- December 23, 2024
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Ben Kopach has been a solid goalkeeper in his four years at Matanzas. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Ben Kopach has has shined on the soccer field and in the classroom. Photo by Brent Woronoff
A shared interest in sports helped Ben Kopach and his friends come up with the idea for the Flagler County Sports SWAP. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Ben Kopach is an ace at Future Problem Solving and making saves. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Ben Kopach has allowed just five goals in the Pirates' last eight games. Photo by Brent Woronoff
It's not easy getting a ball past goalkeeper Ben Kopach. But if you want to hand him a soccer ball, he'll be glad to swap it out for you.
The Matanzas senior's favorite extracurricular activities are soccer and Future Problem Solvers, and he's a champion in both.
The Pirates' boys soccer team won district titles each of the past two seasons. Last year, Matanzas won a regional quarterfinal for the first time with Kopach recording a shutout.
In Future Problem Solvers, Kopach's Community Problem Solvers teams have won four state championships and two international championships. His ninth grade project — Flagler County Sports SWAP — continues to be an asset to the community.
"I told my husband, we're going to be doing that in our retirement years," said Amy Kopach, Ben's mom. "I hope I'm doing that for the community when I'm old and have grandkids, because it's such a great community service."
Kopach, Matanzas junior Aiden White and Flagler Palm Coast seniors Tommy Sturman and Jake Blumengarten created Flagler County Sports SWAP three years ago to help families obtain sports equipment. SWAP stands for Students Wanting Athletic Participation. The Sports SWAP is housed in a back room at Shepherd of the Coast Lutheran Church and is open every Monday evening from 5:30 to 7.
The four friends continue to collect donations of sports equipment and hand them out or swap them out to those in need. Cleats can run upwards of $100, Kopach said. If your child has a pair of size 5 cleats he is outgrowing, you can trade those in for a larger size, he said. They've collected equipment for just about every sport or sports-related activity over the years.
"We've gotten hundreds of items since we opened (Flagler County Sports SWAP). This has actually been one of our busiest years. Every year since we opened has been an increase. People are starting to know about it more and are using it more."
— BEN KOPACH
"We've gotten hundreds of items since we opened the shop," Kopach said. "This has actually been one of our busiest years. Every year since we opened has been an increase. People are starting to know about it more and are using it more."
Kopach said their inventory during one week in December included about 50 pairs of soccer cleats, 70 baseball bats, 50 softball bats and 30 T-ball bats.
Next year, with three of the team members graduating, Kopach said his younger brother, Wesley, who will be in eighth grade, will step in to help. They are also looking for other volunteers.
"My dad really likes the project, and my parents want to stay involved," Kopach said.
Kopach said he has been interested in Future Problem Solvers since he was in second grade when his mom was an FPS coach at Rymfire Elementary School.
"I would see these kids staying after school to work on these Future Problem Solvers projects," he said. "So I had been around it for years before I was able to join. And then I got into fifth grade, and I've been doing it ever since."
Kopach's Community Problem Solver teams won international grand championships two years in a row: the Sport SWAP in 2020 and "Be Yourself, Brand Yourself" in 2021, showing students how they can position themselves in social media and brand themselves for colleges.
Last year, he competed as an individual and won first place at internationals (grand championships are only for team entries) for "the Full Experience," which helps pave the way for ESE students to get involved in sports and other extracurricular activities. This year, Kopach is again doing an individual project in which he's creating a data base to show students the after-school jobs that are available in Flagler County.
"He absolutely loves (Future Problem Solvers)," said Amy Kopach, who is now on Flagler County's Board of Directors for FPS. "It's bittersweet that this is his last year. But he will continue as a student evaluator."
Kopach also knew from a young age that he wanted to be a goalkeeper.
"When you're young, you play on the little pop-up goals where there's no goalie," he said. "I knew I always liked being a defender. I never like being the one to score. I was like, 'let me try being a goalie.' The first time I tried it, I loved it. Since then, there's never been a thought to play anywhere besides in goal."
He has been playing for the high-level Florida Elite Soccer Academy in Jacksonville since he was in eighth grade. He has been Matanzas' goalkeeper since he was a freshman.
"Watching him at a young age, he's always been focused and coachable. He's always picked up details right away. This year, he's been crucial for us."
— BETO AGUILAR, Matanzas boys soccer coach
"I had worked with him in club before he got to high school," said Matanzas boys soccer coach Beto Aguilar. "Watching him at a young age, he's always been focused and coachable. He's always picked up details right away. This year, he's been crucial for us."
Kopach has allowed just five goals in the Pirates' last eight games. He's recorded three shutouts in a row.
"If you have a solid goalkeeper, he'll keep you in the game," Aguilar said. "He's one of our captains. I think the players respect him and want to play for Ben."
Kopach plans to play soccer in college. He has offers from Nova Southeastern, Florida Atlantic and Embry-Riddle. He is looking for a school where his academic and athletic pursuits align. Kopach is dual-enrolled at Daytona State College and has completed the AICE program at Matanzas. He plans to major in engineering.
First, he hopes to help lead the Pirates to another district soccer title.
"Last year we had a really big crowd (at the regional quarterfinal)," he said. "The stands were full. There was music going on and drums and horns and everything. It was like a football game for us. And then we ended up pulling out the win. That was big for us, because we showed we could do something. That was my favorite game I've ever played."
