Three Bolles Girls’ Soccer alumni were named to the Florida Times-Union’s All-Quarter Century team for high school girls’ soccer. The recognition focuses on high school performance in the Jacksonville area from 2000-2025, rather than subsequent career achievements at the college, professional or international level.  Leila Azari ’17, Olivia Candelino ’20 and Brooke Thigpen ’09 were the three Bulldogs named on the list.

Of Azari, the T-U noted “a slashing dribbler in the Bulldog attack for four seasons, she helped Bolles ignite its dynasty of five state championships in six years in the 2010s. She scored 21 goals as a sophomore, 19 goals with 23 assists as a junior and then 35 goals as a senior. Azari won the Times-Union All-First Coast player of the year in 2016, and three times placed in the top four for the Florida Dairy Farmers Miss Soccer award. In college, she saw more time in midfield and played four seasons and 75 games at Vanderbilt, scoring 22 career assists for the Commodores.”

Candelino’s recognition shared that “not many players hit the 40-40 mark for goals and assists in a high school soccer season, but Candelino did exactly that in 2019-20 with 41 goals and 40 assists in the Bulldogs' run to the state title alongside future U.S. women's national team midfielder Avery Patterson. A speedy and athletic finisher, Candelino went back-to-back as All-First Coast player of the year in 2019 and 2020, winning Gatorade Florida Player of the Year in the latter campaign. She netted 108 goals and 96 assists in her Bolles career. In college, she went on to play 93 games in the SEC at Auburn.”

Thigpen’s notes stated “Nonstop energy and total determination characterized the approach of Thigpen, one of Jacksonville's all-time scoring leaders with 146 goals and 71 assists. She led the Bulldogs to the FHSAA championship in 2007-08 and reached the final a year later, winning All-First Coast player of the year as a senior. Those last two years came with giant numbers: 41 goals and 19 assists in 2007-08, then 43 goals and 27 assists the following year. She later signed with Florida and displayed her outstanding versatility there, playing in midfield and later at fullback.”

Congratulations to these Bulldog greats!