MONTVERDE, Fla.— You can say it is a tournament of champions of sorts, as five defending Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) state champions, along with six highly ranked girls' soccer teams, descend into Montverde, Florida this weekend to compete in Montverde Academy's 2022 rendition of the Women's Invitational Showcase Tournament (WIST) December 9 and 10.
Defending FHSAA 7A champions Creekside High School, 6A champions Fletcher High School, 4A champions Bishop Moore, 3A champions Lakeland Christian and 2A champions St. John Country Day are amongst the schools set to compete in the who's who of Florida high school girls' soccer.
Other girls' soccer juggernauts in the showcase this weekend includes a 6A regional champion from last season Viera High School and a 6A regional runner-up Doral Academy. The rest of the schools in the tournament all qualified for their regional tournaments last season, including Winter Park High School (7A), Venice High School (7A), Bartram Trail (7A) and Ponte Vedra (6A).
Montverde Academy is also technically a defending FHSAA state champion as well as the program has made a return to the FHSAA state series after a three year hiatus, following its state championship win in 2019.
"I am excited for good competition and opportunities for our tournament to help with players getting collegiate looks," Montverde Academy head coach Robbie Aristodemo said.
This season, the Eagles are off to a 4-0-1 start, earning shutout wins over McKeel Academy, Windermere High School, Winter Park High School and St. Johns Country Day. The only non-win was a 2-2 tie against Bishop Moore in their last game.
A trio of players, including Vanessa Manoil, Antonella Mazziotto and Elsa Stedman share the team lead in goals with three each, while starting goalkeeper Genesis Perez Watson has earned four shutouts and owns a goal allowed average of 0.571.
The Eagles will square off against Bartram Trail on Friday evening at 8:00 pm and Creekside High School on Saturday at 1:00 pm.
Tickets are $10.00 per day and parking is free.
Friday evening's game will also feature a senior night celebration as the Eagles honor their 10 senior players who are playing with Montverde Academy for their final season in 2022-23. The seniors include:
Grace Banker (Southeastern University commit)
Flora Gnenz
Ciara Grimes
Vanessa Manoil (Stetson University commit)
Aiyana Leslie
Maria Mendes
Gabby Palanti (Southeastern University commit)
Genesis Perez Watson (UCF commit)
Gracie Sodermark (FGCU commit)
Elsa Stedman
……
About Montverde Academy:
Montverde Academy is a private, independent college preparatory school for grades Pre-K3 through post-graduate studies, with a boarding program serving grades 7-12 representing 90+ nationalities. Our mission is to inspire students to become knowledgeable leaders with global vision and passion for learning, in a disciplined and diverse community that nurtures character development. For more information, visit us online at Montverde.org and at MVASports.com.
