- April 17, 2024
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Photo by Bob Rollins
Photo by Bob Rollins
Photo by Bob Rollins
Photo by Bob Rollins
Photo by Bob Rollins
After a seven-year losing streak to its crosstown rival, Flagler Palm Coast, Matanzas has begun a streak of its own, picking up two straight victories, the latest a 4-2 nail-biter Wednesday, Jan. 6, at FPC.
The Pirates controlled most of the possession in the first part of the half; Leanna Ballschmieder was able to put two shots on goal. Then, at the 20th-minute break, Kamila Perez nailed a shot from outside the box that found the back of the net to put Matanzas up 1-0. With 2:16 left in the first half, FPC’s Bella Giuliano tied the game with her goal.
In the first minutes of the second half, Ballschmieder’s shot got help from the wind, which turned it into the net to put the Pirates up 2-1. Two minutes later, Saba Amiri scored off of a rebound in the box to tie the game again, at the 12-minute mark. Less than a minute later, Miracle Porter was fouled in the penalty box, and she capitalized on the PK for the go-ahead score.
For the nail in the coffin, Perez knocked a crosser right at the top of the box, and Porter outran the goal keeper and volleyed home her second goal of the night.
On getting his second straight win over the Lady Dawgs, coach Tony Benvenuto said, “It feels good. Coach (Pete) Hald has lost a lot of players over the last couple of years to graduation, and we didn’t, so that closed the gap between the two teams.”
Benvenuto’s goal keeper and daughter, Bella, made the biggest difference in the game. She made countless goal-saving blocks in the second half, her biggest coming at the 12-minute mark, when the Pirates were up 3-2.
“I don’t give my daughter enough credit, but Bella came up big in goal tonight,” Benvenuto said. “I think she made some outstanding saves in the second half that kept us in the game, when we needed it, after they tied the game at 2-2.”
Both teams are coming off conference championship wins, and they will both begin district tournament play next week.
