McALLEN — McAllen Rowe girls soccer head coach John Martinez had a wildcard up his sleeve this year for every match — that was Camila Gil.
The sophomore was an offensive force, for one. She scored 27 goals and dished out 34 assists. But she didn’t do all that damage from playing up top. She played, scored and was a major threat from everywhere Martinez needed her.
Because of her ability to be a game-changer as a forward, midfielder or defender, Gil has been named The Monitor’s All-Area Girls Soccer Utility Player of the Year.
“She’s definitely an amazing talent, and she had the attitude that she would play wherever would be best for the team,” Martinez said. “Having a girl like that, with that mindset and talent, is special. I’m glad she plays for us.”
Rowe finished the season with a 9-2-3 record in a district in which first and fourth places were separated by just three points. Gil had a major part in keeping it that tight, especially in the District 31-5A opener against city rival McAllen High. With less that 10 seconds remaining in the first half, Gil, playing defense, took a free kick from about 45 yards and precisely placed it on the top back corner of the net, giving her team a 1-0 lead.
The Warriors ended up winning 2-1 on penalty kicks.
“I saw the keeper was too far up and nobody was covering the back post,” said Gil, who was The Monitor’s All-Area Newcomer of the Year last year. “At first I thought it would land in the penalty box for someone to tap in, but I had enough power behind it.”
Gil finished her freshman season with 35 goals, playing more of her time as a forward. Seemingly that would be the spot for her to continue playing but, Martinez said, as good as she is in that position, she was even more valuable in the middle or, especially, in the back.
“Camila is an elite defender, and her work ethic is incredible. She’s out training it seems every day,” Martinez said. “She wasn’t only scoring still but she was also distributing and getting everyone else involved. But at the next level, she’s going to be a defender. She’s at another level there.”
Gil said her goal before next season is to work on her quickness, especially without the ball, as well as getting stronger physically.
She said having to move around a lot took a toll on her, but she wanted to do what’s best for the team.
“There were different amounts of running and different conditioning needed for the positions,” she said. “Coach would say I’m helping the team in more ways than I could see. I just kept remaining myself of what I needed to do and got into it.”