ORANGE PARK - Former St. Johns Country Day School soccer star Sydney Schmidt, who gave up a season of play last year for the Spartans to play on USA National teams, has signed to play pro soccer with North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League, in a press announcement on Oct. 18.

Schmidt, who was a sophomore on the Spartans 2024 team that lost in the state semifinals, has been training and playing international soccer since before her junior season for St. Johns Country Day School.

Schmidt recently signed a pro contract with the North Carolina Courage after being on the Sporting JAX FC club in Jacksonville and while being in Morocco for the FIFA Under 17 World Cup.

In Morocco, the USA team won their first match 3-0 over Ecuador with Schmidt starting as an outside back.

The USA team starting lineup features seven college players; two professionals—Schmidt and Micayla Johnson, who plays for the Chicago Red Stars, and two youth club athletes. Johnson scored the USA teams first goal against Ecuador.

The USA team is in the Group C teams of the World Cup with the tournament, the first FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, having 24 teams competing after a 16 team bracket the past eight years. The top two teams in each of six groups, along with the four best third-place teams, will advance to the Round of 16 Knockout Stage.
The USA team played China on Oct. 21 and will play Norway on Oct. 24.

Also playing nationally for the USA women's teams was former Clay High scoring machine Brooke Bunton, who is currently at Southern Methodist University in Texas. Bunton has played for national teams as a U15, U16 and most recently was on the U17 roster with Schmidt in March 2025 for the Concacaf qualifying team currently in Morocco.

SMU is currently 8-6-2 with recent losses to No. 2 Notre Dame (3-0) and No. 23 North Carolna (3-0).
Bunton has three starts in four games played with one goal scored off one shot on goal with four shots in play. Bunton's goal was the lone goal scored in a 1-0 win over Alcorn State on Sept. 14.

Also in the pro ranks is former Oakleaf High School and Mississippi State standout Hannah Johnson who is now a defender for the Lexington FC in the Gainbridge Super League.

College action

Former St. Johns Country Day School soccer player Isabella Pontieri and former Orange Park High soccer scoring ace Ryanne Robinson clashed in a recent 2-0 win by Robinson's Florida Gulf Coast University team over the Pontieri's University of North Florida team at Hodges Stadium on Oct. 9.

Pontieri, a redshirt junior forward at UNF, had three shots for the Lady Ospreys; two shots on goal, while Robinson, a freshman at FGCU, has 15 starts in 15 games as a defender with two assists and two shots on goal in two attempts.
Pontieri is a 2024 All ASUN second team selection and currently has six goals scored with eight assists for UNF. Pontieri has 23 shots on goal versus 60 overall shots.

UNF is now 6-8-2 with Gulf Coast at 9-4-2 overall.

Both teams have two remaining games on their regular season schedule before starting ASUN tournament play on October 30. FGCU is currently in first place in the ASUN Graphite Division with UNF in third. Jacksonville University is second.