LYNN — As a high school soccer player, Lynn native Gaby Diaz-Martinez helped lead the St. Mary’s girls team to a state tournament appearance last fall. As a club soccer player, Diaz-Martinez is continuing her winning ways this summer.
A center-midfielder, Diaz-Martinez plays club soccer for the NEFC Boston Breakers Academy North Shore Elite G2002 16-under team, which will represent Massachusetts this week in the National Cup XVII Finals. BBA North Shore Elite traveled to Aurora, Colorado earlier this week to compete in the national stage with games scheduled from July 20-July 24.
BBA North Shore Elite reached the National Cup Finals last year, though Diaz-Martinez wasn’t a member of the team at the time as this is her first year with the group. The team’s coached by Doc Simpson, who’s also the head coach of the girls soccer team at Pingree.
With the start of the national round just days away, Diaz-Martinez said she feels nerves kicking in but expects to zone out the butterflies in her stomach come gametime. The team’s first game is scheduled for Friday (5 p.m. Mountain Time).
“We’re all kind of nervous but we’re really excited for it,” Diaz-Martinez, a rising junior at St. Mary’s, said. “This is the team’s second time going to nationals. I’m definitely nervous but I can’t wait. Hopefully we’re going to win it all.
“I think the nerves come up right before you step on the field,” Diaz-Martinez added. “Once you get on the field, you realize you just have to get it done.”
The route to the national stage wasn’t an easy one for BBA North Shore Elite. The team, with a roster mostly compiled of rising high school juniors, had to earn the Massachusetts New England Premiership State Cup before advancing to nationals. In tournament-style play, BBA North Shore Elite won a pair of 1-0 games for the state crown.
“Those games were really close and we played really good teams,” Diaz-Martinez said. “It actually ended up going to shootouts both games after overtime. We were able to get through it. We’re a really confident team. We don’t give up at all. We put effort first. We all love to play and we all have a passion for it. We all love each other so there’s great connections both on and off the field.
Diaz-Martinez added, “The teams we play are very good. They’re super technical. It’s a very fast paced game. Coming down to those games where it’s win or go home can get you a bit nervous but once you get on the field and play with your teammates it’s really fun.”
For Diaz-Martinez, the opportunity to play club soccer and experience a different level of the game has allowed her to develop as a player. Diaz-Martinez said she’s learning with each practice and growing as a player on a daily basis.
“I see myself growing all the time,” Diaz-Martinez said. “Every practice, Coach Doc pushes us to be better every day. All our coaches work hard at that. It’s high level soccer. It’s always good to learn every day. We practice and play scrimmages too. We learn so much.”
BBA North Shore Elite took a few days to rest before going back to practice in preparing for nationals. A few tweaks here and there in areas of improvement have been the main focus along with preparing for the steamy weather conditions in Colorado. All games will be played at Aurora Sports Park.
“We’re practicing a lot, we had practice all last week,” Diaz-Martinez said. “Coach Doc gave us some time off to enjoy summer but once we got back to work it was full steam ahead. Practice-wise, we fix things we can work on. We practice at Pingree and they have a new turf field there. Doc has had us practice on that field and it helps us get ready for the (weather) conditions.”
While the goal is to compete with top-notch club teams from around the country, winning a national cup would provide Diaz-Martinez and her teammates with a memory that won’t be forgotten any time soon.
“It’d be amazing,” Diaz-Martinez said. “I’d love to win it with this team. We’re all so close with each other. It’s a great experience for us to go over there now but if we win it all it’d be absolutely amazing.
“We’re all super pumped for it,” Diaz-Martinez added. “Every practice, we’re all so excited for it. In our group chat we’re all pumping each other up to go out there, have a good time and try to win it.”
