Three years ago, the Saratoga Central Catholic Ladies Soccer team was at risk of dissolving due to lack of coaching. Fortunately, Brian Venn, whose daughter plays for the team, volunteered to step into the head coach roll.
When Venn along with assistant coach Tony Nucrea took over in 2024, the team won eight games and were knocked out in the quarterfinals of sectionals. That was an improvement on the 1-15 record the team had the year before.
Last year the team won nine games and made it to the quarterfinals of sectionals, a qualifying improvement.
“When we set out to do this three years ago, we thought to ourselves, first we have to build stability in the program. We have to get the younger athletes,” Nucera said. “So we have that stability now. We started with 11 or 12 and now we have 11 underclassmen, which is almost equal to what we had when we first started.”
This year Coach Venn has challenged the team to play 20 games.
“If we play 20 games that means we are in the state tournament and we won a sectional title,” Venn said.
Talking to the players who have played on the team for the past three years, it’s easy to see how the program has grown to have lofty ambitions.
“Being open and welcoming to everyone and treating them like how I was first brought onto the team. Being new, it was scary at first, so just being there for them and say, ‘if you ever need anything even outside of soccer in general, you’re going through something, I’m always there,’” said senior captain Addison Quail, who is one of the team’s only full-time soccer athletes.
At a school with an average class size of 29, most of the athletes play other sports and were recruited by their friends.
That was the case for senior goalie Grace Schaefer, who brought her softball bag to last week’s soccer practice.
“Because I’m a catcher in softball, I’m constantly catching things, so I might as well try goalie and see how that goes. I was good at kicking the ball, I was good at blocking it and then it just stuck,” Schaefer reflected on her three years on the team.”
Basketball is senior midfielder, Sophia Ryan’s primary sport, who led the team to Spa Catholic’s first ever Section 2 basketball title last winter.
“A couple of my friends were playing [soccer], and I had played when I was younger, so I was like I’ll try it out,” Ryan said. “I started playing softball too just to help the team out because they needed players.”
Since the team has seen a revitalization from fresh coaching and enthusiasm from players, the parents have reciprocated. Every year, Cooperstown Distillery hosts a parents-only fundraising event in support of team. This allowed the team to purchase new jerseys in 24’ and afford an independent schedule.
This year, Skidmore College has invited the team to play three games Friday night games under the lights, highlighting how far the program has come.
Over the summer the team has been practicing two times per day in preparation for the season, and because they want to spend all the time they can with their friends.
The ladies kick off their season Labor Day weekend at a Bolton Landing tournament.
League games begin September 8 against Hadley Luzere, hopefully picking up their first of 20 wins this season!
