By: Henry Weitz

Ponte Vedra High School (PVHS) boys’ soccer began the new year with a gauntlet of three games in the same week. Their first match is a district match against the Fletcher High School (FHS) Senators on Jan. 5. The 7-0-2 Sharks hosted the 4-6-1 Senators at The Shark Tank for The Battle of The Beaches. Junior forward, Noah Ostfeld got things started for the Sharks with a goal from the right side of the box. PVHS held a 1-0 lead against the Senators going into the half. Senior forward, Nick Churchill was too fast for the FHS defensive line and Churchill added two goals to increase the PVHS lead to 3-0. The final whistle sounded and PVHS emerged winners of The Battle of the Beaches. Boys soccer best the Senators for the fourth straight year and retain control of the coveted surfboard trophy which is given to the winner of the match in this rivalry. PVHS will play back-to-back nights and the team will travel to Bishop Kenny on Jan. 6 to take on the undefeated Crusaders. 

PVHS took on Bishop Kenny (BK) on Jan. 6 for the Sharks eleventh regular season game. The two teams were both undefeated with BK proudly at 8-0-1 and PVHS at a comfortable 8-0-2 prior to the match. Senior goalkeeper, Keegan Cornett and the PVHS defense held the BK offense at bay. Cornett started off with a diving save to keep the score tied at 0-0. Senior midfielder, Jake Romano was able to find senior forward, Antonio Mahfuz with a lob pass near the box. Mahfuz’s shot found the back of the net and the Sharks drew first blood at 1-0. Bishop Kenny snuck in a goal of their own right before the halftime whistle. The match was tied 1-1 at the break. After halftime, senior forward Oliver Minch was fouled and granted a penalty kick. Minch scored and PVHS retook the lead at 2-1. The Sharks got their lead and did not give it back. BK could not stop the Sharks juggernaut offense and soon enough senior defender, Charlie Itkoff added to the lead on the assist by Ostfeld. The Sharks put up a whopping ten shots on goal and efficiently netted four of them. With only five minutes to play, Churchill found space and was able to outpace the Crusaders for his eighth goal of the season and his third in the last two games. At full time, the Sharks handed the Crusaders their first loss of 4-1. PVHS improves to 9-0-2 on the year and will host the 10-2-1 Beachside High School Barracudas on Jan. 8. PVHS will end their three game gauntlet with a home stand at the tank against a talented Barracuda team. 

Soccer hosted the Beachside High School (BHS) Barracudas on a foggy night at the tank for a highly anticipated match. The Barracudas were 10-2-1 prior to their match against PVHS. The first half was tough for the Sharks as BHS kept pressure on the PVHS defense nearly the whole half. Cornett posted three saves in the first half but eventually let up a Barracuda goal. At halftime the Sharks were down 1-0 and it was clear BHS was playing more intensely than PVHS. The Barracudas came out of the break and executed another quick score to extend their margin of victory to two goals. After their second score, BHS “parked the bus” meaning they moved most of the team into their own half to focus less on scoring again and more on preventing any PVHS attack. Time was running short and PVHS needed to find a spark or else they would earn their first loss of the season. With only twenty minutes to play, Churchill nailed a low stinger into the back of the net and gave the team life at 2-1. PVHS flipped the switch, playing with a new intensity that had been absent for the whole match. The Shark front line was relentless and now the pressure was being exerted on the Barracuda defense. On a throw-in, tensions rose between the two rival teams and a scuffle of Sharks and Barracudas had to be separated before play resumed. With less than ten minutes to play, Romano squared up for a free kick. Romano booted to senior defender, JP Laverde who placed a header for senior defender, Alec Perry. Perry scored the equalizer with a header buried into the center of the goal. Perry and the Sharks rushed towards the fence where they celebrated with the student section. Time expired in the second half and the Sharks tied the Barracudas at 2-2. PVHS crawled their way back from a 2-0 deficit to protect their undefeated season. The boys added their third tie of the year to settle at a comfortable 9-0-3 before the final week of action. The Sharks now draw their attention towards their away game at Clay High School on Tuesday, Jan. 13. The Sharks will host Stanton on Thursday, Jan. 15 for the regular season finale and PVHS senior night. 

“We didn’t have the best start to the game but we knew that the undefeated season was at stake and couldn’t afford to let go of it, especially at home. The guys knew how much it meant for us to keep our record and to keep the top seed in our district. This game helped us realize we can overcome any situation with the right mindset. We will carry this lesson into the postseason and continue to push to achieve our goal which is an undefeated state champion season.” 

Pictured: Joyous teammates celebrating Charlie Itkoff’s goal @fenneyflics