LAND O’ LAKES — The Sunlake Seahawks know they’re wearing targets on their backs.
Coach Danielle Fotopoulos almost had shirts made that said just that. She decided against it, figuring her players, and everyone else, already knew.
The goal hasn’t changed.
“I think (winning a state championship) is going to be the goal every year,” said Fotopoulos, who was inducted into the FHSAA Hall of Fame as a player in 2014. “Whether that happens, a lot has to happen. A bit of luck, getting hot at the right time, limiting injuries — it’s a long season, as we learned last year.”
Last season ended years of near-misses for the program. In its fifth trip to the state tournament, Sunlake beat Jacksonville Mandarin 3-2 on Feb. 25 at Spec Martin Municipal Stadium in DeLand to win the Class 6A title.
It didn’t start that way. The Seahawks opened 1-1-3, including a 1-1 tie with Pasco, which won only eight games. After back-to-back losses in a December tournament, Sunlake won 15 straight, outscoring opponents 53-14.
The Seahawks graduated 13 seniors, but Fotopoulos isn’t worried.
“We’re not really missing a beat, even though we did lose a lot of seniors, a lot of young guys are stepping up,” she said. “So, we also just try to peak at the end of the season, at the right time, which is the hard part, I think, to winning a championship. But in the end, I just manage them, and they do their own thing.”
Leading the way are new captains Aidan Soto and Elliot Hinz, both returning seniors. Soto will anchor the defense. Hinz scored the title-winning goal, a diving header in the 70th minute.
Newcomers include junior Theirry Oliveira and freshman Eddie Hinz, Elliot’s younger brother. Both will help replace a senior class that included goalkeeper Jack Hanzlik and captains Jairo Todd, Isaac Soto, Ricky Kase and Peter Arroyo.
“They’re going to get to play a lot because we had a lot of seniors,” Fotopoulos said. “But we have a few new players that didn’t play for us last year now on the team and players up from JV and also players have just grown (physically), so they will make a big impact for us this year.”
Fotopoulos knows winning at the highest level. She holds the NCAA Division I career records for goals (118) and points (284), scored the winning goal in Florida’s 1998 national championship game and won the 1999 Women’s World Cup with the U.S.
She expects this season to be just as tough as last, and not only because of the target on her team’s back.
Sunlake’s new Class 5A-District 9 includes rival Land O’ Lakes and Mitchell, which won the 6A title in 2025 and lost in the state semifinals last season. The Seahawks also play a home-and-away series with Tampa Jesuit, a perennial state contender.
Fotopoulos also has to manage her players’ workloads, since many of them play club soccer during the high school season.
“Don’t want to overwork them, because a lot of them will leave here (at our practice) and then go to a club practice,” she said. “Just don’t want them to be too tired, but they’re tough.”
That leaves the question every defending champion hears: Can they repeat?
“Like I said, it’s a long season,” Fotopoulos said, noting the program reached the final four four straight times before breaking through. “Fortunately, we’re in a really good soccer area, and we have a lot of players that live here in one place, so that’s good. And we’re still getting to know each other, honestly. But I also think you have to make (winning a state championship) your goal every year.
“We’ve got a long road, but it’s good. They’re excited about it, that I can say for sure.”