- April 18, 2024
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Matanzas forward Gabbi Paiz took a through ball off her right foot and headed toward goal. Her first touch was explosive, and it gave her separation from nearby defenders. It was just her and the Pedro Menendez keeper.
Really, the keeper had no chance.
Three touches later, Paiz calmly tucked the ball into the left side netting of the goal, giving the Lady Pirates a 1-0 lead midway through the first quarter Wednesday night over their district foe.
It was Paiz’s 22nd goal of the season, and she wasn’t finished. She added another goal about 10 minutes into the second half to up her season total to 23, propelling the Lady Pirates to their seventh win.
With a record of 7-2, Matanzas is well on its way to contend for a district title and a state playoff berth — something that wasn’t even a consideration after the team started 0-8 last season.
It’s a 180-degree turnaround for coach Tony Benvenuto’s team, and Paiz — and her must-score attitude — has a lot to do with it.
A must-see player
Paiz, a soft-spoken junior, made varsity as a freshman. It didn’t take long for her to begin scoring at a prolific rate.
Through her freshman and sophomore seasons, she tallied 50 goals and 36 assists. Nine games into this season, her career totals stand at 73 goals and 47 assists.
“I got into soccer because my dad wanted me to play,” Gabbi Paiz said Wednesday, as she watched the JV team from the press box at Matanzas High School. “My dad played with his bothers, but nothing serious.”
Her father, Jose, is Mexican. Her mother, Kristi, is not. Paiz said both of her parents have a lot to do with her success.
Kristi Paiz — who played softball and volleyball — later joked that her daughter’s skills come from her athleticism, not her father’s nationality. Gabbi Paiz also plays on the varsity volleyball team and runs track.
“My parents have played an important role in my life, for always believing in me and being my biggest supporters,” she said. “Without them, I wouldn’t be the player I am.”
Playing in District 4-3A — an eight-team district and likely one of the toughest in the state — Benvenuto said his team hasn’t earned the respect of its opponents. Because Matanzas plays mostly St. Johns County-based teams in district competition — but the school is located in Flagler County — many don’t recognize the talent Paiz possesses. They don’t give her respect; they don’t give his team respect. “But we’re changing that,” Benvenuto said.
In regard to Paiz, he added: “I think people are missing out watching a great player. Anyone who loves soccer should get the opportunity to watch Gabbi play.”
Sixty-four percent
Paiz has accounted for about 64% (23 of 36) of Matanzas’ goals this season. Some might say that’s an uneven distribution of offensive production, but Benvenuto sees it differently.
“You can’t overlook her assists, either,” he said, adding that she can be unselfish on the field.
Being a striker, though, requires players to have selfish tendencies on the pitch. It’s that mindset — the mentality to “go for blood” — that makes a striker so lethal.
“Gabbi also makes wise decisions on when to get the ball to her teammates,” he said.
Of course, when she draws two or three defenders, her teammates will get open. Goals are goals, though.
Paiz has been a striker since she began playing soccer at the age of 5.
She’s the prime example that it’s difficult to explain and dissect a striker’s instincts. It’s just something they have. “As a forward, I feel like it’s my job to score,” Paiz said. “That’s my part.”
Benvenuto tried to take a stab at what makes his leading scorer tick: “Her knack for goal scoring comes from her work rate. She works so hard. She’s like a shark — when she smells blood, she just goes for it.”
That was evident on the first goal against Pedro Menendez, as she blew by the defenders and stared down the keeper before burying the shot with her right foot.
Oddly enough, one-on-one with the keeper isn’t her strength. She’ll be the first to admit that’s an area of her game that needs to improve as she hopes to go on to play Division I soccer.
“Sometimes —” she began, before gasping out about a near miss by a JV player on the field below. “Sometimes, I panic, and I get too close and the keeper comes out and I hit it into her.”
Off the field, Paiz is an ideal teammate, Benvenuto said. She offers rides to practices and games for players who don’t have one.
But as nice as she can be off the field, she’s a different person between the white lines.
That was the case Wednesday night as she looked the Pedro Menendez keeper right in the eyes.
She smelled blood.
