Creekside hires Joe Soto as new girls soccer coach

He's already lifted a pair of state championships.

Now, Joe Soto is looking forward to the chance to build another champion in the northern part of St. Johns County.

Creekside named the former Bartram Trail assistant as its new girls soccer coach on Thursday. He takes over a Knights program that has become a steady playoff contender over the past decade in a talent-packed Northeast Florida soccer scene.

"This team has the potential to grow a program here and have long-term success," Soto said. 

Soto takes the place of Brent Johnson, who had coached the Knights' girls for nine seasons and qualified for the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 4A championship game in 2017. Johnson had won the Class 4A coach of the year award four years ago.

Creekside finished 7-8-2 last year, losing in the Class 6A regional semifinals to Fleming Island.

Soto has served as the longtime assistant to Jen Rodriguez with nearby Bartram Trail. The Bears captured FHSAA titles for Class 7A in 2020 and repeated the title in March, finishing the season in the national top 10.

He isn't a newcomer to high school head coaching. Soto coached two teams in his native New Jersey, Rutherford St. Mary and Wood-Ridge, and previously served on the staff of St. Peter's University in Jersey City.

With the Knights, he said, he's aiming to begin by emphasizing defensive solidity, while continuing to play a schedule that ranks among the region's toughest. 

"If you have a strong foundation to your team, the discipline, hard work, the organization, you're always going to give yourself a chance to win," he said.