By Johnny Inama

     The Ponte Vedra High School boys soccer team finished the regular season strong with a record of 10-2-3, and found themselves back in the playoffs yet again, looking to go farther than their last season where they lost in the state semifinals. The Sharks came into the districts as the two seed, giving them a first-round bye, sending them straight to the district semifinals.     

     They found themselves matched against Nease High School for the second time of the season, looking to go 2-0 against them on the 2022-2023 season. They did exactly that, coming out strong with a two-goal lead going into the half. Nease came out of the break with a quick score, but could not find the same success that they needed throughout the rest of the second half, and the Sharks scored another goal for good measure to win 3-1, sending them to the district finals. They were set to play Oakleaf High School, who they defeated handily just a few weeks prior 5-2. They came out with a quick score just minutes in to the game, putting them up 1-0 going in to the half. They eventually let up a goal in the second half, and the game was back and forth, sending it to overtime at 1-1. The Sharks couldn’t find the same success that they started the game with, and they let up an overtime goal, leaving them with a loss. Despite the loss, they still moved on to regionals, and they faced a 13-4-3 Niceville High School.

     The Sharks traveled several hours west, and they were ready to play. The Sharks held control for the majority of the game, but they made a mistake and gave up the first and only goal of the game late into the second half, and were unable to match the Niceville score. “We had control the whole game and they got a break towards the end,” said junior left wing Bobby Hitchcock. This meant the season was over, and the Sharks were sent home empty-handed when they thought they had a chance to go farther than the year prior. However, the Sharks are not done looking for success and will look to go farther next year with a handful of new starters in the 2023-2024 season.