Girls high school soccer playoffs ‘25: St. Johns Country Day is back on top after rolling to 1A state crown

The St. Johns Country Day girls soccer team is back on top of the state like it never left.

The Spartans completed their romp through the Class 1A playoff bracket, routing Pine 4-0 to win the state championship on Saturday afternoon at Spec Martin Stadium in DeLand. It marked the 15th state title in program history for the Spartans and iconic head coach Mike Pickett.

It was St. Johns’ first championship since 2022, a two-year absence that saw the Spartans lose in the state title game in 2023 and the state semis in 2024. That gap may seem insignificant, but St. Johns had won a state record 11 straight titles before that hiccup. The Spartans blasted 1A competition, burying five playoff opponents by a combined score of 29-0.

Cece Nowicki drilled one of the prettiest shots of the season to open the scoring, a 40-yard free kick just eight minutes in. Victoria Sarka cleaned up a couple near-misses with a the Spartans’ second goal at the 31-minute mark. Reygan Ropero and Nowicki added window-dressing goals in the second half. Pine (16-2) managed just one shot against St. Johns as the Spartans closed the season on a 10-game winning streak. They didn’t allow a goal in January or February.