Boca Raton boys soccer head coach Marcelo Castillo relishes milestone victory
Boca Raton boys soccer cruised to a routine 7-0 victory over Pine last Friday but celebrated a special accomplishment with the result.
Bobcats head coach Marcelo Castillo became the first soccer coach in Palm Beach County history to record 400 victories.
It’s the latest chapter in an accomplished legacy in the county soccer annals and it was even more fitting the milestone should fall on senior night.
“I’m not a me-me-me guy,” Castillo said. “I just told the players that I’ve been lucky enough to be surrounded by great players and it just happens to be on a 19-year run. Because I have yet to set foot on a field and win a game myself. If anything, I want to thank all the kids I’ve had during my tenure here at Boca High.”
“This accomplishment, this feat, this milestone is as much theirs as it is mine,” he continued.
Not wanting to take anything away from his seniors’ high-school careers, he was carefully quiet on the point of his own success following the senior night victory.
But of course, in this day and age it’s nigh impossible to hide a landmark of such magnitude – so he was celebrated right along with his team.
Not many coaches can say they’ve reached 400 wins. Even fewer can say they’ve done so as quickly as Castillo.
In that time, he’s lost just 53 times and tallied another 26 ties, which equates to a winning percentage of 84%.
Indeed, bolstered by 11 straight years of 20-plus win seasons between 2005 and 2016, Castillo and company have built one of the true dynasties in Palm Beach County sports.
“I’ve been lucky to be at what I consider to be the No. 1 public school soccer program in the state of Florida,” Castillo said. “And to be its figurehead for 19 years is a blessing within itself.”
Castillo’s run of sustained success has led to a number of program-defining wins.
Under his watch, Boca soccer has won three state championships – in 2010, 2016, and 2020 – as well as nine regional championships and 15 district championships.
Those impressive marks don’t yet take into account this season, Castillo’s 19th, though his undefeated team looks like the squad to beat once again.
And while his milestone is certainly one to be lionized, his focus has already shifted to this week’s district tournament and beyond.
Previewing district tourney: Palm Beach County boys soccer: Playoff districts, favorites, dark horse teams
“I’ll trade it all for another state championship this year,” Castillo said.
Top-seeded Boca boys will host the winner of Wednesday’s district quarterfinals being played between Lake Worth and Park Vista.
Their game will be played on Friday at 8 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Boca Raton soccer's Marcelo Castillo reaches 400-win milestone
