Windermere Prep boys, girls soccer teams win district titles for first time in same season

It may have felt a bit like the movie “Groundhog Day” for those who follow Windermere Prep soccer after the Lakers girls team won the FHSAA Class 2A, District 6 title game, 4-1, on one day and the boys team won the 2A, District 6 crown, 4-1, the very next day.

The coincidental scorelines become even more peculiar when considering these two finals wins mark historic achievements for both programs. On the boys side, which beat Foundation Academy in the title game, this is their first district crown in more than a decade. For the girls program, which beat The First Academy in the finals, this is the first district championship in its history — making it the first time both soccer programs won districts in the same season. 

“It’s great for these kids and the school to have the experience of both teams bringing home district champions together for the first time in school history,” Windermere Prep boys soccer coach Jonathan Griffiths said. “It’s cool to see the boys and girls experience this together and support each other. Like the other day, the girls team came to watch and cheer on the boys in the final, and our boys did the same the day before. … It’s been good to see the two programs connecting. Greg (Stone), the girls coach, and I have always had a good relationship, but our teams have never really had the chance to overlap and connect because we always went in different directions, so this has been really fun.”

Griffiths’ senior captain, Filipe Cavalcante, understands this moment for the two programs is bigger than the recognition they’re receiving. It is also a chance to show the school that Lakers soccer — both boys and girls — is the real deal.

“It’s very nice having the two soccer teams win the district championships and earn the chance to go even further now in the regional playoffs and even maybe states,” Cavalcante said. “Because the school has more of a basketball and football culture, having this chance shows the school that our soccer program is very good and can develop and grow way more if we continue to build on what we’ve accomplished this season.”

A tale of two teams

Despite both Windermere Prep programs winning their district titles with the same scoreline and clinching a spot in the 2A playoffs, the journey each team went on to reach this point was wildly different. For Griffiths and the boys team this season was a breakthrough that’s been years in the making. 

“This title is not just a result of our efforts this season; there’s been a build-up over the last couple of years,” Griffiths said. “This is the fifth year we’ve reached the district finals, and before this season, we lost every single one. It was nice to finally get over the line, because this has been something we’ve been building toward. I have 11 seniors on this team, with seven of them starting, and I’ve seen them grow and learn what they needed to do to be successful over the last couple of years. Their hunger has grown every year that we’ve tried to get over the line.”

However, before the Lakers boys shift their focus to next season, this senior-laden roster has the chance to make some noise in the 2A state playoffs. Led by a stifling defense that allowed just 11 goals so far this season, Windermere Prep enters the state tournament with a 13-2-2 record. Unlike previous seasons, though, the Lakers’ record wasn’t accumulated from taking the path of least resistance but instead by battling through a gauntlet that prepared them for postseason success.

“This year, I scheduled three state finalists from last year,” Griffiths said. “We beat Orangewood Christian 3-0, beat Bishop Moore 1-0, and then we lost to West Orange 2-0. Looking back at the results, I think it’s clear that the tougher schedule has helped make us more successful. ... Hopefully, we go on now and make a little run.”

Making a run is precisely what Griffiths’ seniors are thinking, and because they know every game could be their last as a team, they’re going full throttle.

“This season has been great, because we all have been putting in everything we have to be successful,” Cavalcante said. “We know this is the last time we’ll be playing together, and maybe it’ll be the last time we play competitive soccer in our lives. We’re really happy to have this last opportunity to play together and we’re using it as a motivation to win and keep playing together.”

For Stone and his young Lady Lakers team, their path to a district title was a bit more of a roller coaster than their WPS soccer counterparts. But just as the boys team used their tough schedule to prepare them for the postseason, the girls bounced back from a rocky start and grew as a team at the most important part of the season.

“We intentionally play a really hard schedule, and if you look at our strength of schedule, each year, it’s typically one of the better ones around,” Stone said. “So, when you play 7A, 6A and 5A schools that are highly ranked, you have to understand that sometimes you sacrifice some wins along the way for learning some lessons. … Our ultimate goal is to be playing our best soccer by the district playoff and with this team, that was the case. They learned a lot throughout the season and it set us up to win our first district title. … We’ve had that conversation with the players about what we look like on paper, it doesn’t look that good because our record is 5-5-5. But if you look at who we’ve played, the record makes a lot of sense but so does the fact we were ready for districts. … Our girls knew there were going to be some obstacles in our way to reach our goal, and we had to step up. I think those tough games taught us that we could fight and that we could come back if we went down.”

One of the reasons this Lakers team was able to respond to adversity and click at the right time is because of how close-knit the players — and the on-field chemistry that developed from their relationships.

“This season’s truly been amazing,” sophomore Estela Tavares said. “We’ve really improved since the beginning of the season because of our communication and, honestly, just because of our friendships throughout the team. … That to me has been the most important part of growth, because everybody on the team has some skills but the chemistry has really been what’s connected us. We have fun at practice, at away games we have fun together and when we’re at school we have fun. That’s kind of the story of this team: We’re always able to have fun together — but when we need to be serious, we can do that and put in the work. … Our culture allows us to communicate and help one another in a way that no one takes offense to any criticism or direction because we all know that it comes from a place of wanting to help.”

Championship hunting

With the district titles sitting comfortably in the Windermere Prep trophy cabinet, the two sides shift focus to their regional quarterfinals matchup. The boys, as the No. 3 seed in Region 2, will begin their quest for a state title by hosting district rivals No. 6 The First Academy Tuesday, Feb. 11, while the No. 7 girls team will travel to Meritt Island to face No. 2 Edgewood High. 

To make a deep run and bring home more historic hardware, both Lakers teams know what they have to do. 

“We have to do a few things to be successful in the playoffs,” Cavalcante said. “First, we have to score the chances we get. In some games, we haven’t taken advantage of the chances we’ve created and that’s put us in tough positions. To go along with that, we have to be solid in defense and midfield, so that when we do score those chances, we don’t let the other team back in the game. A lot of this comes down to … staying focused from the beginning to the end of the game.”

Similarly, Tavares also thinks having the right mentality is vital to the Lady Lakers going on a playoff run. 

“We just have to stay locked in at practice this week,” she said. “The mental side of the game is a really important part of this. We have to want to win, we have to want to work together. If the whole team wants it and is ready to do what it takes, we’re already halfway there. Then we just have to go out there and execute our game plan and communicate effectively it’s all going to work out for us.”