Olivia Ouellette
Staff Writer
With the fall sports games beginning soon, the Boy’s Soccer team is hoping for yet another successful season. With Rick DiStefano still coaching varsity, Coach Alyssa Fratarcangeli is now the head coach for the Junior Varsity team. Former Junior Varsity Coach, Frank Balestriere, is now a volunteer coach. “I am volunteering this year because I am getting a 6th year in Educational Leadership which is essentially a second master’s degree.” With Coach Fratarcangeli taken his place, Balestriere says, “Luckily, they found a wonderful coach who knows the game well to take my place.”
Beginning soccer at the young age of five, Fratarcangeli found a love for soccer. Her love for soccer continued on for 17 years, and allowed her to receive recognition from Division 1 college teams, choosing to attend being UMass. With games beginning right around the corner Coach Fratarcangeli is hoping to have a successful season and teach the boys on Junior Varsity as much as she can. “ What I hope to instill into the players this season is a sense of unity and pride for their school, so they can work towards a common goal together. Naturally, we would love to have a winning record. But ultimately I want to help the players grow individually and as a team by focusing on their weaknesses– whether that be technically, tactically, or physically.”
With Coach DiStefano having played soccer since the age of nine and continuing throughout his life, he has a strong eye for what both a coach and a player must have to be successful in the upcoming season. “Knowledge and organization are musts for successful Coaches. Also, coaches, like players, must constantly learn and grow as new methods and advancements in sport are constant. Teaching in a fun and energetic environment and empowering players to make the best decisions possible are great skills for a coach to possess.”
Seeing Coach Fratarcangeli in action since tryouts before school started he believes she will lead the boys to a very successful season. “Coach Fratarcangeli brings a young and fresh outlook to our program. Being just out of a highly successful College career she will bring energy and new ideas to our boys, Alyssa has been a top player and has been coached by some of CT’s best coaches so I am excited that she will bring some of that knowledge to Foran.”
The Junior Varsity players have also be noticing how good of a coach Coach Fratarcangeli really is. JV player, Austin Vance, states “I have learned a lot from her. I like that she brings a new perspective to the team and I look forward to a great season.” Varsity players have also recognized the talent Coach Fratarcangeli has within her, and how she is bringing out the talent in the younger soccer players. Evan Miller, one of the Varsity Captains, states “Most people come into a new job, nervous, and not sure how to handle pressure like a coaching job, but she has done a fantastic job as a first year coach, and the season is only beginning.” From impressing her fellow coaches, and both junior varsity and varsity players Coach Fratarcangeli has all the support behind her to lead the JV team to an extremely successful season.
