. There is a very strong chance that because of the ranking, the Bulldogs will host each of the three regional games in February.
If Berean can sweep all three regional games, they will punch their ticket to the FHSAA’s Class 1A state final four, which will be held in Auburndale at the Lake Myrtle Sports Park from Feb. 17 to Feb. 21.
