By Official Florida FC
High school soccer season kicked off in the Sunshine State this week. We took a brief look at how some of the elite programs in Florida fared as they started their 2024-25 season.
Down in South Florida, Gulliver Prep’s boys have run their unbeaten streak to 34 matches with victories over Miami’s Florida Christian; West Palm Beach Atlantic Christian and Coral Glades.
The Raiders will play four games over the next 12 days before taking Thanksgiving week off.
In Polk County, four-time state reigning champion Lakeland Christian has already played three matches. The Vikings girls have outscored Lakeland Santa Fe Catholic, Carrollwood Day and Lake Gibson by a 14-1 aggregate score.
Meanwhile, some of the other elite programs in the state: Ponte Vedra’s girls and Tampa Prep’s boys played just one match in the first week of the season.
Tampa Prep (0-0-1) and Carrollwood Day (1-0-1), the reigning Class 3A and Class 2A state champions, have a chance to claim Tampa Bay supremacy when they square off on Monday night.
The New Port Richey Mitchell Mustangs have been one of the Tampa Bay region’s best programs for the last two decades. Oscar Ubillus has been the man behind that rise. On Monday, Ubillus won his 300th match as Mitchell thumped Wesley Chapel 5-1. Mitchell backed up that victory with a scoreless draw against Tampa Jesuit.
In Brevard County, Viera’s boys started their journey toward a fourth straight appearance in the state final with wins over Winter Garden Horizon and Melbourne West Shore.
Another boys program that has been the best in its corner of the state is Jacksonville Mandarin. The Mustangs have not lost a regular season match in either of the last two years. Mandarin kicked off this season with a 5-1 win over Jacksonville Atlantic Coast.
A quick look at high school soccer in the state would not be complete without looking at girls soccer in St. Johns County.
St. Johns Creekside and Ponte Vedra were the only public schools to win state championships last year. Both programs are off and running this year. Ponte Vedra beat Jacksonville Stanton on the road in its season-opener while Creekside thumped Merritt Island Edgewood 5-1 down in Brevard County on Friday.
