There were a lot of people in attendance at Wednesday afternoon’s signing ceremony for P.K. Yonge soccer players Emma Mansfield and Elliot Pancoast.

From a former kindergarten teacher and travel ball coaches to former Gator and NFL quarterback Doug Johnson and the Lady Blue Wave soccer team, there was a room full of support.

And, of course, two very loving families who helped make their dreams a reality to sign collegiately.

Although she has played soccer for seven years at PKY, and could play at the next level, Mansfield’s future is softball. She signed with Division-I Jacksonville University.

It was quite the journey for Mansfield, who also plays baseball.

She has been playing baseball since the age of five and softball since she was 15.

“It (baseball) has helped me tremendously with hand-eye coordination, just seeing a smaller ball, obviously swinging a heavier bat and then switching to a lighter one, so just seeing a smaller ball for so long…it’s still really hard, a really hard sport to play but it’s helped a lot,” she said with a laugh.

Her softball production at the plate has improved, going from a .500 hitter (19 hits, 18 runs batted in, 8 doubles, 3 home runs) in 15 games her sophomore season to a .613 average (38 hits, 25 RBI, 15 DBL, 4 HRs) in 25 games last year as a junior. She was selected to Mainstreet’s big school All Area teams in 2023 and 2024.

“Great talent, God-given talent, you can tell that she’s had that from an early age,” said Daryl Mosley, who is entering his third season as the P.K. Yonge softball coach. “When I met her in her sophomore year, she already had a reputation, so I was fortunate enough that she wanted to play softball because I knew she was a die-hard baseball player…she’s made our softball program a lot better.”

Mansfield can play pretty much any position, including catcher which she played during travel ball and the position that JU is recruiting her for.

However, she will play infield her senior year for PKY.

“She shined at third base,” Mosley said. “We needed that. Third base, especially in the softball world, the hot corner, you need someone like Emma to play there.”

Johnson, who coached Mansfield during travel ball, was the one who put her behind the plate.

“I was fortunate enough to coach Emma for four years at Gatorball (Baseball Academy) and when she came on board at 11 years old there was a big group of boys that came to this team and we had to split up the team because we had that many good players,” he said. “There are three players on my team that are all going to JU, two baseball kids and now one softball kid…she’s one of my favorite players I’ve ever coached.”

Mansfield said she chose JU because of their family culture, and the opportunity to play close to home so her family can continue to support her and watch her play.

Her high school soccer coach, Rebecca Schackow, said the one thing that stands out about her is her courage.

“Because she’s been playing with boys, she’s brave, and she’s so athletic,” said Schackow, who has been coaching her since she joined the varsity team her sixth-grade year. “That has carried her through and allowed her to be so diverse as an athlete. I mean how lucky, right? I’d love to be able to play three varsity sports that well…it’s very special and I’m really happy for her to have all of those opportunities, but I think that’s because of her courage and her athleticism.”

Meanwhile, Pancoast will get the chance to continue playing soccer at the next level.

She signed with Clark University, an NCAA Division-III university in Worcester, Massachusetts, which is located less than an hour from Boston.

“When I went to a showcase up in North Carolina my junior year I was able to get in contact with some coaches and really get the ball rolling and start this process,” she said. “It was definitely a turning point for me.”

Based on her connections at the showcase, she was able to visit Clark University last January at a camp and they invited her on an official visit this past September to tour the campus and meet the team.

“I just immediately fell in love with the school and all of the coaching staff,” she said. “The players were so nice and so welcoming, and I just really felt like it was a place where I could see myself playing and being able to be a student there. It’s pretty far away but I’m really excited to be able to experience a new environment and I just feel like it’s going to be a really cool place to live.”

Pancoast, who has been playing soccer since she was three years old, helped her 8th-grade middle school team win a championship, and it’s carried over into high school.

She began playing soccer at PKY her freshman year and has helped the Lady Blue Wave win a district championship each season along with a region final appearance all three years.

As a junior, she finished with seven goals and seven assists for last year’s 16-4-3 team which advanced to its first final four in program history.

“She is a helper,” Schackow said. “She will do anything we need her to do for our team. She doesn’t want accolades, she doesn’t care about stats, she just wants our team to do well. In spirt and physically, she’s just a servant for our team.”

Pancoast, who has three goals and two assists through 12 games, is a left forward, a center forward, and an attacking center mid for this year’s team, which is 10-2-1 and currently ranked No. 2 in Class 2A and 24^th overall in the state.

“We move her around all of the time,” Schackow said. “She has really improved as far as vision and knowledge of the game. She does her role well for each spot. I feel like that’s taking her to the next level as far as being valuable for any collegiate team, and her character.”

One of her teammates is a sibling who is proud of her accomplishments both on and off the field.

“It’s truly a testament to the kind of person that she is,” said her younger sister, Norah, a junior who is the team’s goalkeeper. “I never expected anything less. She’s been working for this forever. To be able to have played with her and share this soccer journey with her is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me and this team. It’s just so incredible to watch this happen.”

Norah said she is very “tactical” and “mindful” on the field of play.

“She’s such a smart player,” she said. “She always knows what she’s doing, and she plays with such grace and composure. She’s just a really great teammate. She’s always the first one to help you up, she’s always the first one to make you smile, make you laugh, and that’s just truly who she is on the field and off the field.”