Melbourne High School was presented with the Army National Guard national ranking trophies before the boys’ All-Star game on Thursday.  The honor is part of the third annual MaxPreps Tour of Champions for Girls’ Soccer and the second annual MaxPreps Tour of Champions for Boys’ Soccer, both presented by the Army National Guard. Melbourne High School is one of just ten schools being honored on each tour.

Melbourne's girls soccer team finished No. 2 and the boys team finished No. 7 in the country by MaxPreps, a California-based company that ranks more than 10,000 varsity high school girls’ soccer teams and more than 14,000 varsity high school boys’ soccer teams.

"Working with the Army National Guard, MaxPreps is delighted to honor Coach Lord and McCabe and the Melbourne Bulldogs as two of nation’s elite high school soccer teams,” said Andy Beal, President and Founder of MaxPreps. “We congratulate the coach, players and Melbourne High School for a great season and earning the Army National Guard national ranking trophies.”

Melbourne girls’ soccer defeated Fleming Island 2-1 for the Class 4A state title. They finished the 2013-14 season with a perfect 23-0 record. The girls’ soccer team now has four state titles in the past six seasons, and five overall.

“It is quiet an honor to be on the MaxPreps Tour of Champions, because there are so many great teams, not just in the county or state, but throughout the country,” said Melbourne girls’ head coach Rosanna Lord. “To be ranked nationally is huge considering the number of teams in the nation. After all the hard work and sacrifice the team put in, this means a lot to them.”

After winning their state title last year and boasting a 25-0-1 record, the Melbourne girls’ soccer team decided to approach this season game-by-game. The Lady Bulldogs were able to keep that momentum going by scoring 108 goals and only giving up four. Junior forward Keira McCarthy led the team with 28 goals and 6 assists.

Eight players on the team were named to the Cape Coast Conference Team: Hannah DeBose (University of Central Florida), Olivia DeJong (Armstrong Atlantic State University), Taylor Eller (Florida Institute of Technology), Isabel Loyd (Florida Southern College), Jade Smith (Armstrong Atlantic State University), Katie Reed, Keira McCarthy, and Christina Aubrey. DeBose and DeJong were also named to the Florida Athletic Coaching Association East All Star Team.

Melbourne boys’ soccer also defeated Fleming Island (4-1) for the Class 4A state title. This is the boys’ fourth state title. They finished the 2013-14 season with a record of 24-1-1.

“This recognition on the Tour of Champions validates all the hard work the guys put in,” said Melbourne boys’ head coach Jerry McCabe. “The team is  work and scarifcies the team svery proud of the achievement.”

The last time the Melbourne boys’ soccer program won a state title was in 2010. Since then the Bulldogs have won their conference all four years, but not until this year have they reclaimed the championship honor. Coach McCabe attributed the team’s success to their selfless and focused demeanor as well as their strong chemistry. One of their biggest games this year was their 1-0 win over Lake Nona in the regional semifinals. In the previous three seasons, the team was unable to make it past that game; taking the regional semifinals on the road enabled the team to overcome this psychological barrier.

For the three senior captains (Micah Smoak, Jamie Carlson, and Spencer Tworkowski) who started all four years, this last season with the Bulldogs could not have ended any better. Smoak, who was named 1st Team All State, had 25 goals and 35 assists on the season while Carlson, who was named 2nd Team All State, contributed 22 goals and 12 assists. Defender Tworkowski chipped in 5 goals and 6 assists. Smoak, Carlson, and Tworkowski will all play for Eastern Florida State College.

Staff Sergeant Michael Blackmore of the Florida Army National Guard presented Coach Lord and McCabe and the Melbourne Bulldogs with the Army National Guard national ranking trophies before the boys’ All-Star game on Thursday.

"For over 375 years, the men and women of the National Guard have come to the aid of their neighbors during times of need. As Citizen-Soldiers who serve part-time, we live and serve in more than 3,500 communities throughout the country,” said Major Mark Burns of the Army National Guard. “It is our privilege to honor and recognize nationally ranked girls’ and boys’ soccer teams with the Army National Guard national ranking trophy which includes the Minuteman statue, a symbol of the National Guard.”

MaxPreps uses an intricate computer program to determine team rank. Prior season history, school size, and comments on message boards are not considered in the MaxPreps rankings. The computer-based system utilizes the huge number of game results stored in the MaxPreps database. Generally, the more a team wins the higher the ranking, but the system also takes into account quality wins (against other highly ranked opponents) and strength of schedule. For example, a team's ranking is hurt more by losing to a team that is ranked below them than to a team ranked ahead. Girls’ soccer rankings are updated once a week.

-courtesy: Briana Coyne / Precision Sports Entertainment LLC