The Montverde Academy girls' soccer team was in control from the outset in winning the 2023 Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) class 3A state championship on Wednesday afternoon as the Eagles dominated with a 6-0 over Nova Southeastern University School (NSU) at Spec Martin Stadium in DeLand, Florida.
The Eagles had the upper advantage in every facet of the game, keeping the ball in the NSU zone for the majority of the eighty minutes, while holding the advantage in every statistical category.
"We were on our game today, and we feel very fortunate we ended with a 6-0 score," Montverde Academy head coach Robbie Aristodemo said. "Our district and our regional tournaments helped us prepare. They were all good games, and we have some big game players."
MVA held a 19-6 advantage in shots, including 8-1 in the first half, and the Eagles attempted six corner kicks, to just one for the Sharks.
MVA scored a pair of goals in the first half to lead 2-0 by halftime. Estefania Gonzalez netted both goals to put the Eagles ahead after the first 40 minutes. Her first goal came in the twenty-ninth minute, before scoring again in the thirty-eighth minute to make the score 2-0 at the break.
Gonzalez completed the hat-trick early in the second half when she scored in the forty-fifth minute of play to put MVA ahead 3-0.
"We came here with the mentality to win and give it everything we had for eighty minutes," Gonzalez said. "I feel very good to score three goals, and I am very excited."
Thirteen minutes later Antonella Mazziotto knocked in a perfectly place corner kick by Gracie Sodermark to make the score 4-0 with just over 30 minutes remaining.
Pahris Cotterell and Maria Mendes scored in the latter stages of the game to put the finishing touches on what was an overwhelming win.
Genesis Perez Watson made four saves to preserve the shutout, the fourteenth of the season for the Eagles who end the 2022-23 season with a 15-2-2 overall record.
The win marks the third FHSAA state championship in Montverde Academy girls' soccer history, and the first since the 2018-19 season, which was the last time MVA girls' soccer competed in the FHSAA state series.
