Red Knights capped off unbeaten regular season on Friday night
By Official Florida FC
North Fort Myers is one five girls soccer teams in Florida that finished the regular season unbeaten. Friday night, the Red Knights throttled reigning Class 6A state champion Venice 5-1 to improve to 13-0-1.
Prior to Friday’s big win, North Fort Myers head coach Nick Erickson was kind enough to share insight about his team. The Red Knights enter the postseason the No. 1 team in Class 5A having outscored opponents 69-9.
North Fort Myers won the Region 3-5A title in 2021, but only returned two seniors. One of whom, midfielder Emily Guzman, tore her ACL in the preseason. The other, Florida Atlantic signee, Michelle Horan leads the Red Knights in goals and assists.
Describe your squad what kind of team do you have?
It’s a very talented group. It’s not senior heavy. We only have one graduating senior this year, Michelle Horan.
We are definitely a younger roster and very talented, comprised of all competitive players. (We have) ECNL, Girls Academy and (ECNL Region League players). We are fortunate to have quality technical players with tactical awareness. We are very versatile.
We have a lot of kids who can play multiple spots. We have kids who understand how to play multiple spots…and can apply them relatively quickly. We are a very balanced squad. I think we are good defensively. We tend to limit dangerous opportunities on goal. We try to have our keepers play with their feet. We are a well-rounded, versatile and deep roster.”
You all won 15-0 on Tuesday night. Describe getting minutes for years past and the opportunity to get players more playing time that has paid dividends this year?
(Erickson said he is a firm believer in the high school substitution rules because of the number of games as well as players who play club. He is focused on workload management with their players.)
That game, you’re dealing with one team that is significantly better than the other. We are constantly rotating players into that game.
Every one of our kids has darn near played in every game. With a larger roster. This has been a year where we are having to learn how to manage such a large and deep roster. It has been difficult. With four games being canceled on us – we lost opportunities against higher level teams and two middle of the road teams. We try to rotate in the first half and keep kids fresh and have minutes to keep kids fresh in the second half.
It’s a task we are constantly working through, getting kids minutes and making sure they are are getting developed.
How do you like to play?
We are possession with aggression. We want the ball. We want to go forward with the ball. We want to help develop and teach players how to read the game.
I’m big on playing feet, playing simple, not over-thinking things. What I try to do with the high school game is simplify things, you have so many kids from so many clubs with different points of view, I try to simplify things.
What will playing Venice show you heading into the playoffs?
(We try to) play an opponent toward the end of your season that is going to be realistic to the level you have to beat to win a state championship.
Every year, if I can get teams like that on the schedule, I do so. We got (Miami) Lourdes on the schedule out of the area. We have Venice. …Win lose or draw, it’s about the competition. It’s about getting the mindset right going into the district play.
Going into districts it can be one-and-done depending on where you are ranked. I want us to go out fast, aggressive and force us to think, to work and be better. Obviously, they can do that. They are very talented. They are the defending state champions. What better way to get into your postseason?
How would you define a successful 21-22 season?
(North Fort Myers has never won a team state championship since the school opened in the 1960s. The Red Knights won a regional title in 2021.)
For this group I know in their minds, it’s only a state championship. The self-belief is there with the 25 kids on the roster they can win a state championship.
Obviously, I want them to continue on from a wins perspective as long as they can. Success for me is ‘are we playing? Are we competing? Are we doing the things we are trying to do in games?’
How do you encourage your girls to not get ahead of themselves?
That’s the advantage of having a high-level team in your area and multiple teams. Naples, their record isn’t fantastic, but look at the competition they have played. Having the competition in your area, you are constantly keeping tabs on each other. Our kids aren’t looking ahead. But, they are cognizant to the talent in this area and we have to be ready to go.
They are understanding it’s day-by-day, especially in this era with Covid. Everything is so day by day. It’s hard for us to look forward. It’s one game at a time.
Describe being close to home and how that may spur your team on?
That’s a huge motivating factor. The fact that we have an opportunity to go into our regional tournament as a No. 1 seed as a legit No. 1 overall seed. Its impressive and it’s a motivating factor. We want to play at home. We have been to Plantation American Heritage three out of four years and lost. It ain’t fun.
Being able to stay at home and not having to drive on a bus for two hours, you’re eating your own meals and you’re in your routine, it would be huge. It’s definitely a motivating factor for us. It’s right there. We are using that as, hopefully, a driving force to play well.
