SUFFOLK COMMUNITY COLLEGE
SUFFOLK COMMUNITY COLLEGE
THE SHARKS
PREPARE FOR PLAYOFFS
Story by Kevin Freiheit | Photos by Morgan Harrison
T
he Suffolk County Community College
men’s soccer team has been enjoying a season
full of hard work, commitment and success.
The Sharks hold an 11-1-1 record and are
a threat to go deep once again.
As the regular season comes to a close, the
Sharks are preparing for a playoff run behind head
coach Frank Vertullo, who is in his 7th year with the
team. Vertullo was named NSCAA National Coach
of the Year this season, and for good reason. Vertullo
and the Sharks have a long history of success and
this year has been no different.
The Sharks have high expectations,
as they do every season, but there
is one thing that they weren’t too
familiar with this year - a loss at home.
At the end of September, Suffolk
hosted ASA College in a game that would go past
regulation. Despite outshooting ASA College by a
21-3 advantage, the Sharks were unable to score.
In double overtime, ASA College scored the game
winning goal, handing the Sharks their first home
defeat in seven years.
Unsure how to handle it, Vertullo told his players
to forget about it and win the next game. True to
form, Suffolk bounced back with two consecutive
shutouts and the confidence went right back up.
“We work hard, execute and are ready to play
every game,” said freshman defender Keith Marro,
“Everything is clicking right now.”
On a team that includes 19 freshmen, Suffolk has
continued to win and hasn’t slowed down. “We get
good players, we’re organized and well prepared,”
Vertullo said. In his time as coach, Vertullo has
posted a 108-7-7 record, rarely losing or tying a
game.
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Vertullo admitted that the Sharks had struggled
during the first part of the season, but since then
they have adjusted. The Sharks won their first
eight games of the season, but Suffolk knew that
they could be better, and a month and a half later,
they believe they are.
“This group has really developed and come
together,” Vertullo said. “You know you have
a good team when you play poorly and still win
games.”
Marro agreed that the team has made strides
since the start of the year. “We’re a pretty strong
team,” Marro said, “We’ve progressed from the
beginning of the season.”
“We hope to win every game for the rest of the
year,” said sophomore midfielder Frantzcescoly
Jean Pierre, “We’re going for Nationals.”
The Sharks are capable of rebounding from
a loss or a tie, as they have already done twice
this season. There doesn’t seem to be any way to
slow down the momentum of this team. Suffolk is
looking to improve on last year’s season.
“We’re real confident and we came close
last year,” Vertullo said, “Every day we need to
improve, get a little better and peak at the right
time.”
The Sharks have indeed progressed, but it’s
something you wouldn’t be able to notice from
their win/loss record. Suffolk has found a way
to work more as a team, and their chemistry is
something they didn’t have to start the year.
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