- September 6, 2024
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Campers line up in the Matanzas High School gym after the soccer camp was forced inside due to lightning. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Elijah Xiong (left) marks Braelyn Somera. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Jaxon Conley dribbles during a drill at the Matanzas soccer camp. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Elijah Xiong (left) dribbles during a drill. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas boys soccer coach Beto Aguilar explains a drill to campers. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Gabriela Rosales goes against a defender in a drill. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Yaretzi Garcia (left) and Gabriela Rosales chase down the ball. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Blake Gallo (left) goes for the goal on the indoor court as Kasen Gaydon plays defense. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Austin Brown (left) and Haley Fields. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Kane Gaydon. Photo by Brent Woronoff
From left, Blake Gallo, Chase Renuart, Kasen Gaydon and Austin Brown (background) as Matanzas girls varsity soccer player Maria Martins watches over the drill. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Kendall Miller (right) tries to dribble past Kendyl Coates and Braelyn Somera as Matanzas varsity player Eva Servello (background) watches the drill. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas varsity and JV soccer players who helped run the drills on the camp's final day, July 19: Owen Burton, Noah Beck, Jackson Grace, Cohen Waltman and Kai Bonner. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Gabriela Rosales (left) in a drill before the camp was forced to go indoors on July 18. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Tanner Lagocki (left) battles Dylan Ciardi in a drill at Matanzas soccer camp. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Chase Renuart defends against Brianna Medina. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas High soccer players Kai Bonner (left) and Jackson Grace battle in a drill as campers watch. Photo by Brent Woronoff
For most of the three-day Matanzas High School youth soccer camp, the Pirates went with Plan B.
The weather did not cooperate on the evenings of July 17-19, so the coaches took the 22 campers into the gym and turned the skills camp into a “futsal” camp — the indoor version of the outdoor game.
Instead of taking long shots on goal, the campers concentrated on controlling the ball on a fast surface.
“We used the backup plan,” Matanzas boys soccer coach Beto Aguilar said. “Florida weather is always unpredictable, so we had to take it indoors. The ball's going to be moving a little bit faster (on the hard wood surface) and now they're having to work on their technique to keep the ball close. It was a good opportunity to show the kids another aspect of soccer. Futsal is an integral part of outside soccer. A lot of pro teams do futsal.”
This was the first year the Pirates have put on youth camps. They also hosted a three-day morning camp at the end of May. Both camps were for boys and girls in grades 3 through 8. Matanzas boys and girls soccer players helped run the drills with a different group of high school players helping out each day. The camps were organized by the boys soccer booster club, benefiting the boys program.
“We wanted to promote Matanzas soccer and have our high school kids interact with the younger kids, and maybe they’ll find a role model,” Aguilar said. “So that's why I try to get all of our players to come out as much as they can, so we can make some fans, where they say, ‘I want to play like him,’ or ‘I want to play like her.’”
Matanzas held its camp just a week after Flagler Palm Coast hosted a similar soccer camp. Aguilar said both camps are helping promote the sport in Flagler County.
“I like that FPC was doing their camp too,” Aguilar said. “It’s giving out programs some exposure and kind of helping create that soccer culture. Hopefully in the future these camps will help both of our programs be successful.”
