Eric Andrew had a plan, and he was able to find a club that had the same ideas.

From that the Ponte Vedra Storm U14 Girls team was born.

Andrew, who had coached in the Dallas area, found himself in Jacksonville, Florida, and met Ponte Vedra director Trey Clark, who shared an emphasis on technical development for younger players. A pair of U12 teams merged into a stronger unit and Andrew began to recruit from the broader area.

“Most of the kids were on top of their game and they were playing at a higher level than they were accustomed to in Jacksonville, so they were winning a lot of games by 10 or 15 to zero,” Andrew said. “Trey Clark had been working a lot with 3v3 games and so we continued to train the girls in a small-sided format. We were playing against boys and just looking for the best competition we could find.”

The team won the Disney Showcase and Florida State Cup at U13, despite the more direct style of most opponents.

“We were small, but fast, and our technical skills were always superior to the rest of the teams we played,” he said. “Most the teams were playing kickball and smashmouth and just trying to run us over.”

Andrew credited Clark with encouraging club coaches to move players around to experience different positions.

“We don’t pigeonhole them into one position. We work hard to create a fun environment so the burnout factor is not happening,” he said. “We’re drawing players from a greater distance now, but it’s still a very close group."

“I never demand that they go out and win,” he said. “I’ve just asked them to play their hearts out, to act like a warrior, to rip people’s heads off and to have some fun. I don’t want them feeling pressure. If we lose, it’s just soccer. Whatever happens, happens.”


Ponte Vedra SC U14 Girls Roster

Katelyn Nimitz, Alexis Colon, Jessica Hagarty, Darby Flagler, Hana Kusumoto, Camille Jackson, Mary Sturgis, Hanna Parado, Kristen Barbour, Natalie Torres, Brooke Sharp, Mallory Bane, Kailey Goins, Emily Wilson, Ellen Crist, Taylor Valentine, Melissa Latronico.