Who is the best girls soccer player in the storied history of the First Coast?
The debate is on.
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary this summer, USA TODAY Sports will celebrate the 250 greatest American sports figures of all time. To accompany the national honors, the USA TODAY Network is also recognizing the athletes and sports figures who shaped communities and defined their states, including right here in Northeast Florida.
These girls soccer honors will form part of a series, selected by a statewide panel of USA TODAY Network experts, to roll out through 2026.
This time, the USA TODAY Network is honoring the Jacksonville area’s girls soccer stars. Here are our selections for 10 girls soccer players who defined the sport in Northeast Florida. These 10 players, listed in alphabetical order, all excelled while at the high school level and progressed to further accomplishments.
More: The best all-time football players from Florida:
Chelsea Burns, St. Johns Country Day
Part of the St. Johns Country Day girls soccer dynasty in the mid-2010s, where she played as a high-scoring central midfielder and won Gatorade Florida Player of the Year in 2015, Burns went on to further success beyond the First Coast. She signed with Duke and became a team captain on a Blue Devils squad that reached the NCAA semifinals, and climbed to second on the school’s list for penalty kicks made. Following college, she competed in the Netherlands for PSV Eindhoven.
Theresa Diederich, Episcopal
The first player from a Jacksonville school to reach the National Women’s Soccer League, Diederich was on the roster of the New York-based Sky Blue FC in 2015 and 2016. A state semifinalist in 2007 at Episcopal, she excelled as a three-year captain in midfield for Alabama, where she ranks eighth all-time in shots (157), fifth in shots on goal (76), second in penalty kicks made (six) and ninth in career games played (79).
Jill Ford, Orange Park
Northeast Florida’s first player to win the Florida Dairy Farmers Miss Soccer award during the 1994-95 season, Ford starred at Orange Park through the mid-1990s. She scored 59 goals in her sophomore year, and after recovering from a knee injury, scored 52 goals on the way to the Class 6A state final. She signed with George Mason but later transferred to Florida State, where she scored 10 goals over two seasons with the Seminoles.
Lia Godfrey, Fleming Island
Godfrey focused on club soccer and the national team while at Fleming Island, with big results: She was only 14 years old when she received the call for the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in 2016, and she has represented the United States at levels from U-15 through U-20. A first-team All-American and a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist at Virginia, she scored 28 goals and 33 assists with the Cavaliers. She’s now a rookie with the NWSL’s San Diego Wave, with four goals and two assists already.
Grace Ivey, Bartram Trail
Two-time Gatorade Florida Player of the Year in 2022 and 2023, a feat achieved by only four other players, the attacking midfielder helped the Bears make history with three FHSAA championships in 2020, 2021 and 2023. Ivey scored 19 goals and 35 assists during her senior year, and Bartram Trail went 79-4-5 during her four years there. Participated in the United States U-17 women’s national team camp, held virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic. Signed with Texas A&M and is now entering her senior year at Auburn.
Mandy McGlynn, Sandalwood
The most successful goalkeeper in women’s soccer to come from Duval County, McGlynn has guarded the net for the United States women’s national team five times. Starting out in Jacksonville, she brought a unique skill set to Sandalwood, where she played in attack and scored in double figures. Following high school, she competed in college at Virginia Tech and represented the Under-20 national team. Drafted 20th in the NWSL in 2020, she currently starts for the Utah Royals.
Abbey Newton, St. Johns Country Day
The high-scoring midfielder, along with teammates Payton Crews and Alisa Detlefsen, won a Florida-record seven consecutive FHSAA championships from 2012-18. Newton was a key part of all seven, winning the Times-Union player of the year award in 2017 and 2018 and the Florida Dairy Farmers Miss Soccer award in the latter campaign. She concluded her high school career with 134 goals and 124 assists, and later played college soccer at LSU and Florida State.
Avery Patterson, Bolles
Patterson is on course to set a high bar as Northeast Florida’s all-time caps leader, with 12 appearances for the United States women and counting. She won three consecutive FHSAA championships at Bolles in 2018, 2019 and 2020, signing with college superpower North Carolina and scoring twice in an NCAA final while earning All-ACC honors. Drafted by the Houston Dash of the NWSL in 2024, she has shifted into a wide role there, starting for three consecutive seasons and receiving a Best XI selection in 2025.
Carson Pickett, St. Johns Country Day
Born without a left hand, Pickett went on to an exceptional collection of achievements in soccer: The Florida Dairy Farmers Miss Soccer and Gatorade Florida Player of the Year awards in 2012, an NCAA championship at Florida State in 2014 and two caps for the United States women’s national team. At St. Johns, where she won three FHSAA titles, she scored 150 goals and 152 assists. A first-round National Women’s Soccer League draft selection in 2016, she now ranks among the league’s career games leaders and has twice made the NWSL Best XI list. She currently plays in defense for the Denver Summit.
Lydia Sturgis, Nease
Among the most complete attackers in Northeast Florida soccer history, she scored 144 goals and assisted 146 between 1998 and 2002 as Nease laid the foundation for a dynasty of the 2000s. She reached the FHSAA semis in 2001 and helped the Panthers to their first title in 2002. Sturgis also excelled in college soccer at William & Mary between 2002 and 2005, where her 21 career assists tie her for eighth in program history.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Who is Northeast Florida’s all-time best girls soccer player? Vote now
Reporting by Clayton Freeman, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
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