North Wales’ Mackenzie Pluck and Gwynedd Valley’s Giovanna DeMarco have been competing in soccer since their youth and now hope to join a Philly pro team together, writes Jonathan Tannenwald for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Pluck and DeMarco faced off from their earliest soccer days in Players Development Academy and Match Fit Academy. Their rivalry continued through high school at Germantown Academy and Penn Charter, and then college at Duke and Wake Forest.
They both turned pro last year and joined West Coast NWSL teams. Plush joined Los Angeles’ Angel City FC as an undrafted free agent, while DeMarco was drafted in the fourth round by the San Diego Wave.
This summer, Pluck and DeMarco both landed short-term contracts with NWSL teams, Gotham FC and North Carolina Courage, respectively. They then switched to the USL Super League, joining Brooklyn FC and Carolina Ascent.
“I feel like it just shows our level of closeness, and I think it just comes from how much we both care about soccer,” said DeMarco.
In the future, the two athletes are hoping to play for a Philly pro soccer club, if it becomes a reality.
Read more about the two friends in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
