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© St. Petersburg Times, published May 28, 2002
Nikki Castro, a three-time all-county selection at sweeper, said Monday she will accept a soccer scholarship to Eckerd College in St. Petersburg.
"I think it's going to be a good fit for me," said Castro, who graduated this weekend after leading Zephyrhills to a 9-7-5 record. "I'll be by myself a little, but it's not too far from home either."
Castro, whose stellar defensive play made her a four-year contributor at sweeper and helped the Bulldogs to district titles her freshman and junior seasons, hopes to study accounting at Eckerd, a Division II school. The Tritons' program is entering its fifth season.
"I think it's going to work out good for her," said her father, Zephyrhills boys soccer coach Philip Castro, who has now seen all three of his children continue their soccer careers at the collegiate level. His son, Jeff, a 1999 Zephyrhills graduate, played at Newberry College in South Carolina, and his daughter, DeeDee, just finished her junior year as a sweeper and academic All-American at Florida Atlantic.
FAU recruited Nikki to join her sister, and while the two have always played well together, Nikki said she didn't want to put herself in a position to compete with her sister for the same job.
"We're both sweepers, and if I went to FAU, I'd be playing outside back," Castro said. "I love playing with her, and we've played well when we've played on the same team, but I had to pick the best situation for me."
Castro will be in Cocoa Beach this weekend as a member of the Hillsborough County United team, which advanced to the state final four of the Florida Youth Soccer Association's State Cup. United's next match is against Team Boca Storm, state champion in each of the past five seasons.