Men’s Soccer Program Has New Coach, New Look
- Outlook 2006
For a young man still in his late 20’s, Sal Galvano brings some impressive credentials to the MCC Men’s Soccer program as a player and coach. He began coaching at the age of 20 in the Olympic Development Program and was an assistant at Genesee Community College in New York State where the Cougars attained Top 20 national ranking in three of the five years he was there. For the past three years he has been head coach at Cedar Valley College in Texas where his Women’s team was 2005 NJCAA Division III national runners-up.
Michael Glen, Tyrel Thorne and Chao Zhang are the only players back from last year’s 10-6-3 team that lost to Pima in the ACCAC semi-finals. All three are taking on leadership roles. Thorne has made the switch from offense to anchor the defense along with Zhang, and Glen is providing experience at midfield.
Freshmen make up two-thirds of the roster, with many expected to fill key roles. Goalkeepers Bryan Anderson and Derek Otton are both talented and skilled. Tyler Archleta was an All-State high school player and will be starting at defense. Reid Schmidt and Brian Hernandez will take over as the playmakers at midfield. The addition of forward Nick Auditore, a redshirt transfer from Midwestern State, should provide added punch to the offense.
Auditore and Schmitt both played on Desert Vista’s 2005 state championship team. “When I recruit, I like to get two or three players from the same school because it helps with the camaraderie of the players and chemistry on the team. Nick and Reid work well together since they know each other from high school and understand how the other plays.
“Nick is one of the hardest-working players I’ve ever coached. He is a natural goal scorer and hates to lose. He has a very positive influence on his teammates. Reid is a strong dribbler and very accurate. It is hard to knock him off the ball which gives us a real threat at midfield.”
A large squad and numerous options in all positions should make for a competitive year both in practice and in games. “The players have adapted really well to my style of coaching” Coach Galvano said. “As the season progresses and our young players become accustomed to playing at this level, it’s a reasonable expectation for us to finish among the top teams in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference.”
