Four locals on the soccer pitch are able to call themselves Florida Dairy Farmers winners.
Mariner’s Alessandro Gonzalez (5A), Barron Collier’s Eva Rothman (4A), and Canterbury’s Gloriana Chalkias (1A) all secured the statewide Player of the Year awards in their respective classifications. Canterbury girls coach Paolo Acosta was the Class 1A Coach of the Year after leading the Cougars to their first state title in program history.
Gonzalez had a breakout season for the Tritons in his final season, netting 47 goals to go along with 11 assists to win the Class 5A Player of the Year award. He becomes the latest Triton to win the award since Leo Perez won in 2020, who also won the state’s Mr. Soccer that same year.
“Getting the 5A Player of the Year is amazing,” Gonzalez said. “The last person that won Mr. Soccer is Leo. If I get to win that, it will be incredibly awesome.”
Like Gonzalez, Rothman was an elite forward netting 32 goals and 10 assists to win in Class 4A. She led the Cougars to their first Final Four in nearly three decades. The junior transitioned to forward full-time this year after splitting time as a midfielder and forward last season.
“It was super special,” Rothman said of winning the award. “I think we had such a memorable high school season. Having such a good team and incredible teammates got me a lot of those opportunities, especially up top with goal scoring. I’m just really excited and honored.”
Chalkias burst onto the scene and built off her eighth-grade year, netting 28 goals and 13 assists as a freshman. That included goals against Cardinal Gibbons, Cypress Bay, and Archbishop McCarthy, all of whom finished as top 25 programs in the state.
“I definitely thought I wasn’t going to play as big of a role as I did,” Chalkias said of entering her freshman season. “But after a conversation with our coaches, it was after winter break, it definitely flipped the switch for me and for the team as well. I feel like we showed up to practice every day with the same mindset and mentality that we needed to get to the state championship.”
Acosta helped guide Canterbury to a state title with a handful of underclassmen and middle schoolers, finishing 20-5 and ending the season on a 12-game win streak. The Cougars avenged a regional final loss to Indian Rocks Christian in the regional semis this year, before beating Out-of-Door, Berean Christian, and Victory Christian in their final three games this season.
“That’s legit,” Acosta said. “Obviously, we’ve heard the name Florida Dairy Farmers since I’ve been coaching high school ball, and I know the importance of it, the recognition that comes with it. To see that attached to Canterbury and them earning recognition is awesome. I was flabbergasted.
“That’s always the goal, to get the recognition for these players and the school itself. It’s a testament to our AD, the staff, and the headmaster. I’m excited, but I’m more excited that a player got it. I’m so excited for Glo.”
Gonzalez, Rothman, and Chalkias will compete for Mr. and Ms. Soccer, which takes the winners from Classes 1A-7Ainto a final round of voting. Acosta is up for overall coach of the year, going up against the winners in the other classes. The winners will be announced in April.
Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X: @NP_AlexMartin. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Mariner, Barron Collier, Canterbury soccer players win statewide awards
Reporting by Alex Martin, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
