Mike Ridaught
P.K. Yonge’s Faith Hardy finished second in the voting for the Florida Dairy Farmers Class 3A Player of the Year, which was announced on Monday.
The junior forward helped lead the Lady Blue Wave (16-4-3) to their first final four in program history.
Hardy led the team with 39 goals and seven assists.
She finished second in the voting to Estefania Gonzalez (27 goals, 12 assists) of Montverde Academy, which defeated P.K. Yonge, 3-0, in the FHSAA Class 3A state semifinals.
The Eagles (18-4-1) defeated Edgewood (Merritt Island), 1-0, to win the 3A state title.
P.K. Yonge coach Rebecca Schackow finished third in the voting for 3A Coach of the Year behind Kevin Smith of Edgewood and Montverde Academy’s Robbie Aristodemo.
Schackow has led the Blue Wave to three straight regional final appearances, including their first regional title with a 2-1 win against Episcopal (Jacksonville) in a 3A-Region 1 Final in February.
Hardy scored both goals, including the game-winner with four minutes remaining in regulation.
“A great season, so exciting to make school history,” Schackow said. “Very proud of our entire program, our school, but especially the players for how hard they worked to achieve this. We’re very grateful for the experience and the opportunity.”
Final voting numbers for Class 3A (top three):
Class 3A Player of the Year
Estefania Gonzalez (Montverde Academy) – 79
Faith Hardy (P.K. Yonge) – 61
Lily White (Benjamin) – 56
Class 3A Coach of the Year
Kevin Smith (Edgewood) – 111
Robbie Aristodemo (Montverde Academy) – 87
Rebecca Schackow (P.K. Yonge) – 44
Here are the six finalists for the 2024 Miss Soccer Award:
Cayla Jackson, East Ridge, Senior, Forward, Class 7A Player of the Year
Scored 36 goals and added 22 assists in leading her squad to an unbeaten regular season and a 14-1-2 final record. Signed to play soccer at the University of Georgia.
Natalie Brooks, Ponte Vedra, Sophomore, Forward, Class 6A Player of the Year
Scored 18 goals, including three goals in a 5-1 state semifinal win over St. Thomas Aquinas, in helping her squad to the Class 6A state championship.
Ryleigh Acosta, Mariner, Senior, Forward, Class 5A Player of the Year
Last year’s Class 5A Player-of-the-Year scored 26 goals and added 29 assists in leading her squad to a 20-4 record and a spot in the regional finals. She has signed to play soccer at the University of Florida.
Amelia Miller, Bishop Moore, Senior, Forward, Class 4A Player of the Year
Scored 15 goals and added 4 assists in helping her squad to its third straight Class 4A state title. She has signed to play soccer at Abilene Christian University.
Estefania Gonzalez, Montverde Academy, Senior, Midfield/Forward, Class 3A Player of the Year
Scored 27 goals and added 12 assists in leading her team to its second straight Class 3A title. Gonzalez, who is a member of the Puerto Rican national team, scored the only goal in Montverde’s 1-0 state title-game victory.
K.J. Straub, Lakeland Christian, Senior, Midfield, Class 2A Player of the Year
Scored 20 goals and added 25 assists in leading her squad to its second straight Class 2A state championship. She has signed to play soccer at the University of South Alabama.
Here are the six finalists for the 2024 Coach-of-the-Year Award:
Joe Soto, Creekside, Class 7A Coach of the Year
Led his team to a 16-1-2 record and it is the second Class 7A state championship in the past three years. Soto has posted a 47-10-3 record in his three years at Creekside.
Dave Silverberg, Ponte Vedra, Class 6A Coach of the Year
Led his team to a 22-1-1 record and the Class 6A state title, the program’s second state title in the past four years and Silverberg’s eighth state title overall (four at Ponte Vedra and four at Nease).
Cindy Marcial, American Heritage-Plantation, Class 5A Coach of the Year
Marcial led her team to a 16-3-1 record and its second straight Class 5A state championship. It was the sixth state title for Marcial (2014-16, 2019, 2023-24).
Amy Geltz, Bishop Moore, Class 4A Coach of the Year
Geltz led her squad to a 15-6-2 record and the school’s third straight Class 4A state title. In 11 years at Bishop Moore, Geltz has a 174-55-27 record.
Kevin Smith, Edgewood, Class 3A Coach of the Year
Smith led his squad to a 14-3-2 record and a Class 3A state runner-up finish, losing to reigning 3A state champion Montverde Academy 1-0 in Edgewood’s first-ever state championship game appearance.
Jason Streets, Lakeland Christian, Class 2A Coach of the Year
Led his squad to a 23-3-1 record and a fourth straight state title. In 19 years at LCS, Streets has four state runner-up finishes and five other Final Four appearances to go along with four state titles (two in Class 3A).