PNJ Winter All-Area 2024: See which girls soccer players stood out among the rest
We wrap up the soccer portion of the PNJ All-Area superlatives today, this time for the girls soccer side.
All-Area Teams in every sport will be revealed Sunday in print and online.
In Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties, girls soccer saw Navarre climb back to the top of the mountain under the guidance of longtime head coach Rob Simon. Pensacola Catholic was the only team to advance past the first round of the region tournament, ultimately falling in a 1-0 heartbreaker to Episcopal School of Jacksonville in the Region 1-3A semifinals.
Without further ado, here are a few of the girls soccer players who stood out in 2023-24.
Player of the Year
Cici Buffalino, Navarre
Named the FACA District 1-6A Player of the Year, Buffalino had 19 goals and six assists to pace Navarre, leading the Raiders to yet another District 1-6A title under the leadership of coach Rob Simon.
Buffalino recorded a three-goal hat trick in November against West Florida for a season-high six points. There were a few games where Buffalino had five-point nights, with two goals and an assist against both Milton and Booker T. Washington in November.
Buffalino was an All-Area Second Team selection in 2023, and led the Raiders to a 15-6-2 overall record. The junior still has one more season to impress with the Raiders.
Defensive Player of the Year
Zoey Mattes, Pace
The sophomore goalkeeper was a wall for the Patriots, pushing Pace to several key wins through the season – including a penalty kick shootout victory over Gulf Breeze in the District 1-6A semifinals, knocking off the defending state champions.
First-year head coach Nick Williamson described Mattes, simply, as "an animal." Mattes had seven wins during the season, six of which were shutouts.
With 97 saves on the year, Mattes had a season-high 13 saves against Chiles in the Region 1-6A quarterfinals, despite the loss. In back-to-back games against Gulf Breeze and Navarre in the district tournament, Mattes recorded 12 saves in both games.
"I can’t wait to see what next year and the year after brings, because she’s going to do nothing but grow," Williamson said.
Newcomer of the Year
Addison Manning, Pensacola Catholic
Once Manning got going in a game, it was hard to stop her. The Pensacola Catholic freshman made her presence known with several multi-goal or multi-point games throughout the season.
Manning's first varsity goal came against Crestview in November, and that sparked a memorable season for the first-year player. Manning scored 21 goals, adding eight assists, for 50 points on the season.
Manning had an astounding 10-point performance with four goals and two assists in an 8-0 shutout over Walton in mid January.
Coach of the Year
Jason Providence, Tate
As teams continue to stock up on travel or club soccer players to boost high school rosters, Providence was described as a coach that did "the most with less."
Providence led the Aggies to a 10-4-1 record, putting up 10 wins in a season for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign under former head coach Tony Gage. Providence and Tate made it to the District 1-6A semifinals, before falling to Navarre.
Ben Grieco is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached on X (@BenGriecoSports) and via email at BGrieco@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: 2024 PNJ Winter All-Area: Individual awards for girls soccer
