- November 23, 2024
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In just one year and two months, Matanzas’ Miracle Porter has scored 105 goals to break the school record. She broke the record in a 2-0 win against rivals Seabreeze on Monday, Dec. 8, at the Ormond Beach Sports Complex.
The sophomore finished her freshman year with 68 goals, a plateau not reached by any other Floridian in history. This season, Porter has 37 goals with 10 games to go in the regular season, but don’t expect her to walk around with pride.
“It means a lot to me to break the school record,” she said. “I’ve put in a lot of work, and there are many times when I know that I can do a lot better.”
Porter has been playing soccer since she was 3 years old. Her uncle, Chauncey Williams, used to take her to his soccer practices, where he would kick the ball at a young Porter, who would eventually learn the game and start playing. At the age of 5, she wowed her current head coach, Tony Benvenuto.
“I played soccer in Italy, watched great players develop, and I watched her play for the first time, when she was in a recreational league,” he said. “It was the first time that I saw a player, let alone a girl, use her right and left foot at 5 years old. I felt at the time that she could play with much older people.”
The year before her record-breaking season, Porter broke her ankle, and she didn’t think that she would be the same player on the pitch, or even be able to play anymore.
“I just worked my butt off to get back,” she added. “I began to train on my on, and I’m glad it paid off.”
Porter defines herself as someone who loves to set goals and attain them. Her ultimate goal is to make the US National soccer team one day.
“Because of all the money and time my mom has put into my soccer life, I just want to show her I can do it,” she said.
Porter also discussed the levels of frustration that she and her mom can inflict on her. When she finds herself struggling on the pitch, and she hears her mom screaming from the sideline and in the car after matches for her to play better, Porter calls those instances the most frustrating soccer moments for her.
“I know it’s all to help make me a better player,” Porter said about her mother’s criticism. “That’s why I always bring my “A” game for the next match.”
With Matanzas’ win over the Lady Sandcrabs, the Lady Pirates (12-1-2) will host the first two rounds of the district tournament. With Porter as the leader, Benvenuto feels his chances of winning are a lot better than with her on his team than vice versa.
“She’s a game changer,” he said. “I call her the ‘It-factor’ because of what she can do. She’s just on another level than most players. I always tell people that I’d rather she play on my team than against me.”
