Palm Beach County girls soccer: Playoff districts, favorites, dark horse teams

It’s been an eventful year for high school soccer in Palm Beach County, and the postseason is finally here.

District tournaments around the state this week, with opening-round matches set to take place on Tuesday and championships wrapping up on Friday.

These knockout tournaments begin the long journey to the FHSAA state championships in Lakeland.

District champions will clinch one of four automatic bids in eight-team regions while the remaining four at-large bids are given to teams based on their finish in the final FHSAA state rankings via MaxPreps.

Here's a district-by-district breakdown of Palm Beach County's best girls soccer programs:

District 10-7A

Host: Treasure Coast

Favorite: Treasure Coast

What to know: Though they trail Gardens by a single win in the record column, Treasure Coast's strength of schedule was ranked as far more challenging by the FHSAA, which also ranked the Titans more than 100 spots higher in the state rankings. Thus, this battle-tested group emerges as the favorite in district play.

Dark horse: Palm Beach Gardens

What to know: As state above, the Gators have a beat on Treasure Coast in the win column -- and they also have an advantage in goals scored with 60. Noelle Simmons leads the way, having found the back of the net 17 times. Gardens ran into a few issues against Benjamin and Dwyer at the end of the regular season, but if they can correct some defensive woes, this is a team that can challenge.

More teams:

Vero Beach (6-8-1)

Jupiter (3-7-4)

Centennial (5-9-0)

Central (1-12-1)

District 11-7A

Host: Wellington

Favorite: Wellington

What to know: Sporting a strong strength of schedule and record, Wellington is ranked No. 59 in the state of Florida. They have a defense that has allowed an average of just one goal per match, and their nearly-flawless away record shows that this is a team that does not fold under pressure. Hannah Pahl and Katelyn Brown share the team-lead with eight goals piece; the duo also accounts for 13 assists.

Dark horse: Palm Beach Central

What to know: Though they don't quite have the strength of schedule that Wellington has, the Broncos' schedule was tougher than Leonard, who shares a comparable record. Central scores an average of three goals per game and wrapped up their regular season having won three of four matches with an 15-2 goal differential.

More teams: 

John I. Leonard (6-3-1)

Forest Hill (3-6-3)

Royal Palm Beach (4-12-1)

District 12-7A

Host: Boca Raton

Favorite: Boca Raton

What to know: Boca is one of the premier teams in Palm Beach County, checking in at No. 19 in the state rankings. The Bobcats also have one of the strongest schedules in the county, proving they can handle the best of the best. Sarah Coelho is the leading threat in the final third with 15 goals, but defenses will have a hard time handling Ava Kooker in the build-up as she's tallied a team-high 13 assists this year.

Dark horse: Olympic Heights

What to know: What they lack in strength of schedule, they make up for in sheer volume of wins. The Lions' statistics are a little inflated because of the numbers of games played, but they still project six spots higher in the FHSAA state rankings over district counterpart Spanish River. Playoff competition will be stiffer, so it will be interesting to see how a young Heights squad matches up under a brighter spotlight.

More teams: 

Park Vista (5-8-1)

Spanish River (7-5-1)

Santaluces (2-11-0)

Lake Worth (1-11-0)

District 8-6A

Host: Seminole Ridge

Favorite: Martin County

What to know: Though the Tigers profile just below Seminole Ridge in the FHSAA rankings, we project them as slight favorites based on common opponents and momentum. Martin County is undefeated behind a dominant defense and strong offensive contributions from Luciana Licht and Mia Calderon. They lead the list by a small margin given strong competition behind them in not just the Hawks, but South Fork and even West Boca.

Dark horse: Seminole Ridge

What to know: Seminole Ridge are ranked higher than Martin County at No. 71 in the FHSAA state rankings and are certainly a strong team. While they tied Gardens and beat them 1-0 the second time around, Martin County won handily. There is not a ton of schedule correlation otherwise, though, so the top dog in this division could very well be a pick 'em. One thing is for certain: this is a very well-rounded offense.

More teams: 

Dwyer (6-9-0)

Atlantic (0-9-0)

South Fork (9-2-2)

West Boca Raton (5-6-1)

District 14-5A

Host: American Heritage-Plantation

Favorite: American Heritage-Plantation

What to know: This is a very strong Patriots squad. One of their most impressive performances was actually a regular season finale that resulted in a 2-1 loss to Benjamin. But against perhaps the best team in Palm Beach County, Heritage-Plantation held their own. They're allowing about a goal per match and playing very consistent defense, a recipe for success.

Dark horse: Hollywood Hills

What to know: It's tough to come close to Heritage, but Hollywood Hill is the projected runner-up in this district, having the only other positive goal differential in it. A solid 5-3-1 away record should help this Spartans squad, but they'll have to overcome a three-game loss streak that saw their regular season end on the wrong end of the momentum shift.

More teams: 

Suncoast (4-12-1)

Coconut Creek (1-10-2)

Northeast (7-7-2)

District 13-4A

Host: American Heritage-Delray

Favorite: American Heritage-Delray

What to know: The Stallions boast a dominant defense, despite youth on the roster. Having defied expectations leading into the season, Isabella Larriu provides a tremendous boon for the Heritage offense – and the defense has been nothing short of stellar. They come in at No. 13 in the FHSAA state rankings.

Dark horse: North Broward Prep

What to know: This is an incredibly tight district. They are just a few spots behind the Stallions at No. 18, but Somerset Canyons is not all that distant of a third team ready to compete in this district. Still, the nod goes to an eagles defense that allows less than one goal per match on average. North Broward will be a tough nut to crack, even for Heritage.

More teams:

Somerset Canyons (16-4-1)

Dreyfoos School of the Arts (6-9-2)

Jensen Beach (3-7-1)

Clewiston (0-6-1)

Glades Central (1-9-0)

District 11-3A

Host: Benjamin

Favorite: Benjamin

What to know: Ranked No. 5 in the state by the FHSAA, Benjamin is led by Penn commitment Lily White, who has the Buccaneers riding momentum into the postseason. The Bucs are a head-turning 14-0-0, having dominated competition across the board, despite an incredibly challenging schedule. This is one of the teams to beat in the state, not just the district.

Dark horse: Lincoln Park Academy

What to know: Benjamin may be the team to beat, but this is a tough district. Lincoln Park, King's Academy, and Cardinal Newman all boats top 100 state ranking spots in the FHSAA's latest release; the Greyhounds top that group in projecting as the district runner-up. A sparkling 8-1 home record is juxtaposed by a middling 4-3 away record, so Lincoln will have to a surprising away loss to Vero that closed out the regular season.

More teams: 

Somerset College Prep Academy (3-11-1)

Cardinal Newman (8-4-1)

King's Academy (9-3-2)

Oxbridge Academy (5-6-2)

District 12-3A

Host: St. John Paul II

Favorite: St. John Paull II

What to know: The Eagles don't have a sparkling goal differential, but that's due in part to a very tough schedule this year. Despite that, they're still finding ways to win, especially at home, where they have a 5-1-2 record. Sophomore Mary Hartofilis is the player to watch in the final third; she leads the Eagles in both goals and assists.

Dark horse: FAU High

What to know: A top 100 squad according to FHSAA rankings, FAU High has a two-game winning streak heading into postseason play, on top of a 10-4-2 record on the season. Of note: they are undefeated at home.

More teams: 

Pahokee (0-3-1)

Katz Yeshiva (2-8-1)

Saint Andrew's 6-4-3)

District 8-2A

Host: Jupiter Christian

Favorite: Jupiter Christian

What to know: Jupiter Christian comes in ranked 188 in the state of Florida, highest in their district. In addition, they are an undefeated 6-0 at home, a feat that bodes well for their chances in district play. 8th-grader Jahpetria Charles is the player to watch in the attacking third with 19 goals to her name this season.

Dark horse: Pine

What to know: Pine comes in with a better away record than at home, curiously enough. This is a team to watch having scored 45 goals in just 11 games played. Should they match up against Jupiter Christian, it could be young star and young star, as the Knights' Giovanna Waksman is having an incredible season, having scored 21 goals.

More teams:

St. Edward's (8-4-1)

Master's Academy (12-6-1)

John Carroll Catholic (3-8-1)

District 13-2A

Host: Berean Christian

Favorite: Berean Christian

What to know: Undefeated at home, Berean Christian is the team to beat in this district. Though they played a fairly easy-going schedule, but that is not dissimilar to other teams in the district, so that may not come into play until regionals. They've also played quite a few district games already -- and they're undefeated in them: 5-0.

Dark horse: Glades Day

What to know: The Gators boats a 13-win regular season entering the playoffs, although this is a young squad that has faced a fairly weak schedule. Amia Ocanas has scored some clutch goals for Glades Day this season, but it remains to be seen how she and others will fare against some stiffer district competition.

More teams: 

Lake Worth Christian (4-8-1)

Atlantic Christian (3-12-3)

Trinity Christian Academy (0-14-0)

District 14-2A

Host: South Florida HEAT

Favorite: South Florida HEAT

What to know: The HEAT are 19-2-2 and enter the playoffs with an outstanding 14-1 away record, something that will aid them down the road in the playoffs. They've played a weak schedule by FHSAA standards, but having allowed less than one goal per match on average is still a remarkable accomplishment.

Dark horse: Boca Raton Christian

What to know: The Blazers, just like every other team in the district (apart from the HEAT) have a negative goal differential. They are projected as the runner-up on the back of a 2-1 district record during the regular season. Mckenzie Dunlea is the player to watch on offense; she has 10 goals scored this year.

More teams: 

Highlands Christian (7-8-0)

Somerset Prep (0-11-0)

Westminster Academy (5-8-2)

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County soccer: Playoff districts, favorites, dark horse teams