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Southwest Florida high school boys soccer teams have won their share of state titles. But plenty of local stars never managed to win the last game of the season.
That's what made selecting the top 25 boys soccer players of the past 25 seasons such a challenge. To be eligible for this list, a player had to be on a Southwest Florida high school boys soccer team for at least one season from the 2001-02 season onward. Consideration was given not only to how they performed at the high school level but also to their college and, in some cases, professional resumes.
Here are our selections, presented in alphabetical order.
Acuna was a prolific forward for the Titans, scoring 77 goals with 27 assists over a four-year varsity career. At North Florida, Acuna scored 21 goals with 4 assists, earning the ASUN Tournament MVP in 2024, followed by being a unanimous ASUN First Team selection. He was also UNF's Male Athlete of the Year at the conclusion of his senior season.
Baggett was quite literally like a McLaren at forward, displaying blazing speed along with strong ball-handling skills. With the Cougars, he scored 80 goals and 39 assists. As a junior, he was the recipient of the Florida Dairy Farmers Class 2A Player of the Year award when he scored 30 goals and 11 assists, followed with the Southwest Florida Boys Soccer Player of the Year as a senior after a 29-goal, 14-assist season.
Cavallini was elite for Canterbury, earning The News-Press Player of the Year award in 2004, along with a First Team selection as a junior and a Second Team selection as a sophomore. In the fall of 2003, Cavallini scored 35 goals with 12 assists, helping the program shut out Gainesville Oak Hall 4-0 in the title game. Cavallini played collegiately at Eckerd.
Choute scored 36 goals and 9 assists during a limited three-year career with the Indians in part due to injury. Choute, now playing at FGCU, has made 20 starts in three seasons with the program, logging 2 goals and 2 assists.
Coliqueo was the Naples Daily News Boys Soccer Player of the Year in 2007 and 2008, and The News-Press Boys Soccer Player of the Year in 2008. As a junior, Coliqueo scored 28 goals with 8 assists, before scoring 27 goals with 7 assists as a senior. Coliqueo played collegiately at Ave Maria.
A two-time First Team All-Area selection, Curvin scored 30 goals in his senior season that ended with a Class 4A state title and won Naples Daily News Player of the Year honors in 2013. The forward scored five playoff goals in the Sharks’ run to the state championship.
Gomez made his mark as one of the area's best strikers in his final two years with the Trojans, scoring a combined 52 goals. The senior finished his career helping Lely reach its first state semifinal in program history. Gomez played collegiately at Webber International.
One of three locals to win Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Soccer, Gonzalez is the youngest to make this list. Gonzalez was an elite goal scorer at Mariner, netting 47 goals with 11 assists during his senior season with the Tritons to win the Southwest Florida Boys Soccer Player of the Year award, leading the Tritons to a regional final appearance.
Horan never won a Player of the Year award locally, but he was arguably one of the area’s top goal scorers at Canterbury. Horan scored 72 goals with 22 assists during his senior year and had 157 goals and 65 assists over a four-year varsity career with the Cougars.
Jimenez was a two-time First Team selection as a sophomore and a senior, with a Second Team appearance sandwiched in with the Seahawks. During his sophomore season, Jimenez was the Class 3A Player of the Year after scoring 35 goals and adding nine assists. He went on to star at Seton Hall University and the University of the Pacific before being drafted in the first round of the MLS SuperDraft in 2020 by the Chicago Fire.
Joffre helped Gulf Coast to a state title in 2018, scoring 21 goals and 11 assists. He scored 28 goals and 14 assists as a freshman, before netting 33 goals and 20 assists as a sophomore. After a year at Pine School in Hobe Sound, Joffre returned to Gulf Coast, becoming the only Shark to win multiple Naples Daily News Player of the Year awards as a sophomore and senior.
LaOrden was dominant in a Barron uniform, scoring 47 goals and 19 assists as a junior and senior, winning the Southwest Florida Boys Soccer Player of the Year award both seasons. LaOrden and the Cougars won the program’s first state title in 2025.
Louis was an elite forward his senior year, scoring 20 goals and 6 assists for the state runner-up Green Wave. He starred in college at Georgia Southern and was selected second overall in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft by FC Dallas.
McCorkle was the defensive anchor of the Sharks' state championship team in 2013, earning First Team All-Area honors. He went on to play four years at Florida Atlantic, served as an assistant coach for the Owls for one season, and was on the staff with Tulsa as a volunteer assistant the last six years before joining FGCU as the program's associate head coach.
Murrell capped his career with the Naples Daily News Player of the Year award in 2002, scoring 8 goals and 12 assists to earn those honors. Murrell was named to the Naples Daily News All-Area team four times and made First Team All-State as a senior. He played collegiately at Memphis and Rollins.
Palumbo was a Verot great, winning The News-Press Boys Soccer Player of the Year award in 2010 and 2011 after scoring 45 goals with 26 assists as a junior and 38 goals with 27 assists as a senior. He won the Class 3A Player of the Year twice as well as becoming a two-time All-American.
Parra, a three-time The News-Press First-Team All-Area selection and 2020 Player of the Year finalist, capped a brilliant career with a senior season where he netted 46 goals and dished out 23 assists. The forward finished with 89 goals and 48 assists for his career.
The three-time News-Press Player of the Year finished his career with a school-record 148 goals as well as 68 assists. As a junior, he was the Florida Gatorade Player of the Year. As a senior, Perez was named Mr. Soccer by the Florida Dairy Farmers after leading the Tritons to a state final in 2020.
Proia was a solid piece for the Tritons in the late 2000s as a goalkeeper, logging 50 shutouts in a four-year career to earn The News-Press Player of the Year as a senior. Proia was a First Team selection as a junior, and Second Team selection as a sophomore, and walked onto USF's football team along with being a goalkeeper for the soccer program.
The forward was named the FACA District 18 MVP and was first-team all-state in Class 3A in 2016 en route to The News-Press Player of the Year finalist honors. He led the Tritons in scoring for three seasons and set new school records in career goals (98), most goals in a season (43), most hat tricks (8) and most postseason goals scored (8).
The 2023 Southwest Florida Boys Soccer Player of the Year was elite with the Golden Eagles, scoring 23 goals with 12 assists to help Naples finish as state runners-up in 2023. Sarajian starred at Georgia Southern and Wake Forest before being drafted fifth overall by Orlando City SC in the MLS SuperDraft in 2025.
Soto led the Indians to three straight state semifinal appearances and a state final berth in 2016. A three-year team captain and two-time First Team All-Area selection, Soto spent a year at Salisbury Prep in Connecticut before moving back down to the area to suit up for Ave Maria.
The midfield ace was a two-time First Team All-Area selection in his Sharks career and tallied 11 goals and 25 assists in his senior season in 2012. Szczesniewicz enjoyed a four-year career at the University of North Florida, appearing in 58 matches.
A four-year starter and team captain for two years for the Golden Eagles, Tweedie was a three-time First Team All-Area selection. Tweedie moved on to Marquette for two seasons before transferring to the College of Charleston where he finished his career.
As a co-captain during his junior season in 2016-17, he helped guide the Seahawks to a district title and the regional semifinal from his defensive position. Wlodarczyk was the 2017 The News-Press Player of the Year. As a senior, the Player of the Year finalist finished with six goals and nine assists for the Seahawks, who won 24 games and reached a regional semifinal.
Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X at @NP_AlexMartin or via email: [email protected]. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: See SW Florida's top 25 boys soccer players of the last 25 seasons
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That's what made selecting the top 25 boys soccer players of the past 25 seasons such a challenge. To be eligible for this list, a player had to be on a Southwest Florida high school boys soccer team for at least one season from the 2001-02 season onward. Consideration was given not only to how they performed at the high school level but also to their college and, in some cases, professional resumes.
Here are our selections, presented in alphabetical order.
Joaquin Acuna, Golden Gate
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Acuna was a prolific forward for the Titans, scoring 77 goals with 27 assists over a four-year varsity career. At North Florida, Acuna scored 21 goals with 4 assists, earning the ASUN Tournament MVP in 2024, followed by being a unanimous ASUN First Team selection. He was also UNF's Male Athlete of the Year at the conclusion of his senior season.
McLaren Baggett, Canterbury
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Baggett was quite literally like a McLaren at forward, displaying blazing speed along with strong ball-handling skills. With the Cougars, he scored 80 goals and 39 assists. As a junior, he was the recipient of the Florida Dairy Farmers Class 2A Player of the Year award when he scored 30 goals and 11 assists, followed with the Southwest Florida Boys Soccer Player of the Year as a senior after a 29-goal, 14-assist season.
Greg Cavallini, Canterbury
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Cavallini was elite for Canterbury, earning The News-Press Player of the Year award in 2004, along with a First Team selection as a junior and a Second Team selection as a sophomore. In the fall of 2003, Cavallini scored 35 goals with 12 assists, helping the program shut out Gainesville Oak Hall 4-0 in the title game. Cavallini played collegiately at Eckerd.
Job Choute, Immokalee
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Choute scored 36 goals and 9 assists during a limited three-year career with the Indians in part due to injury. Choute, now playing at FGCU, has made 20 starts in three seasons with the program, logging 2 goals and 2 assists.
Damian Coliqueo, Golden Gate
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Coliqueo was the Naples Daily News Boys Soccer Player of the Year in 2007 and 2008, and The News-Press Boys Soccer Player of the Year in 2008. As a junior, Coliqueo scored 28 goals with 8 assists, before scoring 27 goals with 7 assists as a senior. Coliqueo played collegiately at Ave Maria.
Clay Curvin, Gulf Coast
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A two-time First Team All-Area selection, Curvin scored 30 goals in his senior season that ended with a Class 4A state title and won Naples Daily News Player of the Year honors in 2013. The forward scored five playoff goals in the Sharks’ run to the state championship.
David Gomez, Lely
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Gomez made his mark as one of the area's best strikers in his final two years with the Trojans, scoring a combined 52 goals. The senior finished his career helping Lely reach its first state semifinal in program history. Gomez played collegiately at Webber International.
Alessandro Gonzalez, Mariner
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One of three locals to win Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Soccer, Gonzalez is the youngest to make this list. Gonzalez was an elite goal scorer at Mariner, netting 47 goals with 11 assists during his senior season with the Tritons to win the Southwest Florida Boys Soccer Player of the Year award, leading the Tritons to a regional final appearance.
Patrick Horan, Canterbury
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Horan never won a Player of the Year award locally, but he was arguably one of the area’s top goal scorers at Canterbury. Horan scored 72 goals with 22 assists during his senior year and had 157 goals and 65 assists over a four-year varsity career with the Cougars.
Jonathan Jimenez, Cape Coral
Jimenez was a two-time First Team selection as a sophomore and a senior, with a Second Team appearance sandwiched in with the Seahawks. During his sophomore season, Jimenez was the Class 3A Player of the Year after scoring 35 goals and adding nine assists. He went on to star at Seton Hall University and the University of the Pacific before being drafted in the first round of the MLS SuperDraft in 2020 by the Chicago Fire.
Sebastian Joffre, Gulf Coast
Joffre helped Gulf Coast to a state title in 2018, scoring 21 goals and 11 assists. He scored 28 goals and 14 assists as a freshman, before netting 33 goals and 20 assists as a sophomore. After a year at Pine School in Hobe Sound, Joffre returned to Gulf Coast, becoming the only Shark to win multiple Naples Daily News Player of the Year awards as a sophomore and senior.
Emerson LaOrden, Barron Collier
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LaOrden was dominant in a Barron uniform, scoring 47 goals and 19 assists as a junior and senior, winning the Southwest Florida Boys Soccer Player of the Year award both seasons. LaOrden and the Cougars won the program’s first state title in 2025.
Ricky Louis, Fort Myers
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Louis was an elite forward his senior year, scoring 20 goals and 6 assists for the state runner-up Green Wave. He starred in college at Georgia Southern and was selected second overall in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft by FC Dallas.
Owen McCorkle, Gulf Coast
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McCorkle was the defensive anchor of the Sharks' state championship team in 2013, earning First Team All-Area honors. He went on to play four years at Florida Atlantic, served as an assistant coach for the Owls for one season, and was on the staff with Tulsa as a volunteer assistant the last six years before joining FGCU as the program's associate head coach.
Scott Murrell, Barron Collier
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Murrell capped his career with the Naples Daily News Player of the Year award in 2002, scoring 8 goals and 12 assists to earn those honors. Murrell was named to the Naples Daily News All-Area team four times and made First Team All-State as a senior. He played collegiately at Memphis and Rollins.
Andrew Palumbo, Bishop Verot
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Palumbo was a Verot great, winning The News-Press Boys Soccer Player of the Year award in 2010 and 2011 after scoring 45 goals with 26 assists as a junior and 38 goals with 27 assists as a senior. He won the Class 3A Player of the Year twice as well as becoming a two-time All-American.
Juan Parra, Cape Coral
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Parra, a three-time The News-Press First-Team All-Area selection and 2020 Player of the Year finalist, capped a brilliant career with a senior season where he netted 46 goals and dished out 23 assists. The forward finished with 89 goals and 48 assists for his career.
Leo Perez, Mariner
The three-time News-Press Player of the Year finished his career with a school-record 148 goals as well as 68 assists. As a junior, he was the Florida Gatorade Player of the Year. As a senior, Perez was named Mr. Soccer by the Florida Dairy Farmers after leading the Tritons to a state final in 2020.
Renato Proia, Mariner
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Proia was a solid piece for the Tritons in the late 2000s as a goalkeeper, logging 50 shutouts in a four-year career to earn The News-Press Player of the Year as a senior. Proia was a First Team selection as a junior, and Second Team selection as a sophomore, and walked onto USF's football team along with being a goalkeeper for the soccer program.
Erick Rivera, Mariner
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The forward was named the FACA District 18 MVP and was first-team all-state in Class 3A in 2016 en route to The News-Press Player of the Year finalist honors. He led the Tritons in scoring for three seasons and set new school records in career goals (98), most goals in a season (43), most hat tricks (8) and most postseason goals scored (8).
Harvey Sarajian, Naples
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The 2023 Southwest Florida Boys Soccer Player of the Year was elite with the Golden Eagles, scoring 23 goals with 12 assists to help Naples finish as state runners-up in 2023. Sarajian starred at Georgia Southern and Wake Forest before being drafted fifth overall by Orlando City SC in the MLS SuperDraft in 2025.
Ulises Soto, Immokalee
Soto led the Indians to three straight state semifinal appearances and a state final berth in 2016. A three-year team captain and two-time First Team All-Area selection, Soto spent a year at Salisbury Prep in Connecticut before moving back down to the area to suit up for Ave Maria.
Sly Szczesniewicz, Gulf Coast
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The midfield ace was a two-time First Team All-Area selection in his Sharks career and tallied 11 goals and 25 assists in his senior season in 2012. Szczesniewicz enjoyed a four-year career at the University of North Florida, appearing in 58 matches.
Ben Tweedie, Naples
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A four-year starter and team captain for two years for the Golden Eagles, Tweedie was a three-time First Team All-Area selection. Tweedie moved on to Marquette for two seasons before transferring to the College of Charleston where he finished his career.
Nicholas Wlodarczyk, Cape Coral
As a co-captain during his junior season in 2016-17, he helped guide the Seahawks to a district title and the regional semifinal from his defensive position. Wlodarczyk was the 2017 The News-Press Player of the Year. As a senior, the Player of the Year finalist finished with six goals and nine assists for the Seahawks, who won 24 games and reached a regional semifinal.
Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X at @NP_AlexMartin or via email: [email protected]. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: See SW Florida's top 25 boys soccer players of the last 25 seasons
Continue reading...
