Soccer season kicks off with four high school teams ranked in top 10

The Bishop England High School girls’ soccer team is ranked No. 1 in the state among Class AAAA teams to begin the 2025 season, while the Philip Simmons High School girls check in at No. 2 in Class AA from the South Carolina High School Soccer Coaches Association preseason poll released on Jan. 18.

 

It should be a banner season for the Daniel Island area schools, but there’s plenty of soccer to play between now and May when the state champions are crowned.

 

The Bishop girls have one of the most successful programs in the Palmetto State with 12 state championships, including a remarkable nine-in-a-row from 2002 to 2010.

 

“I think it’s an honor, especially since we were moving to (Class) AAAA,” said Bishop England coach Netha Kreamer. “It should motivate us that the coaches think that highly of our program.”

 

The team has a solid group of seniors, including keeper Claire Murray, who Kreamer describes as a “team player who always puts the team first.”

 

Sophomore Sophia DeMarco has the potential to play soccer at the next level. She led the Bishops with 15 goals in 2024. DeMarco’s sisters, Alexis and Isabella, played for Western Carolina after starring at BE.

 

Liz Brady is a junior midfielder Kreamer is counting on. She scored seven goals and was among the team leaders with nine assists.

 

Sophomore striker Ava Delpino is versatile enough to play numerous positions on the pitch. She accounted for 16 points in a breakout freshman season.

 

The Bishop England boys are also ranked in the top 10 preseason poll. The Bishops come in at No. 6 in Class AAAA. 

 

Meanwhile, the young Philip Simmons girls are ranked higher then their youth might indicate, especially if you see the roster, includes 10 sophomores and five upperclassmen.

 

But the team was young last spring with a collection of freshmen who are now experienced and have a year’s worth of knowledge under coach Jeffrey Collins.

 

“It was a great thing,” Collins said of the ranking. “They have high expectations for us, and we also have great expectations.”

 

The Iron Horses opened last spring with six victories in 14 games, but gelled under Collins, who was the third coach in four years when he took over in 2024. The team finished with a 13-9-1 record, including 7-1 in Region 8-AAA. The Iron Horses reached the third round of the playoffs.

 

Haley Franko set the school records last season when she scored 27 goals and tallied 18 assists as a freshman. Classmate Callie Quiggle tallied 13 goals which was tied for sixth-best in a single season.

 

Senior Avalyn Healey provides leadership -– and assists. She begins the season with 29 career assists and needs only seven more to break Claire Esse’s record of 35 assists.

 

The Iron Horse boys are coming off the best season in the program’s brief history and are ranked No. 4 in Class AA. 

 

The Iron Horses won a school record 20 games against only four losses. They won the Region 8-AAA title with a 7-1 record and reached the third round of the playoffs.