Jaclyn Pancotti’s memorable first season as Head Coach of St. Ed’s varsity girls soccer team came to an abrupt end last week in a 6-0 loss to Lakeland Christian in the FHSAA regional quarterfinals.
The Pirates finished 12-2-3 with the pair of defeats coming back-to-back to conclude the season. St. Ed’s was stopped 5-2 by Holy Trinity Episcopal for the district championship but as the runner-up they advanced to the regional round to face Lakeland Christian.
The boys season also ended last week when they were ousted 1-0 by Holy Trinity Episcopal in the district semifinals. Bill Keating’s team finished at 8-7-1.
Despite the harsh ending to a clearly successful inaugural campaign for Pancotti, there appears to be a notable absence of regret or what-might-have-been.
After the finale Pancotti said, “Lakeland Christian is a very talented team; a majority of their girls play soccer year-round for school and club teams. They are extremely technical, fast, and physical. They came out very strong on an artificial turf field and scored four goals in the first 20 minutes. We had a few opportunities and the girls never gave up the entire game. They kept saying leave everything on the field, which I truly believe they did.
“When the whistle blew to end the game, I was very nervous the seniors would be upset knowing it was the last time they would play competitive soccer, but they all had smiles on their faces because they knew our season was amazing both on and off the field. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of girls to have for my first season as a head coach. I wish all the seniors the best of luck in everything that they do, and look forward to next season.”
Co-captains Brett Harper and Dani Pulido are among the nine seniors about to graduate. Despite that hit, the top three scorers all are expected back. Freshman Carter Cooper led everyone with 20 goals. Sophomore Alex Marshall was next with 16 while Mia Festagallo, also a sophomore, was steady throughout with 11 goals and a team-high 15 assists. Cooper struck for most of her goals before an ankle injury shut her down for an extended period in December and January.
“The entire season starting with training camp was an unbelievable experience and I couldn’t have asked for anything better,” Pancotti said. “I didn’t expect to go undefeated all the way to the district championship game. The girls meshed together so well and they were very easy to coach.
“There hasn’t been a day of practice where I didn’t laugh, or even cry from laughing so hard. This group of girls was very entertaining and I had the time of my life coaching them. They enjoyed playing the game and were so much fun to be around.”
That almost sounds like it could have come from the players themselves. Coaches at this level encourage exactly that type of approach from their young athletes. Pancotti not only fostered that atmosphere, she lived and breathed it. Still, the task at hand was taken very seriously as the results surely bear witness.
“When the situation arose, the girls were able to focus on what was really important,” Pancotti added. “They also took criticism very well. They knew when to take things seriously and when to lighten things up. They were so enjoyable to work with, each and every one of them.”
Creating a positive environment is one thing, but at some point talent must be added to the recipe to get the desired results. This team was not lacking in that department either.
Pancotti expressed delight over performances that exceeded all expectations. One of the better examples was provided by goalkeeper Kyrstin Malek. A sophomore in her second varsity season, Malek was thrust into unfamiliar territory only to put herself in position to be named Athlete of the Month in December.
“I really didn’t know what to expect, but because I had such great teammates they helped me move into that position and made it a lot of fun,” Kyrstin said. “We worked as hard as we could, played the best we could, and we gave it our all.”
Malek had never set foot in front of any goal until two weeks before the season. All she did was make 113 saves and post 10 shutouts.
Sophomore Anabelle Greene was not necessarily a headline grabber, but that may change over the next two years. She contributed one goal and seven assists following in the footsteps of older sisters Whitney, Lyndal and Aubrey.
“I really tried to live up to what my sisters did on the soccer field,” Anabelle said. “We had a great season. Coach Pancotti really encourages us and she’s a great teacher. We all tried our hardest, and there’s always next year.”
Pancotti concluded by saying “we’re still moving forward and there are things we need to do to improve as a team. More girls need to play on club teams and attend camps to get off-season training. But primarily I want the girls to love the game and have fun.”
