One goal at a time for Bulls

Madelyn Portwood arrived at Parrish Community High School knowing no one.

The junior soccer player transferred prior to this season after playing two seasons at Lakewood Ranch High. Since Portwood was already attending Lakewood Ranch High when Parrish's school zone was created, she was given the option to stay a Mustang. Her younger sister, however, did not have that luxury — the school is at capacity and not accepting siblings — and was forced to attend Parrish. Portwood decided it would be easier for both of them to attend the same school, so she made the switch to Parrish.   

"I didn't know anyone at Parrish before I got here," Portwood said. "It was a brand-new experience, but they [her teammates] made it easy. Everyone was super welcoming. We all connected fast and it's showing on the field." 

When a program is in its infancy, friendships come fast. 

Bulls Coach Nicole Paternostro came to Parrish from Braden River High two years ago when the school opened, jumping on the change to build a team. Paternostro said she knew from talking to other coaches in similar situations that building a girls soccer program from the ground up would be a challenge.

Nothing had been established, including things such as team meals and bus schedules, plus, at least for this season, pandemic restrictions. Paternostro said once all that was in place, she could begin focusing on the soccer aspect as much as she had at other places. 

Now in its second year of existence, the program is starting to take shape. The Bulls (3-2-1) have no seniors and six juniors. The remaining 11 players are freshmen and sophomores. Junior midfielder Krystal Parra, who also lives in East County, said she can feel the program improving, in large part because of the team's new additions, like Portwood, Hayden Lepley (who leads the team with six goals as of Dec. 11) and fellow East County resident Izzy Silverio, a freshman.

In fact, seven of the players live in the Lakewood Ranch area and now cross the Fort Hamer Bridge to attend school, in its second year. 

Parrish Community is playing a mix of varsity and junior varsity teams this season. Even though the Bulls are not eligible for the postseason, they're challenging themselves every chance they get. Parrish played Braden River (7-3) at home Dec. 10. The Bulls lost 4-2, but looked competitive, even scoring the first goal of the game by Lepley. 

Paternostro is happy with the team's play, but has her eyes on other aspects of the program as well. 

"My whole philosophy is I'm not just coaching the game of soccer, I'm coaching life skills," Paternostro said. "My expectations for the girls are for them to be disciplined and to be respectful to everyone: the other team, the referees, the other coaches. I want them to have good standing in the community. In my experience, players want to play for a team like that." 

Paternostro said the team has been a part of multiple charity events this season, including raising money for breast cancer awareness — the Bulls tie-dyed masks — and participating in canned food drives. 

Silverio said those events are part of what has made the season so fun. The team has a group chat, titled 'goal diggers,' where everyone jokes with one another. It's fun to be a part of something where everyone has the same aspirations, she said.

Games like the one against Braden River prove that things are headed in the right direction, even if the final destination is a few seasons away.