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ALL-AREA GIRLS SOCCER TEAM
player of the year meagan notargiacomo
All-Area First Team
First Team Continued
Shelby Bartuska
Kaelyn Butala
Jody LeMaster
Jessica Levy
Jackie Byers
Jennifer Cairns
Nicole McClain
Chynna McGirt
Logan Cone
Victoria Dorr
Elizabeth Moberg
Helen Ramsey
Christie Funk
Brett Harper
Alex Vandegrift
Tally Zamiela
SHELBY BARTUSKA
Coach of the Year
Martin County senior defender Statistics: Helped team to 12 shutout wins
KAELYN BUTALA
St. Lucie West Centennial senior defender Statistics: Helped team to seven shutout wins
JACKIE BYERS
Jensen Beach junior midfielder Statistics: Scored 11 goals, had 12 assists
MOLLY BARTELS/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS
Vero Beach High School’s Meagan Notargiacomo is the Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers 2014 All-Area Girls Soccer Player of the Year. To see more photos, go to TCPalm.com.
Indians’ go-to girl
JENNIFER CAIRNS
Vero Beach sophomore defender Statistics: Helped team to 11 shutout wins; 5 assists
LOGAN CONE
Jensen Beach senior defender Statistics: Helped team to seven shutout wins; 5 goals, 4 assists
Meagan Notargiacomo helped Vero Beach reach Class 5A championship game with skill, determination
VICTORIA DORR
Vero Beach sophomore midfielder Statistics: Scored 19 goals (6 game-winners), 8 assists
CHRISTIE FUNK
South Fork junior goalie Statistics: 15 goals in 22 games, 165 saves; 12 shutouts
BRETT HARPER
St. Edward’s junior defender Statistics: Helped team nine shutout wins; 6 goals, 1 assist
JODY LEMASTER
South Fork junior forward Statistics: Scored 39 goals and had 20 assists
JESSICA LEVY
Martin County freshman midfielder Statistics: Scored 27 goals and had 14 assists
NICOLE MCCLAIN
Vero Beach sophomore striker Statistics: 35 goals (6 gamewinners), 14 assists
CHYNNA MCGIRT
Vero Beach freshman striker Statistics: 24 goals (2 gamewinners), 10 assists
ELIZABETH MOBERG
Martin County freshman goalie Statistics: 15 goals in 18 games, 109 saves; nine shutouts
By Aimee Ford Foster
Senior Meagan Notargiacomo made two of the greatest plays of the year for the Vero Beach High School girls soccer team when the Indians needed them most. She scored game-winning goals in back-to-back games, first leading Vero Beach into the Final Four, then the Class 5A championship game. In the Region 3-5A championship game, Notargiacomo scored in the 74th minute to vault Vero Beach past West Boca Raton 3-2. Then, in the state semifinals, the midfielder was golden on a first-half penalty kick — a shot ceded to her by teammate Victoria Dorr — which ended up being the only goal in a 1-0 win against Palm Harbor University. “The bigger the game, the bigger she played,” coach Jose Gibert said. During the state playoff, Gibert said Notargiacomo was “the one field player, a senior, that I could not afford to play without.” For her effort and contribution to Vero Beach’s state championship game run, Notargiacomo is the Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers 2014 All-Area Girls Soccer Player of the Year. “I was not expecting (this),” Notargiacomo said. “I worked hard and thought I had a good season, but I
ALEX VANDEGRIFT
Lincoln Park Academy freshman forward Statistics: Scored 31 goals and had two assists
TALLY ZAMIELA
South Fork junior midfielder Statistics: Scored 12 goals and had 23 assists
MEAGAN NOTARGIACOMO
Vero Beach senior midfielder Statistics: 12 goals (two gamewinners), 23 assists Coach Jose Gibert: “The first thing that comes to mind is that she’s a competitor. That’s a really key thing in being successful. You can’t just go out and play, you have to compete in the game. She competes every training session. She thinks she’s playing for a state championship every time. When she gets on the field, you know what you’re going to get.”
feel like there were other players that did, too. Nicole (McClain) had tons of goals. She was awesome.” Notargiacomo essentially was the team’s third striker when the season began. That proved a winning lineup for the first month of the season. Vero Beach won its first seven games of the year, but after losing to Viera on Nov. 22, Vero Beach fell to a 4-3 record over the next three weeks. That’s when Gibert made a change that pushed Notargiacomo off the front line, to more of a withdrawn striker or attacking center midfielder. It proved to be the right move for
the player and the team. Vero Beach did not lose again until the state championship game. “After we lost to Jupiter (on Dec. 19), I came back and made some changes,” Gibert said. “And one of the things we did — we knew if we could play Meagan behind most teams’ midfield line and find her, we could find a lot of success that way.” Notargiacomo, who didn’t play high school soccer until she was a junior, liked the move. “I felt like when I was playing all the way forward that it was kind of crowded,” she said. “When I moved back, I felt like I played better … and I think I did more to make things happen.” In addition to the skills she brought to the field, Notargiacomo also was one of the key leaders as the only senior in the starting lineup. “I just was trying to keep the positive energy and make sure everyone stayed focus in practice and before games,” Notargiacomo said. “But I also had (teammates) Kaley (Fennell) and Nikki (Illare). I wasn’t on my own.” Notargiacomo isn’t sure where she will play soccer next. She plans to attend college in California after marrying her fiancé in June. She might try to attend a school where she can play soccer, or join an adult league. Either way, the memories from this season will remain.
Vero Beach, eighth year This year: Guided team to 20-4-1 record on its way to the Class 5A state championship game. The Fighting Indians lost 5-0 to St. Thomas Aquinas to finish as the state runner-up a year after reaching the regional championship game. It was the second time in four years and the second time in school history that the team reached the Final Four. Vero Beach is the only girls soccer team on the Treasure Coast to reach the state finals. Vero Beach began its postseason run by winning its fourth district title in five years. Coach’s quote: “I think we overachieved. We had a couple of players this year who did not return … most people didn’t expect us to do what we did. ... We didn’t have superstars, but as a team we really, really came together.”
Honorable Mention
HELEN RAMSEY
Treasure Coast senior forward Statistics: Scored 19 goals and had eight assists
Player of the Year
Special to Treasure Coast Newspapers
JOSE GIBERT
TIANA CAFFEY Jensen Beach freshman midfielder/defender ASHLEY CAMPBELL Vero Beach freshman goalie ALEXANDRA COLE Fort Pierce Central junior midfielder KARLEIGH COX Martin County senior forward LUISA ESPINOZA St. Lucie West Centennial freshman forward
MIA FESTAGALLO St. Edward’s freshman forward SARAH GRAVES St. Edward’s senior midfielder KIKI HAMILTON Treasure Coast senior defender BETHANY HIGGINS Martin County sophomore midfielder HANNAH HUGHES St. Edward’s senior goalie
REILLY JONES St. Lucie West Centennial freshman goalie HOLLEY KENWARD Master’s Academy junior center midfielder CASSIDY KUTNER Port St. Lucie senior midfielder/goalie SHELBY LITTLE Port St. Lucie junior defender HOPE MACK South Fork freshman forward
TIFFANY METHOT Treasure Coast junior forward LILIANA NUNE Fort Pierce Central freshman forward JOYCE ORTIZ Sebastian River sophomore center midfielder ALI RITTER Vero Beach sophomore defender/midfielder BROOKE SAUCIER St. Lucie West Centennial junior defender
SARAH SHARFI The Pine School senior forward SARAH STEWART Jensen Beach senior striker TINA VIGO Treasure Coast senior defender HANNAH WEISSE Jensen Beach sophomore goalie EMILY WILLIE South Fork freshman defender
All-Area Schedule Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Girls soccer
Boys soccer
Wrestling
Girls basketball
Boys basketball