- April 25, 2024
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PALM COAST--- The Lady Pirates soccer team can now add Class 3A Regional Champs to their list of accomplishments. The Matanzas (24-2-2) girls edged out Land O’Lakes (25-2) Friday night, 1-0, to advance to the Final Four for the first time in school history.
“Land O’ Lakes was as good as their record,” Coach Tony Benvenuto said after the game. “They proved to be a great team, great warriors. They contained Miracle (Porter) pretty much the whole night.”
(Freshman Miracle Porter was chosen as a Person to Watch, in a special section of the Palm Coast Observer, in December. She has scored 60 goals this season.)
The Lady Pirate offense tried a couple different formations Friday, attempting to make their offense more aggressive. The formation that proved the most successful was a 4-4-2, Benvenuot said.
The goal came with 17:20 left in the game, on a long shot by Karen Rodriguez and an assist by Claire Slamka.
“I really felt that one goal either way was going to win this game,” Benvenuto said. “That’s how I felt the entire time.”
While the girls focused on offense, defense was still a huge part of the game, with goal keeper Bella Benvenuto saving nine shots. This was her 20th shut out.
While Coach Tony Benvenuto is hesitant to give the sophomore keeper too much credit, since she is his daughter, Bella Benvenuto’s performance Friday was clutch.
“She came up big for us, handling every shot,” the coach said. “Tonight, she just made me proud.”
The Pirates dream season has come from a lot of hard work on all sides of the field. Losing four starters to injury throughout the season gave freshmen teammates an opportunity to step up and grow in the game.
“There’s the term 'If God gives you lemons make lemonade' — we made a lot of lemonade this year,” Benvenuto said.
The Lady Pirates will continue their state playoff dreams Thursday, Feb. 6, with a 12:30 p.m. matchup against Merritt Island at the Eastern Florida State College, in Melbourne. If Matanzas continues to win, they will play for the state championship 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7.
For past coverage of the Lady Pirates season, CLICK HERE.
