January 17, 2025
Ava Mason Leads Umatilla High’s Girls Soccer Team To Best Record In Over A Decade
By Kyle Coppola
Ava Mason Leads Umatilla High’s Girls Soccer Team To Best Record In Over A Decade
UMATILLA, Fla. — The Umatilla High School girls soccer team is having their best season in over a decade when the 2014/2015 team achieved a record of 16-8-1. This year’s squad, led by veteran head coach Brian Conlan, has already surpassed 13 wins and looks to end the regular season on a high note.
At the forefront of the Bulldogs’ success is junior striker Ava Mason, who has been a dominant force on the pitch with an impressive 37 goals this season. Mason has 89 career goals with Umatilla High and looks to break through 90 this evening. She also recently just passed 200 career points and totals 203 in her varsity career. Mason’s firepower has been complemented by contributions from sophomore America Guillen, who has netted 10 goals, and senior Jamie Stephens, who has added 12 goals to the team’s tally.
(Ava has been dominant. She has 37 goals scored in 2024/2025 along with a team leading 9 assists. Photo Credit – Joe Ott.)
This has been one of the most memorable seasons for Umatilla soccer in recent years. We are very proud of the way these ladies have played all season long.
The Lady Bulldogs are about to face some stiff competition in Class 3A District 6, one of the most challenging districts in the state. Contenders include Montverde Academy, currently ranked No. 2 in both Florida and the nation with a perfect 14-0 record, and Lake Highland Prep, another powerhouse in the division. The Villages Charter School, a perennial threat, also adds to the district’s depth. While none of these teams have played one another in the regular season, they will get the chance to play one another in the district tournament coming up next week.
As the lady Bulldogs prepare for their final regular-season match tonight against University High at 7 p.m., they will look to carry their momentum into postseason play. Go Lady Dogs!
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
