This was an ideal week for fans of high school soccer to stop by St. Ed’s and watch the boys and girls teams host postseason district tournaments. At 13-2-1, the boys were well positioned to move past a semifinal match on Wednesday and qualify for states. The 2-9 girls were more of a longshot in a semifinal opener Tuesday against Pine School. Both championships will be determined Friday evening.
Samantha Borkovic took over as head coach of the girls team this year. The roster of 19 featured one lone senior and three juniors, a structure that points more to the future than it does to the present. That and other circumstances signaled for a slightly unorthodox coaching style as the best way to approach this season.
“I love the idea of being so engrossed in the game that you are living through it with the players during that time,” Borkovic explained about her philosophy to downplay analytics. “I ended up getting too distracted during the play of the game to keep stats. We decided against doing any of that type of thing in order to focus on building our program.
“Coming in new this year we had to emphasize things differently from what was done in the past. Making those kind of adjustments has been a journey that we all have been on together. Starting in October we had to build up those basic skills necessary in soccer.
“We started rolling with that and in terms of wins and losses our season is not necessarily where we want it to be, or where we want the girls soccer program to be. As cliché as it is, we knew this would be a building year.
“We are building a philosophy, building energy and building a commitment. Looking to next year we have a solid class of eighth-graders combined with sophomores and juniors interested in coming back. A part of that will be making sure the leadership on this team gets stronger every year.
“Our only senior this year, Molly McGee, is our captain and she’s done a tremendous job. She has stepped up in the goal, which is a new position for her. Our eighth-graders, Emma Lockwood, Kalani Wright and Caroline Zoltak, have brought amazing skills and energy to our program. So given the younger dynamic of our team, I felt it was really important to emphasize effort, consistency and to feel proud about what we put out on the field – and not focusing as much on the stats.”
Borkovic grew up in Pennsylvania and started playing soccer as a “little kid” before moving on to developmental and club programs. She went on to play in high school and college. Her coaching resume includes stops at schools in Ohio and North Carolina. She immediately latched on as an assistant to Jaclyn and Scott Mohr with the Pirates.
“I loved working with Jaclyn and Scott when I came down here,” Borkovic said about augmenting her responsibilities as school counselor and water camp director. “They had family commitments that took over (raising two children), but they are a great pair. When Jaclyn and Scott stepped aside and left a hole to be filled, it was a good chance for me to work with – and get to know – the girls a little bit more.
“Now I just want to continue to give back to the sport I love. I’m an avid soccer fan. The Women’s World Cup this summer, it doesn’t get any better than that. To be a role model for young people, especially young women as they figure out who they are and what they want from the sport, I’m excited to be a part of that with them.”
Being a part of that includes team bonding events designed to be fun – and meetings encouraging the girls to share ownership of the program through self-evaluation and thoughts about adjustments needed in practice. The first-year head coach was supported quite ably in that and other matters by assistant coach Beth Munz.
“She is actually in the Athletic Hall of Fame at St. Edward’s from her time as a soccer player here,” Borkovic told us. “She played D1 soccer at Boston College, so it’s pretty cool to have her as a presence. She has two boys in school at St. Edward’s, so it’s also nice to have someone on the parents’ side of the equation, so you get a different perspective about experiences at home. Her knowledge as a player, tactically and technically, is a great benefit to us. It’s been nice having her around.
“So to have the support of the administration, the parents, and to see the enthusiasm about this program, I just couldn’t ask for a better head coaching position.”
