Rich Ongaro, an experienced soccer coach and player, comes to St. Joe’s as an assistant men’s soccer coach with hopes of coaching the Hawks to a successful 2021 spring season.
Ongaro comes to St. Joe’s after a year on the Fordham Rams’ coaching staff as an assistant. He will replace Pat Morris, a 10 year veteran assistant coach, who left St. Joe’s to be the head coach of the men’s soccer team at Penn State Abington.
St. Joe’s stood out to Ongaro because he would have the chance to improve his coaching skills.
“I’ve known [Head] Coach [Don] D’Ambra for a number of years, and to work with and under him is a great honor,” Ongaro said. “Hopefully I can add some value to this program that really is up and coming.”
D’Ambra said he admires Ongaro, pointing out how beneficial he could be to the coaching staff.
“I’ve known Rich [Ongaro] long before he came here to St. Joe’s,” D’Ambra said. “He has a great balance of professionalism and personality. He can hold kids accountable and can talk to them.”
The call to hire Onagro was an easy one, according to D’Ambra. The team needed someone to work on player development and work with the goalies, which Ongaro’s abilities fit perfectly.
“For me, I see a lot of versatility,” D’Ambra said. “He didn’t need any training and got right to it.”
Ongaro, a New Jersey native, attended Virginia Commonwealth University for a year before transferring closer to home at Holy Family University. Ongaro was a starter on the Division II men’s soccer team all three years he attended Holy Family, proving his worth with 191 career saves and nine shutouts in net.
Ongaro began his coaching career in 2015 with the women’s soccer team at the University of Northwestern Ohio and then at Rutgers University-Camden the following season. After those schools, Ongaro moved on to Old Dominion University, where he coached goalie Mertcan Akar, who earned third team all-conference USA honors.
Ongaro said he did not have coaching aspirations while in college, but his plans changed.
“I wasn’t really sure [about coaching], I always thought about it,” Ongaro said. “Right after graduation, I got a call to become an assistant at Northwestern Ohio, and I haven’t looked back since.”
Ongaro then moved to the Atlantic 10, with Fordham, where he worked with Konstantin Weis, who acquired all-tournament team honors last year. Now on Hawk Hill, Ongaro is working with two goalkeepers, junior Kyle Allan and freshman Luis Ludosan.
“My goal is to put the goalkeepers in the best possible position,” Ongaro said. “Kyle [Allan] is an excellent player, with a lot of experience and Luis [Ludosan] reminds me a lot of Konstantin [Weis], because they both tote a unique [style] and both are excellent players.”
After not having a rostered goalie coach for years, the team is showing noticeable improvements under Ongaro. Allan said that since Ongaro came, he has enhanced as a goalkeeper every day.
“I’ve been improving on the little things just with him in my presence,” Allan said. “I’m making saves today and this week that I would never be making without him.”
Ongaro said he is excited to work with the two players, having plenty of experience working with different goalies throughout his career.
“Both [Allan and Ludosan] are going to be competing for that starting role,” Ongaro said. “They both have the skill and the hunger for it. My job is essentially bringing out the best in both of them.”
Already two weeks into the job, Ongaro said he feels right at home on Hawk Hill.
“I grew up in this area and love Philadelphia,” Ongaro said. “Somehow I always come back.”
