ST. JOHNS, Fla. – The Creekside Knights girl’s soccer team has found a winning formula that combines passion, camaraderie, and success on the field.
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“They just have fun with each other,” Creekside head coach Lexi Messick said. “They play for each other and they love doing it, and I think that’s really the biggest success of the team.”
This season has been memorable for the Knights, who have worked hard to build team chemistry.
“This season has been great,” Creekside junior captain Hailey Smith said. “From the very beginning we’ve worked super hard starting in summer. Team chemistry is amazing this year. So honestly just coming to practice every day and being able to play with not only my friends but honestly my family is a great experience.”
“There is just something different about this group,” Messick said. “I really think it is how close they are. They play with no pressure. They play for each other and those are kind of the things that they go into the game with no fear, no stress. They know that they have each other’s back and they play with a lot of confidence.”
The Knights finished the regular season undefeated with a 14-0-1 record, earning them the number two ranking in the state and second in the nation by MaxPreps.
“I think it’s our work ethic because we do come to every practice and we want to work hard and we want to get better and we have the drive to win every single game and that competitive spirit in us brings out the best in our team,” Smith said.
“It’s been so unexpected,” Creekside senior captain Braelyn McMillan said. “We came into this not thinking that we were going to go so far, but then as soon as we started playing and getting those wins, we really knew this would be the team to get far. Hopefully, win another state championship.”
The Knights won the 7A state title last season. This year, the team is aiming for back-to-back state championships, which would mark their third state title in four seasons.
“For me being a senior, leaving off with three state championship rings would be awesome,” McMillan said.
“Just to know that we can continue the success of the program,” Messick said. “We also haven’t gone back-to-back yet. So that’s kind of been our goal from the beginning of the season. The girls earn it. They deserve it.”
Creekside capped off the season with one of their biggest victories in program history, a significant 2-0 victory against Montverde Academy. The Knights also beat rival Ponte Vedra 2-1 in December, the ninth-ranked team in the state.
“We knew it was going to be challenging games, but we ended up coming over the challenges and just winning,” Smith said.
Leading the team is first-year head coach Lexi Messick, who has brought a fresh approach to the program.
“It doesn’t feel much different as head coach, but it is exciting,” Messick said. “We have implemented some new things this year. I feel like we’ve taken more of a fun approach and less pressure approach to this year and I think that’s helped us a lot to the culture of our team.”
As the Knights prepare for districts, they remain focused and determined.
“Just knowing that going into every conversation, it could be our last,” Messick said. “We won’t put pressure on ourselves, but knowing that the big moments are going to matter the most.”
With their eyes set on back-to-back state titles, big moments and bright lights are no match for one of the best soccer teams in the country.
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