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The feel around the PSA boys’ soccer program is already much different than it was last year. How can it not be, really?
In a COVID year, there were only three players on the roster when Ryan Dunnigan was hired as the new coach, which quickly doubled in the fall, then grew to 14 in the spring, which allowed the Mustangs to play an abbreviated schedule.
This season however, there are already 21 boys training out on the pitch, with another three or four on the way.
“We’re in a much healthier spot than we were,” Dunnigan said. “The good thing too is that they’re not all postgrads or seniors, so it helps us build a foundation for the years to come, in terms of what we’re about as a school and as a soccer program.”
And for Dunnigan, who coached at the collegiate level before joining PSA, there are certain things that he wants his program to be about. The first thing is to get the players the exposure to college coaches.
“My ultimate goal every year is to have all of my seniors and PGs committed and moving on to the next level at the place that is the right fit academically and athletically for them, because that’s what they come here to do,” he said. “They leave their countries, their families, their friends, their clubs to come take a chance and spark an opportunity to play at the collegiate level and chase that American dream so to speak.
“And my message to them is that to be recruitable, you have to be able to play within a system. They need to know that if they don’t buy in to our system and they’re just playing as individuals on the field, they’re not going to gel, they’re going to look bad, and college coaches will notice that. You could be the most talented player, but if you have bad tendencies defensively or a bad work ethic or habits, they’re going to notice those things and factor into their recruiting.”
Of the 21 on the current roster, only two – Zach Vlachos (Peabody, Mass.) and Landon Pettigrew (nearby Plainfield) – are from the U.S. The rest of the team is built out of players from Brazil, Mexico, Rwanda, South Africa, Spain, Portugal, Canada, Guatemala, and Argentina.
It is a deeper roster than last year as well, and not just in terms of sheer numbers. That team had four or five top players, then everyone else. This group has much more balance of talent.
“There are a lot of good players on this team,” said goalkeeper Mateo Gularte, who played for the Mustangs last year. “I feel safe that if a player is tired and needs a rest, we have someone else who can come in and the play isn’t that different. There is not as much difference between our starters and the subs as last year.”
Dunnigan, who doesn’t typically like to substitute players, agreed with that assessment and the obvious benefit that it “gives us the ability to have guys fight for spots and compete and be rewarded.”
Dunnigan said one of his other goals is to make sure his players enjoy this experience, but not just on the field. He said it’s about cultivating boys into young men and helping to instill traits and characteristics that will propel them forward in life. He wants them to have positive life experiences at PSA and come together as people on a team, “to make sure that this is one of the best teams that they’re a part of.”
Finally, he is looking forward to, hopefully, making more of an impact in the local community.
“We weren’t able to do a lot of the things last year that I wanted to, like going to practices with youth programs and being able to help with community events,” he said. “I want to push our guys to have the same hunger off the field as on.
“I want them to be the most-liked team on campus and have the best reputation. I want them to have the highest team GPA, which is something we will be tracking and publicizing. I’m very competitive and I want to win every game, but I want them to be more concerned on the development side of things, both on the field as players and off the field as young men who contribute to the people around them.”
By Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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