Girls Soccer Season Concludes with Celebratory Banquet

Alina Nguyen, Managing Editor

April 2, 2026

Players, parents, and staff gathering to cheer on the soccer ladies as they receive awards. (Keith Scalia)

On Wednesday, April 1, Marco Island Academy’s girls soccer team held their Night of Recognition and Awards. This event highlighted the players and coaches who all put in massive amounts of effort to make sure that the team was successful in not only the sport itself, but also reminding each other about their love for the sport and creating a close bond with one another.

The night started off with special thanks, with Kevin Ray, the head coach of the team, thanking key people who helped the team be so successful this year, sprinkling their magic to bring the team to life. An emotional chord struck when Ray got to the players themselves, expressing thanks by saying “…they gave me a piece of my life back that I really didn’t know I had missed so much.”

Head Coach and Dean of Students, Mr. (Coach) Ray giving a heartfelt speech to start the night (Keith Scalia)

Soon after, the award ceremony itself got kicked off. Within the ceremony itself, Ray took the time to display not only his goals for the team, but also the goals that the ladies had for the team. The age-old quote that Ray has been reiterating over the entire season this year are the three simple words: “team over me.”

With a new team and new coach, their success really proves that it’s the mindset that really matters and it’s not all about skill. The audience listened intently as all of the awards got announced, laughs echoing throughout the room as girls heard their unexpected walkup songs to receive their awards.

One of the many highlights of the night was when senior, and a captain of the team, Gracie Johnson, received the title of MVP of the season, with Ray’s emotional statement regarding Johnson’s deserving nature of the award. Johnson expresses “Soccer has been there for me my entire life and receiving this award really made me feel appreciated.”

Lady Rays admiring the video put together for them with pictures, selfies, and videos. (Keith Scalia)

The gymnasium erupted into cheers when seniors, and another captain, Meghan Donaldson, and Aubrey Guidry, received the Co-Defensive MVP awards, because as Ray says: “…if you somehow get by Aubrey, be ready because Meg is coming.”

Laughs turned into tears as the girls watched a video, displaying silly photos and videos during the season, tying up the bittersweet night with shared emotions that made it evident that these girls held a stronger bond than anyone could’ve ever imagined.

AWARDS OF THE NIGHT:

Team Mom Award: Amanda Ray

Mustache Award: Joe Wood

Grit and Grace Award: Giuliana Sanzera & Jade Messenger

Ascendent Award: Alessandra Sanzera & Liv Sanford

Paragon Award: Isla Ray

Exemplar Award: Brinley Heflin

Coaches Award: Hannah Saad

Ready for the Real World (Most likely to get a Yellow Card): Cambree Grensing

Team/Me Recognition Group: Anna Tessarzik, Daniella Sanzera, Katie Nash, Theresa Barry, Alisson Alverez-Rodriguez, Alexa Alverez-Rodriguez, Yanela Lopez, Ines Martinez, & Valerie Barajas

MVP AWARDS

Goalie of the Year: Annie Guidry

Golden Boot: Grace Elliott

Co-Defensive MVP: Meghan Donaldson & Aubrey Guidry

Team MVP: Gracie Johnson

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About the Contributor

Alina Nguyen, Managing Editor

Alina Nguyen is a senior at Marco Island Academy and the Managing Editor for The Wave. When she’s not at school or at cheer, you can probably find her with a microphone, putting her bank account into the negatives, or doomscrolling. She plans to attend a good college, preferably an Ivy, but if all else fails, she plans to marry somebody with a yacht.