ORMOND BEACH — Tristan Bodnar grabs his journal before bed every night and writes down the things for which he is grateful. On Tuesday night, those entries were fairly easy to choose — his Spruce Creek soccer teammates, his health after recovering from a fractured leg and another pair of goals, which upped his area lead to 24 and booked the Hawks a place in the Five Star Conference final.

Bodnar attributes a change in attitude and renewed confidence to his individual successes during his senior year, and he has become both a captain and a trusted offensive force for the resurgent Hawks. In Creek's 3-1 tournament semifinal win over Flagler Palm Coast at the Ormond Beach Sports Complex, Bodnar slotted home the go-ahead penalty kick and tacked on the insurance goal, a left-footed rebound from the middle of the 18-yard box.

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"It's definitely a lot about mindfulness, keeping your composure in the hardest parts of the game," Bodnar said.

"I took (this opportunity) to show the younger guys how you can change over time, and that practicing mindfulness can really help you build your best potential and help you grow."

Bodnar suffered the right leg injury in the fall of 2022 during a club tournament in Merritt Island. He said he felt overly cautious upon return, and he did not see extensive playing time as a junior. Spruce Creek went 8-13-0 last season, its first losing record since 2014-15.

Seeking to pull her son out of a mental rut, Jacqueline Bodnar suggested last April that Tristan focus on life's positives and express gratitude on paper.

"It's a complete 180 from last year," said Jacqueline, who meditates daily. "I am so proud of him because I know how hard he's worked. His entire childhood, soccer is his passion.

"He's the same player, the same person with the same skills. But the mindset completely changed."

Hawks coach Keith Costner credits Bodnar as one of the squad's most important voices. After he converted the spot kick to give his team the lead Tuesday, Bodnar shouted out a tactical change in formation to his teammates. He let out thunderous celebratory roars after both goals, assuring Spruce Creek a fourth showdown this campaign against Southeast Volusia rivals New Smyrna Beach.

"He came to me (before the season) and said he wanted to prove himself and be a leader, and he did it," Costner said. "He was there all summer. All of my captains are good, but he's the best of the four as far as being vocal and leading by example."

In Bodnar's 19 appearances for Spruce Creek (12-6-2) this season, he has notched multiple goals on six occasions, including four strikes in a Dec. 27 home win over Mainland. Junior forward Bo Radziul has also surpassed the double-digit scoring mark for the Hawks with 11 goals.

New Smyrna Beach (19-1-1), which blanked DeLand 4-0 in Tuesday's first semifinal, prevailed in two of the previous three meetings against the Hawks. The Barracudas have outscored their opponents 84-8 to date, keeping clean sheets in four of their last five contests overall.

"We know that they're strong in every position," Bodnar said. "We've got to keep that into consideration when we go into that game. It's all about tactics and using our strengths to help get us through it."

As for the Five Star Conference's girls soccer final, top-seeded Seabreeze knocked off Spruce Creek 3-0 thanks to a brace from Olivia Chase. The Sandcrabs (6-6-1) will face Flagler Palm Coast (11-8-1) at 5 p.m. Thursday after the Bulldogs squeezed past New Smyrna Beach in a penalty shootout, courtesy of Natalie Neal's two clutch saves.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: High school soccer: Creek forward Tristan Bodnar has new mindset