JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – No Duval County Public School has ever won a state soccer championship.
Can the Fletcher girls change that history? The Senators have march to just their second state title game in program history and have a shot to do what no boys or girls public school team from Duval has been able to do. A glance at Friday afternoon’s matchup against Lourdes Academy.
Class 6A state championship
Fletcher (17-5-2) vs. Lourdes Academy (17-1-3)
When: Friday, 1:05 p.m.
Where: Spec Martin Stadium, DeLand.
Road here: Fletcher d. Navarre, 3-0; d. Gainesville Buchholz, 4-0; d. Fleming Island, 2-1; d. Viera, 3-1; Lourdes d. Seminole Ridge, 6-1; d. Dwyer, 4-3; d. Doral Academy, 1-0; d. Land O’ Lakes, 2-1.
Watch it: Can be streamed on Spectrum for cost of $9.99.
Glance: The Senators took the long path to the state title game. Fletcher lost in the district final to Ponte Vedra, then won three regional games on the road. Fletcher has played for one championship before, a 7-0 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas in 1998. And Duval County’s struggles to win a state championship aren’t limited to just the girls. On the boys side, White High (1981), Stanton (1996, 2010), Fletcher (1998, 2018) and Mandarin (2012) have also finished as state runners-up. Does this Fletcher team have a date with destiny? Sarah Christiansen (24 goals), Angelina Madera (16 goals, 14 assists) and Josey Rossignol (15 goals, 11 assists) lead Fletcher in offense. Lourdes has allowed just 11 goals this season.
Coach speak: “Obviously making it this for a chance to represent Duval County in the finals is exciting, but to me the the coolest part has been to see all this stuff happen for the girls. You tell the girls how much you believe in them, how much you believe in them. But really, once they start believing in themselves is when it makes a difference. These girls really started believing in themselves. We’re talented, we’re capable, we got experience all over the field and you know, it’s really made a big difference down the stretch. It’s been really cool to see.” — Fletcher girls coach Bradley Plummer.