GIRLS SOCCER PREVIEWS

Palm Coast Observer
Sports

Roster comes full circle for Lady Bulldogs
Last season, the FPC girls soccer team lost in the regional quarterfinals.

Regardless of how many players graduate, Pete Hald’s girls soccer team at Flagler Palm Coast High School is rarely in a rebuilding year. And that will likely be the story again this year.

Eight players are gone from last year’s roster, but that hasn’t posed any problems yet for Hald.

Earlier this week, he picked up his 347th career win as the Lady Bulldogs coach.

Forward Christen Barney returns as the team’s leading goal scorer. “Barney up front will be a handful,” Hald said, of his sophomore striker.

Sophomores Josie Davis and Cara Warren will be the outside midfielders and Victoria Martins will move to center midfield. All four defenders will be new, including freshman center back Amanda Raleigh.

“You would think that the back four would be a weakness, but I think they will be good, maybe as good as we were last year,” Hald said.

Hald’s biggest concern, though, is finding scoring help, especially against tough defensive teams. “Barney can’t do it by herself,” he said.

For two consecutive seasons, the Lady Bulldogs have lost to Spruce Creek in the district championship. FPC went on to lose to Fletcher in the first round of the state playoffs.

FPC hopes to change its fortunes this season. And that starts with getting back to the district championship.

Things are beginning to come full circle for Hald, who is in his 22nd year as the Lady Bulldogs coach.

Martins will be the first player who played four years. She’s also the daughter of a player who played on Hald’s first team, back in 1991.

LADY BULLDOGS SCHEDULE
7 p.m. Nov. 14, vs. University
7 p.m. Nov. 16, @ Oviedo Hagerty
Nov. 19-21, Nike Tourney, @ Lakewood Ranch
7 p.m. Dec. 4, vs. Jacksonville Bolles
7 p.m. Dec. 5, vs. DeLand
4 p.m. Dec. 12, @ University
Dec. 14-15, Julie Weber Memorial Classic, @ Lake Mary
7 p.m. Dec. 17, @ New Smyrna Beach
7 p.m. Dec. 19, vs. Spruce Creek
7 p.m. Jan. 2, vs. Pine Ridge
7:30 p.m. Jan. 4, @ Matanzas
7:30 p.m. Jan. 8, @ Ponte Vedra
7 p.m. Jan. 10, vs. Seabreeze
4 p.m. Jan. 11, @ Mainland
*District tournament begins Jan. 15, at FPC

FPC’S POCKET TACTICS
Coach: Pete Hald, 22nd year
Top returning scorers: Christen Barney (28 goals, 15 assists), Victoria Martins (8 goals, 4 assists), Josie Davis and Sarah DiLoreto (both with 7 goals)
Formation: 4-4-2
Biggest offseason change: The Lady Bulldogs replace eight plays from last year’s team, including four new defenders.

Young Lady Pirates hope to shine bright
The Lady Pirates turn to a freshman goalkeeper to stabilize a new defensive scheme.

Over the last two seasons, Matanzas girls soccer coach Tony Benvenuto has been forced to use 10 different players at the goalkeeper position.

The team has needed stability between the pipes. Now, they have it.

Freshman Michaela Benvenuto will take over in goal for Matanzas.

“We finally have an experienced goalkeeper in Michaela,” Benvenuto said. “Although she’s only a freshman, she plays the position the well.”

More importantly, that’s been her main position all through youth soccer — something that really hasn’t been the case for Matanzas’ previous keepers.

Matanzas enters the season with an experienced midfield, and junior Gabbi Paiz continues to be the team’s prolific goal-scoring threat. Karen Rodriguez, a freshman, will join Paiz up top.

This season, Benvenuto implemented a flat-back defense, meaning all defenders play in a straight line rather than one player deeper than the other three defenders. Junior Gabby Foran and senior Alyssa Santos anchor the defense.

Benvenuto said many fans measure success by wins and losses, but that Matanzas is in one of the toughest districts in the state, which includes teams from Ponte Vedra, Bartam Trail and Creekside.

“Every year (in this district), good teams and players get left out of the state playoffs,” Benvenuto said.

Last season, Matanzas was the fourth seed and lost in the district tournament. Benvenuto, in his second year with the girls team and sixth overall at Matanzas, hopes his younger team can make a state playoff run this season.

LADY PIRATES SCHEDULE
7 p.m. Nov. 13, vs. St. Augustine
7:20 p.m. Nov. 15, vs. Bartram Trail
7:20 p.m. Nov. 26, vs. Orange Park
7:20 p.m. Nov. 28, vs. Pedro Menendez
7 p.m. Dec. 4, @ Ponte Vedra
7:20 p.m. Dec. 6, @ Creekside
12 p.m. (Saturday), Dec. 8, @ Seabreeze
7:20 p.m. Dec. 10, vs. Oakleaf
7:30 p.m. Dec. 11, @ Nease
7:30 p.m. Dec. 14, @ Pedro Menendez
6 p.m. Dec. 17, @ DeLand
7:30 p.m. Jan. 4, vs. FPC
7 p.m. Jan. 10, @ Father Lopez
7 p.m. Jan. 11, vs. Crescent City (Senior Night)
*District tournament begins Jan. 14, at Bartram Trail

MATANZAS’ POCKET TACTICS
Coach: Tony Benvenuto, sixth year (second with girls)
Top returning scorers: Gabbi Paiz (22 goals, 17 assists) and Stephanie Giminez (8 goals, 12 assists)
Formation: Depends on opponent, but mostly 4-4-2 or 4-3-3
Offseason changes: The Lady Pirates will move to a flat-back with its four defenders, meaning it will be a straight line as opposed to a sweeper playing deeper than the other defenders.