The Montverde Academy girls varsity soccer team ended the Women's Invitational Soccer Tournament (WIST) with two big wins against defending 2A State Champions Bolles High School and against the No.1 ranked school in the nation, St.Johns Country Day.
On Friday, December 7, the Lady Eagles came into the game against Bolles High School eager and prepared to not only continue their perfect season, but also showcase their skills in front of over 35 colleges including several coaches from high-profile college programs such as Notre Dame, Tennessee, and USC. In minute 23 of play, junior Jody Brown scored a sensational strike into the goal off of a brilliant assist from sophomore Maria Tregansin. The Bulldogs would not back down as they scored an equalizer in minute 30 of play. Tied at 1-1, the game came down to the wire until Brown capitalized on another goal giving the Lady Eagles the go-ahead score and win of 2-1 over the Bulldogs.
Soccer Athlete Jody Brown
The MVA girls soccer team went into Saturday's game looking to earn one of their biggest wins of the season against No.1 ranked St.Johns Country Day. The Eagles' only loss last season was against the Spartans who remained undefeated for the 2017-2018 season.
Similar to the game against Bolles, the Lady Eagles would come out scoring first with a big-time goal from junior Vivianne Bessette with a minute left in the first half. St. Johns' Hannah Lemieux evened the score in minute 51 giving the Spartans a winning chance. Eight minutes later, eighth-grader Isabella Flanigan saved the day by scoring a close goal after the Spartans' goalie attempted to block the shot.
"I loved what our two center-backs (Bessette and Kendall Ayers) did," said Head Coach Robbie Aristodemo in an Orlando Sentinel post-game interview. "Maria Tregansin played very well. I thought those three controlled the tempo of the game."
The WIST All-star Team is listed below:
Montverde Academy: Jody Brown (Junior), Maria Tregansin (Sophomore) & Kendall Ayers (eighth grader)
Bolles: Olivia Candelino (Junior) & Aubrey Ramey (Junior)
St. Johns Country Day: Kamy Loustau (Senior)Â & Lauren Weiss (Sophomore)
Vero Beach: Madelaine Rhodes (Junior) & Kate Hassell (Senior)
Viera: Victoria Rosario (Senior) & Cassie Bodi (Senior)
Ponte Vedra: Lillian Mace (Junior) & Tamlyn Parkes (Freshmen)
Archbishop McCarthy: Nadia Colon (Junior) & Riley Balser (Junior)
Navarre: Jennifer Seward (Senior) & Jade Slaybaugh (Junior)
Cardinal Gibbons: Maya Alicea (Senior) & Gianna Mitchell (Junior)
St. Thomas Aquinas: Isabella Piso (Senior) & Ashley Carillo (Senior)
"With top teams from all over Florida, I'm happy with the turnout and excited to have colleges from all over the U.S. interested in attending," said Aristodemo. "We're happy to have showcased nearly 200 high school soccer players over the two days where they played in front of their peers, friends, teachers, and community. This showcase tournament provides great competition and promotes women's soccer in a relevant way at the high school level."
The Lady Eagles are now 10-0 for the season and will play Lecanto High School on January 14 at home.
