With the spring 2021 St. Joe’s men’s soccer season on the horizon, the team was working hard in the lead-up to their season opener against St. John’s University, a team nationally ranked at No. 21.
However, that changed when a member of the St. Joe’s coaching staff tested positive for COVID-19 just days before the season’s start on Feb. 15, according to senior defender Daniel Morales. This forced all three coaches on staff to enter quarantine, leaving the Hawks with no guidance from the sidelines and putting the team’s first game in jeopardy.
“The earliest one of them could come back was within 10 days, which was not in the time frame of the St. John’s game,” Morales said. “But they wanted to have an actual soccer coach coaching us against St. John’s.”
Junior forward Bryce Wallace said there was a lot of uncertainty about what would happen to training sessions and their scheduled first game. The men’s coaching staff began to scramble to search for a replacement to coach the team in their opener.
“We weren’t really sure what was going to happen with the game, with the team as a whole, with training that week, or if we were even going to get to play,” Wallace said. “I know our coaches, even during their quarantine and isolation periods, were working to figure out how to make it work.”
Eventually, the men’s coaching staff landed on Fred King, the associate head coach of the St. Joe’s women’s soccer team.
“[Men’s soccer Head Coach] Don [D’Ambra] had texted me to let us know that they were going to be quarantined and three of [their coaches] were out,” King said. “He said ‘I’m asking if you’re available or if you can help out. That way the boys can keep training and hopefully get a game.’”
According to King, following D’Ambra reaching out, steps needed to be taken to ensure the NCAA would allow him to step in and help the men’s team just three days before the game.
“We got the ball rolling, making sure that it was NCAA legal for me to be able to coach both teams,” King said. “[The men’s staff] got everything rolling and I was there by Friday morning ready to go for training.”
King prepared by watching St. John’s game film, according to Morales, and he focused his practice plan accordingly.
“[King] watched maybe three or four games of St. John’s film, which helped structure practices according to the way St. John’s plays,” Morales said. “He came in and had studied the roster, knew all our names. He was really doing the little things right.”
Wallace said while there was some initial apprehension when King took over, everyone’s worries were quickly quelled.
“We know he knew the game of soccer but he didn’t necessarily know our specific players and personnel, and we didn’t know how much he knew about our opponents,” Wallace said. “But when game day came around, we all thought he did an amazing job and we were all very comfortable with him on the sideline.”
The Hawks would go on to play St. John’s to a hard-fought 1-0 loss in which St. Joe’s managed five shots on goal with one rifling off the post in the 34th minute of the game.
“The guys were great,” King said. “They worked hard, they were up for the game, they were organized and they definitely, I felt, deserved a better result.”
While his time with the men’s team was short, King said he enjoyed working with the players.
“It was so fun,” King said. “The guys were very open and welcoming. It was great to be back in men’s soccer after 13 years.”
