CROSS RIVER, N.Y. - Last fall, in the Section 1 semifinals, John Jay lost on a very questionable call. “It was an extremely tough loss,” said Coach Dave Nuttall. In the aftermath, he’s proud that his girls have opted to put aside any sulking and instead take advantage of the pain.
“These girls are fired up, they want to win,” Nuttall assured.
In goal, the early adversity has stayed the course. A couple of injuries, he said, “It gives some of the younger keepers the chance to step in and prove themselves.”
Of course, it helps that the rookies have a strong team directly in front of them. Mykel Papa is returning as a four-year varsity junior, while Lila Baker and Alex Milich bring almost as much experience.
With a few JV players added to the mix, Nuttall is confident the solid back line will smooth the transition for new players while continuing to operate within a well-tested system. “We try to stay compact and tight and stick together through leadership and communication,” he said.
Up the field, Maye Viders is a sophomore in her third year, and Coco Inglis returns as a junior. “We have experience at midfield too,” said Nuttall.
On attack, Abby Mattielo and Julia Kowalczyk have also been there before, but the length of the field operates under the same umbrella. “For me it’s about the basics and doing them to a high standard,” said the coach.
Even so, Nuttall still leaves his team some wiggle room. “We want them to have creative sparks too,” he said.
The freelancing isn’t completely isolated, though. “A lot of what we do is drop ideas for game situations and how it could play out,” he said. “We do those repetitions so when a game actually happens, they have that mental blueprint.”
As such, the makeup of his assistants gives him more than a few legs to stand on. “These coaches, they know what it’s like to be girls high school soccer players,” he said. “I will never know that. That’s why having female role models in the program is massively important. So I’m lucky to have three female staff.”
However, the goals have no gender. The high standards mean John Jay is always shooting for a championship, but Nuttall sees a bigger picture. Working as a team, communicating, building relationships and overcoming adversity, he concluded, “These are skills we want to teach not just to make them great soccer players and athletes but to be amazing people.”
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