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Girls soccer regional finals: Four Northeast Florida teams eye FHSAA final four

clayton freeman, jacksonville florida times-union
·2 min read

The Florida High School Athletic Association continues the girls soccer playoffs with Wednesday's regional finals for Class 2A through 4A.

All games Wednesday

REGION 1-4A

Stanton (14-5-2) at South Walton (14-1)

Stanton's Emma Griner (13) reacts with teammates after scoring a goal against Atlantic Coast. The Blue Devils travel to South Walton in the Class 4A girls soccer third round.
Stanton's Emma Griner (13) reacts with teammates after scoring a goal against Atlantic Coast. The Blue Devils travel to South Walton in the Class 4A girls soccer third round.

4 p.m.

Another long Panhandle trip awaits the Blue Devils, this time to a South Walton team that's rolled over both Paxon and Fernandina Beach. But Stanton's defensive solidity, built around keeper Savannah Yerger and center backs Peyton Burris and Yuuki Wiesner, continues to pay dividends in knockout soccer. Stanton stunned the Seahawks, ranked No. 1 at the time, in a penalty shootout in last year's regionals. The winner would play an early semifinal Feb. 22 at Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale, against an opponent to be determined once the Florida High School Athletic Association re-seeds the final four based on its ranking formula.

How they got here: Ava Touchton stands tall with winning Stanton header in FHSAA girls soccer second round

REGION 1-3A

Episcopal (14-6-1) at P.K. Yonge (15-3-3)

7 p.m.

Nearly impenetrable. Keeper Ava Galani and defender Charlotte Seay, committed to Memphis and The Citadel respectively, command an Episcopal defensive unit that's allowed one goal over its last nine games. On the opposite side is the Blue Wave's 37-goal junior Faith Hardy, who has 15 goals in her last five games and now owns 147 for her P.K. Yonge career. She scored twice to eliminate Episcopal 4-1 last season. If the Eagles win, they'll play in the final four on Feb. 21 in Auburndale.

REGION 1-2A

Christ's Church (10-5-1) at St. Johns Country Day (14-2-5)

6 p.m.

Winners of 11 titles in a row from 2012 to 2022, the Spartans are nearing another chance to renew their soccer dynasty. New U.S. Under-16 national selection Sydney Schmidt is on a five-game scoring streak, now up to 22 goals on the year, including two goals and an assist when St. Johns beat Christ's Church 8-0 in the district tournament two weeks ago. The visiting Eagles' Landry Kelley, with 23 goals on the year, is always dangerous on the counterattack. The winner plays an early semifinal on Feb. 20 in Auburndale.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville girls soccer 2024 third-round regional final previews