'Like a championship game': Early eyes on playoffs after Ponte Vedra-Edgewood girls soccer

For Ponte Vedra and Edgewood, Friday's scoreboard told just part of the story.

Just another 1-0 regular-season soccer game? Far from it.

"That was like a championship game tonight," Edgewood coach Kevin Smith.

While Gianna Lopez's goal five minutes from the end made the difference for Edgewood to hand Ponte Vedra its first defeat of the high school season, 1-0, both teams in Friday night's clash of nationally-ranked girls soccer powers were thinking February, not December.

That's when the Florida High School Athletic Association will hold its girls soccer championships at a venue still to be determined — Feb. 20-24 for Classes 2A through 4A, Feb. 27-March 2 for 5A through 7A.

The MaxPreps national rankings listed both Ponte Vedra (No. 4) and Edgewood (No. 20) among the national elite, and they delivered an intensity to match. Edgewood (7-0-1), unbeaten in 43 of its last 45 games after Friday's match, stands fourth in Class 3A. Ponte Vedra tops the chart in Class 6A. Both could soon be finals-bound.

"They were incredible," Ponte Vedra senior defender Hadley Conway said. "I think they really challenged us all over the field, and I hope we take this, reflect on it and move forward."

SHARK ATTACK IN DEFENSE

Winner of seven FHSAA titles — four at Nease, three at Ponte Vedra — Sharks head coach Dave Silverberg knows defense. Ponte Vedra's 2023-24 unit might be up with his best.

"That back four, you want to try to solidify that as early as you can, because that's not something you want to mess around with," he said.

Ponte Vedra deploys one of its most experienced defenses in the school's 15-year history, including four senior starters: goalkeeper Audrey Johnson, left fullback Conway, center back Alia Soares and right fullback Julia Gregory.

"It's awesome to be able to play with these girls for the past four years, to know exactly how they play," said Conway, a starter for three seasons. "I've been playing with them and we're always connected, always on the same page, and I think it really shows on the field."

Until Lopez broke through with five minutes to play, Ponte Vedra's back line looked likely to nail down its seventh shutout of the season. Only St. Johns Country Day and Bishop Moore had scored against the Sharks (8-1-1).

The exception to the senior-laden defense might be among St. Johns County's most promising prospects: center back Lulu Consunji, who raced across the back line and repeatedly won physical challenges against Edgewood's strikers.

Not bad for a defender in her freshman year, one who immediately convinced Silverberg that she's ready.

"It took about two minutes [to know she was a starter]," Silverberg said. "Seriously. She's got it all, instincts, soccer sense, never gets rattled."

EDGEWOOD KEEPER EMMA RAMSEY STANDS TALL

Faced with a shooting barrage from Ponte Vedra's three-pronged attack, Edgewood goalkeeper Emma Ramsey was here, there and everywhere.

"I didn't want to let my team down, and I wanted us to stay high in the ranking," Ramsey said. "So I just knew I had to do everything."

The Red Wolves needed that. Ramsey recorded more than a half-dozen saves, some of them spectacular, particularly a full-length dive to the top corner to punch Lily Morse's dipping shot over the crossbar.

At the end of both halves, Ramsey stood tall despite heavy pressure, and when Ponte Vedra looked like breaking through seconds before halftime, she got a helping foot: Ashlynn Wimmer lunged across to block a point-blank shot by Shark midfielder Elle Anderson.

"The biggest challenge was just not panicking, knowing that we have time and we can win this game," Ramsey said.

Victory is nothing new for the senior keeper. Only national power Montverde, in a 2-2 draw, and Melbourne have scored against Edgewood this season. Only Palm Beach Gardens Benjamin, in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 playoffs, has beaten them in the past two-plus seasons. Is this the year for the long-awaited championship breakthrough?

"This prepares us for big, big games that we hope are in our future," Smith said.

GIANNA LOPEZ DELIVERS DECIDING GOAL

Edgewood didn't get many scoring chances, but when the ball broke free just outside the box with five minutes remaining, Lopez was ready.

Her low shot ripped into the left corner of the net, just past the reach of Ponte Vedra senior keeper Johnson.

"It's like those quick seconds," she said. "I don't even think in those moments. I think your body moves on your own, your mind thinks on your own, so in that moment, I just let my body take control and apparently it worked out."

Lopez worked for it. Despite twice having to leave the field after taking a ball to the head, she formed a never-ending midfield chase pack alongside Nina Lopez and Andrea Toledo to congest the center and limit the scoring chances for dangerous Ponte Vedra center forward Jenny Dearie.

"The girls worked very, very hard," Smith said. "They've got really, really good team chemistry, and the work ethic came from the love they have for each other. It's all heart."

First Coast Varsity Weekly: State runner-up Mandarin dominates Gateway Conference football

PONTE VEDRA SCHEDULE: 'WHOLE NEW LEVEL'

For Ponte Vedra, Friday was just one of the challenges to come, and one of the chances to keep refining their cohesion.

"We've got super athletes and super skills, so we've got a little bit of everything," Silverberg said. "But sometimes maybe we can rely too much on our great athletes taking over, and it's hard not to because they do so much. Sometimes you can try to do too much."

The Sharks also had two penalty kick appeals denied after tackles by Edgewood defender Elizabeth Steinmetz inside the box on Dearie and Brooks.

At their best, the Sharks showed how they climbed to the national top five, particularly when the ball found the electric feet of speedy winger Natalie Brooks. The sophomore winger, who scored a hat trick Dec. 5 against 2022 Class 6A champion Fletcher, sliced down the left into the Edgewood defense again and again to create most of the Sharks' best chances.

"Playing teams like Edgewood brings the game to a whole new level of play," Conway said. "They have incredible skill and I think it really made us work harder."

Ponte Vedra's future schedule doesn't get any easier: Reigning national champion Bartram Trail looms Tuesday, plus the Red Card for Cancer tournament, and battles against the likes of Creekside and Montverde. Just the way Silverberg prefers to draw it up.

"If you don't face any adversity," he said, "you don't know how to handle it sometimes."

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Ponte Vedra-Edgewood: Nationally-ranked high school girls soccer