Tales From the Trail by MatchPlay

Tony Pacella, head coach of the men’s soccer team at Sewanee University in Tennessee is my guest. Tony is in his 10th year as head coach and we talk about his perspective on recruiting and playing college soccer.

In this episode I welcome Mary Shimko the head women’s coach at Brandeis University and Jamie Gunderson of Christopher Newport University women’s soccer. Mary played and graduated from Brandeis and proudly took over the head coaching role in 2020.

n this episode, I welcome Greg Proctor, high school senior in Maryland who plays for Maryland United. Greg is in the recruiting process and shares his experiences so far.

In this episode, Justin Chezem, men’s soccer coach at Christopher Newport University and I welcome Britta Marmon, Senior Recruiting Coach at Next College Student Athlete (NCSA) and former women’s college assistant coach. Britta discusses the ins and outs of the service offered by the NCSA.

In this episode my guest is Anthony Kjenstad, the president of Firefly Recovery. Firefly is a revolutionary recovery device used by professional & collegiate athletes, Olympians, and weekend warriors. It helps your body to recover faster by increasing blood flow throughout your entire body. Firefly is small and portable, so you can take it with you wherever you go. The evidence of positive results of this device have been researched as well as the fact that over 500+ pro and college programs benefit from using Firefly. I encourage you to visit their website and see it for yourself. If you decide to try out Firefly, use the coupon code ‘MatchPlay’ for a discount. And as always, please share this podcast, subscribe and follow on Instagram, X, and Facebook. Send me your questions and comments through matchplayrecruit.com

In this episode we welcome Aleksey Korol, the Associate Head Coach at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Aleksey moved to the US from the Ukraine when he was in high school and went on to play collegiately at Indiana University. He made 3 college cup appearances and guided the Hoosiers to back-to-back national titles as a junior and senior. Korol concluded his collegiate career at Indiana in 1999 as the leading point scorer in NCAA Tournament history and the fourth-highest point scorer in the illustrious history of IU soccer. Aleksey was recently inducted into the Indiana University Athletics Hall of Fame. Aleksey then went on to be the fifth pick in the 2000 MLS SuperDraft by the Dallas Burn. It was a real privilege for Justin Chezem, who is the men’s coach at Christopher Newport University and I to have Aleksey on the podcast. I hope you enjoy it. Please remember to subscribe and review our podcast and follow us on social media. Also, send any comments or questions through matchplayrecruit.com.

In this episode I welcome Brianna Behm, a current senior on the women’s soccer team at the University of South Carolina and Sofie Fox, a graduate transfer student on the women’s soccer team at Northeastern University. Sofie played four years at Georgetown University before transferring for her fifth year. They share their experiences of playing for renowned programs and their recruiting stories. Please continue to subscribe to and share the podcast and follow MatchPlay on social media. And send me your comments and questions through Matchplayrecruit.com/podcast

In this episode we welcome Daniel Hulett of the Hulett Brothers. Daniel and his brother David are trick shot manufacturers who started during the pandemic and have grown into internet sensations and are now working full-time on conceiving and producing trick shots. Daniel started as a college student athlete playing soccer at Christopher Newport University. We cover his recruiting story, how his career in college evolved and how being in quarantine helped hatch the trick shot concept for him and his brother. Their story is a lesson for all in following your passion and putting in hard work. On the surface, producing trick shots seems like a hobby, but make no mistake, the Hulett brothers invest a lot of time and hard work to bring their creations to the world. That diligence is paying off and they’re just getting started.

In this episode I welcome Webb Kosich, a sophomore men’s soccer student-athlete at the College of William & Mary. Webb has a unique story of overcoming a major setback and persevering to return to playing soccer. I’ve spoken to several of his teammates and they are in awe and inspired by Webb’s journey back to campus and the team. This is an emotional podcast that includes his recruiting story, committing to play soccer in college, his first season, dealing with some big life threatening hurdles, and fighting his way back. As always, please share and subscribe to the podcast, contact me through matchplayrecruit.com with any questions and comments. Find us on instagram, twitter, and facebook as well.

I recently went to the preseason friendly between Hampden-Sydney College and Christopher Newport University both perennial Division III men’s soccer powers. I was able to chat with head coaches Tommy DiNuzzo and Justin Chezem and players, Hampden-Sydney's Uriel Aguirre, Daniel Beb, and CNU's Asher Kuzemka, about the match to get their perspectives on expectations and reaction to the rigors of preseason and the match itself. Thank you to Prince William Soccer and Virginia Development Academy for hosting!

Hi and welcome to the Tales From The Trail Podcast by MatchPlay. This episode is a big one for us. We welcome US Soccer legend Jay DeMerit. Jay played his college soccer at University of Illinois-Chicago and then decided and committed to pursuing his goal of becoming a professional footballer in Europe. We get into what he went through to finally see that happen for Watford FC. He was instrumental in them being promoted to the English Premier League (he scored a fantastic goal in their promotion match) and became captain at the club and became a beloved player. He built on that experience and made the US National Team. They bagged some legendary victories and competed in the 2010 World Cup. The next step of his career was becoming the captain of the Vancouver Whitecaps in the MLS. Now retired from competition, Jay focuses on ventures that benefit youth and their development. Our conversation ranges from his recruiting story, his playing career, and how his program Rise and Shine truly is doing great things for kids. Justin Chezem, the men’s coach at Christopher Newport University and I were privileged to have him on the podcast and we’re certain that you’ll enjoy the conversation. As always, please share the podcast, subscribe, and send me your questions and comments through matchplay.com. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. The intro music is Average Citizens (https://www.youtube.com/@averagecitizens2702) a DJ duo that plays the Rise and Shine FamJam Fundraiser. Links to Jay’s ventures:https://www.rxsmentorship.com/https://www.risexshine.com/

In this episode, the second of our players series, we welcome a current women’s soccer student-athlete, Kenna McCarthy, who plays at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, VA. She was a part of the 2021 National Championship team and brings leadership and maturity that her coach, Jamie Gunderson, who also joins us, finds invaluable. Despite things not always going her way, Kenna is a fantastic example of being a role model and someone who her coaches and teammates can count on regardless of the situation. You’re going to enjoy this one. Please continue to subscribe to and share the podcast and follow MatchPlay on social media.

This is a special episode, we have current college student-athletes as guests to discuss their recruiting stories and how their careers are going as they enter their senior years. Michael Meese of Trinity University in San Antonio and Augie Cooper of the College of William & Mary join Justin Chezem the men’s coach at Christopher Newport University and I in a conversation that covers a lot of ground including their individual recruiting processes, their experiences as teammates in college, the transfer portal, how their careers are going, and a little reminiscing. The song in the intro and outro is discussed in the podcast and has significance for Michael and Augie and their old youth teammates. Please continue to subscribe and share the podcast and follow MatchPlay on social media. Intro and outro song credit:PUMA HARD CHORUS UNITED KINGDOM TRULY MADLY DEEPLYhttps://youtu.be/Mo2wFptAX3k

In this episode, Justin Chezem of Christopher Newport University Men’s Soccer and I welcome Brendan Lawler, the women’s coach at Manhattan College and Mike Eckberg, the women’s coach at State University of New York - New Paltz. This is a fantastic conversation with three college coaches who have all been at it a long time. I’m certain that you’ll find the discussion informative and beneficial. Please continue to subscribe and share the podcast as well as send me questions and comments through matchplayrecruit.com. Check us out on facebook and instagram.

Justin Chezem (of Christopher Newport University Men’s Soccer) and I, welcome psychologist, Mike Breske who was also a former collegiate soccer player at Virginia Tech and Christopher Newport University. Mike just finished his internship with the University of Missouri Counseling Center for Student Health & Well-Being, and is also currently studying to earn his PhD in psychology. He currently has a role with the Stanford University athletic department to work with their sports psychologists. In this episode, we hear about his relevant and unique perspective, discussing the intersection of mental health, well-being and athletics. I hope you find the discussion helpful and interesting. Please share the podcast, subscribe, and send me your questions and feedback through matchplayrecruit.com.

We recorded this live at Discovery ID camp on the campus of Christopher Newport University. This boy’s camp was attended by over 100 student athletes and coaches from 6 different colleges. We took the opportunity to do a question and answer session with the participants and coaches from each of the schools. Fielding questions from the audience was Chris Norris of William and Mary, Justin ‘Cheese’ Chezem of Christopher Newport University, Tommy DiNuzzo of Hampden-Sydney College, Teig Lesko of UNC-Wilmington, Jon Freeman of Washington & Lee, and Jason Kilby of the University of Mary Washington. There is a ton of great information in this episode and a couple questions are answered that I received previously from listeners. Please continue to share the podcast, subscribe, and as importantly, send me your questions and comments through matchplayrecruit.com or on instagram, facebook, or youtube.

In this episode I welcome the head coach of the men’s soccer program at Seattle University, Nate Daligcon. Nate brings a ton of experience and a west coast perspective to the podcast. He’s been a part of the Redhawk program for over a decade and has been instrumental in being a perennial leader of the WAC conference. Also joining us is Michael Teiman. Michael came to the U.S. from Liverpool to play college soccer at the College of William & Mary and went on to coach at Wilkes University and Penn State-Berks. He then made his way west to become a coach at Crossfire, one of the premier youth clubs in the Pacific Northwest. Please enjoy and remember to share this episode and send me your questions and comments through matchplayrecruit.com

I’m privileged to welcome 3 former college teammates who remain involved in soccer. Emmett Rutkowski is the head coach of the Stetson University Men’s Soccer team, Glenn Gray is the College Advisory Director at the historic youth club, the Richmond Strikers in Richmond, Virginia. I also welcome back Tommy DiNuzzo the head coach of the men’s team at Hampden Sydney College in Virginia. It’s an enjoyable conversation among 3 old friends with a ton of useful information as well. Please remember to share this podcast and send me your questions and comments through matchplayrecruit.com.

In this episode I’m privileged to welcome David Marmon, the Head Sports Performance Coach at the University of illinois Chicago. David brings decades of experience in working with collegiate athletes to guide them through improving their performance and wellness. David is a wealth of knowledge and I’m lucky to have him on the podcast. Also joining us again is Chris Norris, the head men’s soccer coach at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA. One of the topics is how coaches work together to improve athletes’ performances.Please remember to share this podcast along with providing any questions and comments you have through matchplayrecruit.com.

I welcome siblings who are both head coaches of women’s collegiate soccer teams. Dani Gunderson is the head women’s soccer coach at Muskingum University in New Concord Ohio. Her brother, Jamie Gunderson is the head coach of the Christopher Newport University women’s soccer team in Newport News, VA. Our discussion delves into some deeper topics as well as recruiting.