Orlando Christian Prep

After a year away from the pitch, OCP Soccer returned to full varsity competition this season under the direction of Coach Mpumelelo Matutu.

Matutu, who also serves as a math teacher at OCP, was an assistant coach back in 2019 and will have a group of young players that have soccer-playing experience, just not at the high school level.

There are over 15 players on the roster playing in their first year of high school soccer. The are four returning players from 2019, senior Brianna Cooper (C), freshman Mackenzie Stinson, junior Robert Cordes (C), and sophomore Michael Holmes.

Having already gained a sense that this team will be a dedicated group that will continuously improve, Matutu feels that desire to get better every day on the field is going to be one of the strengths of this years team.  He also added that the improvement in the teams technical abilities and game IQ was an area that he'll be working to improve upon since the last time they were on a pitch.

What does success look like for this team?

"Improvement every game and practice leading up to districts, as well as a wining record," said Matutu.

The Warriors travel to West Melbourne to play Calvary Chapel Academy on Thursday November 18 at 6:00 pm.

MORE ABOUT MATUTU

Originally from Zimbabwe, Harare, for high school Matutu played at a sports academy called Churchill Boys High where they won consecutive national championships in his junior & senior years. He also played for the national U20 team for two years before moving to Rock Hill, South Carolina on a full athletic scholarship at Winthrop University. 

At Winthrop, he played one Division-1 season before transferring to Palm Beach Atlantic University where would graduate after playing three more seasons

Matutu has coached largely at soccer camps over the years and was a youth soccer coach when he was playing in college. The same passion for and love of Christ that he shares with his students in the classroom will be lead this team during the 2021-22 season.