Ranch forward headed to Flagler College

Marco Padilla aspires to be a professional soccer player one day.

And now after years of hard work, the Lakewood Ranch High senior is one step closer to fulfilling his dream. On May 13, Padilla signed a national letter-of-intent to play soccer for Flagler College in St. Augustine.

“It’s over,” Padilla said. “This year has been (stressful) not just athletically, but getting academically fit for school between tests, studying and keeping my gpa up. I feel relieved, but I’m happy.

“It’s going to be a whole different level,” Padilla said. “My ultimate goal is to become a professional soccer player, and I’m no different than anyone else (out there). This is a very big step for me.”

Padilla, who plans to major in political science with a minor in international relations, chose Flagler College over a handful of colleges in New York, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.

“I think I made the right choice,” Padilla said. “My parents and I thought this was the best option for me. It’s close to my family, and the school is so nice. It’s a small school, which I’m not used to, but I like it.

“And I love everything about the team — the coaches and the players,” Padilla said. “When I was up there trying out, it felt like I had been there for a year already.”

In his final season with Lakewood, Padilla led the Mustangs into the Class 4A-Region 3 finals for the first time in school history while finishing with a team high XX goals.

Padilla will now spend the next three months playing soccer for Alpha Z, which is ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 12 in the nation, before heading up to Flagler in August.

“It’s helped me adapt to playing college soccer,” said Padilla, who is Alpha Z’s leading scorer. “It’s all about the speed of play. I’m going to be playing forward, and my goal is to score. I’m going to try and be the best, which in my case means being the best scorer because there’s always someone better than you.

“The coach doesn’t care if you’re a freshman or a 28-year-old senior,” Padilla said. “He’s going to put the best talent on the field. For me it’s a challenge, and I love challenges.”

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].