Fox Chapel Area girls head soccer coach Carlo Prati and his teams have the same ultimate goal each year – win the WPIAL championship and the PIAA crown. However, there’s another objective that’s pretty high on his list, and it has nothing to do with immediate wins or losses on the field.
Since joining the program as an assistant seven years ago, and now as the head coach for the past three years, coach Prati has emphasized continuing a culture of inclusion, a tradition started by his predecessor, Peter Torres. This approach has bode well for the program in many ways, particularly fostering strong connections between the high school program, the Dorseyville Middle School team, and Fox Chapel Area youth soccer.
The culture of inclusion also offers great opportunities for bonding, mentoring, and learning experiences for the younger girls when they interact with the high school players.
One example of the outreach effort will take place September 11 at 7 p.m., when the Foxes face Hampton High School at home. That evening, dubbed “Community Night,” will honor and engage some of the younger soccer players, and provide more opportunities for them to interact with the high school players.
“For example, all youth soccer girls who wear their Fox Chapel Area jerseys on will join the team in the tunnel and huddle during starer announcements and also will serve as ballgirls,” coach Prati says of recent additions to the night. “The current U12 youth team will walk out with a starting player and stand with her during the national anthem.”
Plus, all girls in the middle school program will be announced at the game.
Yet, it won’t be the first time many of the youth players have met their older counterparts. Those introductions often begin in the summer during pickup scrimmages, and the older players will help those who aren’t driving yet with rides to the practices.
Senior co-captain, defender, and four-year varsity starter Maya DiPasquale, explains, “I really like how we invite the middle school program to the summer sessions as a way for them to see the level of high school players, and just for them to get more practice. I think it makes it less intimidating when they come in as freshmen because they see more familiar faces. A lot of the upperclassmen really try to learn all the middle schoolers’ names and get to know them over the summer.”
If familiarity breeds success, it sure was evident last year when there were five freshmen starters on the WPIAL Class 4A championship team, the first to claim that honor since 1985.
Senior attacker and co-captain Alyssa Quackenbush, who also is a Foxes’ track medalist, has found the program’s inclusionary efforts are of value to both the older and younger girls alike, and says being looked up to also carries responsibilities.
“It means a lot to me and the rest of the team that we serve as role models to these girls, I hope we perform well for them and inspire them to do the same thing when they get here,” says senior co-captain and attacker Alyssa Quackenbush. “This inclusion is very important because it gives us an opportunity to interact and build a relationship with the younger girls. It really is motivating to know that all the younger girls are watching you. It makes us want to be better players. I personally remember going to high school games when I was little and thinking all I wanted to do was be on that field, and now that I am, I want the girls watching now to feel the same way I did.”
Like Maya, she acknowledges how intimidating it can be for some freshmen to join a high school team. “I think a lot of that is just because so many upperclassmen are so experienced. I think that does the younger girls grow though because they see what it takes to become a top-level player. We all try to be open ourselves and encourage them to do the same. I think that does help them grow because they see what it takes to become a top-level player.”
“One thing I love about being part of this program is how much everyone cares about each other,” coach Prati says. “With the younger girls, we want them to feel part of our team and want them to continue playing for Fox Chapel Area when they get older. Some of my own best memories playing soccer in high school weren’t the section titles, playoff runs, or the wins. It was the players I played with and the friendships we made playing a sport we love. So, I want everyone who comes and joins our program to know that they have people who care about them and have their backs, no matter what’s going on in their life.”