- December 4, 2025
Flagler Palm Coast goalkeeper Natalie Neal had little time to celebrate her team’s victory Saturday, July 26, in the 7v7 high school school summer soccer league.
Immediately after the FPC girls won the playoff championship, Neal was back in the net on an adjacent field at the Indian Trails Sports Complex, stepping in as the goalie for a St. Augustine High boys team.
It was the second Saturday in a row she filled in as the goalie for the SAH boys. Ramtin Amiri, the FPC boys coach and the league’s organizer, asked Neal to help out the team which was missing a goalie. But she had misgivings.
“I said, ‘I don't know if I want to because I'm a little scared of getting hurt,’ but I was trying to make excuses,” she said. “He was like, ‘No, we have a shirt for you, just put your stuff on,’ and I said, ‘OK, sure, I'll play.’ At first, it was very extreme. I was kind of scared, because the first ball went straight into the top net, and I was like, ‘Great, that's what I have to deal with.’”
The rising senior has been the Bulldogs’ starting goalie since she was a freshman. She was ranked ninth in the state in Class 7A among junior goalies last season with a 1.795 goals against average. Over three seasons she has 28 shutouts, 362 saves and a 1.422 GAA.
And she is now 2-0 playing with the boys. St. Augustine defeated a Matanzas team 5-4 on Saturday. She said she felt more comfortable in her second game.
“I’ve practiced with guys before, but I haven't really played with them in a game setting,” she said. “So, it was different. It was kind of hard to get used to at first. Like today, there were two (goals) in like the first five minutes, and I was a little scared because this team (Matanzas) was a little better than last week’s (opponent). But last week was very intense.”
After the first five minutes Saturday, she settled down. The 7v7 games are played on a short field and are normally high scoring, but she allowed just two goals the rest of the way.
“I ended up getting used to it pretty well,” Neal said. “It's a very fast-paced game. The girls kick really hard, but these shots are like curving and like straight down the middle. I enjoy it, though. I find it fun.”
