ORANGE PARK - St. Johns Country Day School girls soccer forwards Sydney Schmidt and Sophia Pontieri scored two goals apiece, spearheading a youth movement that carried St. Johns Country Day to an 8-0 shutout of visiting Christ’s Church Academy in a Region 1-2A Semifinal on February 10.

Six of the eight SJCD goals were scored by underclassmen. In the second minute, Schmidt, a freshman, redirected a hard cross from Pontieri into the goal to give the Spartans a 2-0 lead. In the first minute of the second half, she sprinted down the left side to meet a long pass from center back Cece Nowcki, dribbled inside a Christ Church defender and drilled a shot to the opposite side of the goal, extending the SJCD lead to 7-0. Schmidt had two assists to match her two goals, frequently ridding herself of defenders before sending crosses into the middle.

“She [Schmidt] has got the whole package,” SJCD head coach Mike Pickett said. “She is two-footed, quick, and can serve the ball or strike the ball.”

Pontieri, a sophomore, scored the Spartan’s fifth goal on a right-footed laser that sailed just under the crossbar, leaving Eagles keeper Anna Hoffman with no chance for a save. Pontieri had created space for her shot by outmaneuvering two defenders at the top of the box. Then, just a minute and 20 seconds after Schmidt’s second goal, Pontieri ended the game on a set play off of a throw-in. Lauryn Mateo drew Hoffman to her by driving hard to the left endline, and then passed to Pontieri in the middle of the box. Pontieri perfectly timed her kick, and the ball splashed into the back of the net.

The Spartans were on the attack from the opening tap, scoring just 29 seconds into the contest on a redirection by senior Avery Raimondo. Mateo had the assist from the right side. SJCD scored three more goals in the next seven minutes, putting on a display of precise passing and winning all of the loose balls. Three minutes after Schmidt scored her first goal, she drove left and found Mateo cutting to the goal for a put away and a 3-0 Spartans lead. Pontieri’s first goal came two minutes later.

Having seen what he wanted from his first unit, Pickett made a wholesale substitution 10 minutes into the game.

“We felt like we could high press this game,” said Pickett. “I felt the first team moved the ball pretty well. We served [crossing passes] better than we had the last few games.”

SJCD only had two corner kicks, a testament to the accuracy of their crosses.

“We don’t want a lot of corner kicks, because that means we are hitting defenders with the ball,” explained Pickett. “What we want is a lot of opportunities.”

The second team continued the assault, albeit at a slower pace. Mia Johnson got enough of a nudge with her right foot as she collided with a charging Hoffman, trickling the ball across the goal line from four yards out for a 5-0 lead at the 25:51 mark of the first half. Fellow sophomore Alixandria Fletcher sent SJCD to the intermission ahead 6-0 on a left-footer off of a feed from freshman Hannah Melicharek.

Pickett inserted the starters for the start of the second half, and they wasted no time in invoking the mercy rule. Schmidt scored her second goal at the 38:40 mark, and Pontieri ended the game with her second goal just one minute and 20 seconds later.

Mateo had two assists, and her goal moved her into the top 10 on the list of goals scored at SJCD.

“Mateo is very tactical, and she sees the game well,”said Pickett. “She is very good in the air and has a nose for knowing where the ball will be.”

Goaltender Roxy Mathews saved the only shot that the Eagles put on goal for the Spartans, who outshot the Eagles 30-1 and have not allowed a goal in their last eight games.

SJCD, ranked first in Florida’s Class 2A by Maxpreps.com, improved to 18-1-1. The Spartans will host Mount Dora Christian (17-2-1) in the Region 1 final on February 14. The Spartans have not played the Bulldogs yet this season.

Christ’s Church Academy ends its season with a 7-11-2 record.