By Ryan Makuch

AFC Ann Arbor are excited to announce the next member of the 2022 women’s team squad, Camila Pescatore. A youth national for Venezuela and a rising senior at William Carey University, Pescatore will spend her first summer with The Mighty Oak here in 2022.

Pescatore comes to AFC Ann Arbor by way of NAIA women’s soccer powerhouse William Carey. In her three seasons with WCU, Pescatore has been a part of two teams that went to a NAIA National Championship, and a third that went to the national semi-finals. Most recently, Pescatore was on a 22-1 national runners-up team that earned 20 of their 22 wins in multi-goal fashion.

Pescatore has been vital to her side’s performance, earning a Third Team NAIA All-American nod as a junior, marking the second consecutive season in which she did so, also earning Second Team NAIA All-American honors as a sophomore. Pescatore started in all 23 games for WCU as a junior, logging two goals and nine assists. A capable outside back, Pescatore has had a successful career as a youth national player for Venezuela, participating in qualifying matches for the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

“I had seen AFCAA a couple of years ago because of another Venezuelan friend that played there, so I heard good things about it,” Pescatore said about her knowledge of AFC Ann Arbor, proving yet again that The Mighty Oak are a global footballing family. She continued, “Also, it seems like AFCAA is very professional toward their players and they offer great opportunities for student-athletes to continue to enjoy soccer during the summer in a competitive environment.”

As for hopes for the season, Pescatore is looking forward to a new challenge. “I am excited to see myself surrounded by different kinds of players than the players I have played the past few years,” she said, before adding, “I think it will be a new challenge where I will be able to become more versatile on the field.”

This is also a moment of adventure for the Venezuelan. “One of my favorite things about the upcoming summer is that I have never been up north in the U.S.,” she shared with AFCAA. Noting how critical this fact was in joining The Mighty Oak, Pescatore is the next in line to be the collegiate standout in a state far away from Michigan to find themselves in the care of AFCAA for a summer, as so many others have been for the club’s entire history.

Women’s Head Coach Boyzzz Khumalo looks forward to welcoming Pescatore into the fold for 2022. “She’s a very exciting player, I’m very excited to work with her,” Khumalo said. He added, “One thing I like about her is that she’s very creative going forward and she likes attacking. I think what she brings to AFC Ann Arbor is also that experience of playing international football, which is something that’s going to be good for us.”

Describing her skills, Pescatore would say, “I think I work very hard. I do not settle during the game, I am always trying to be an option. I love to be on the ball. I am very energetic and will for sure run every ball.” Highlighting her defensive decision-making and ability going forward, she emphasized that she can play on the left or the right, making her a versatile piece for this season’s iteration of The Mighty Oak.

We look forward to welcoming Camila Pescatore to the AFCAA Family in 2022.