After the Stamford high soccer team’s impressive run to the semi-finals of the State Championship the previous year, many expected this year’s team to be a let down by comparison. However, with a current record of (7-1-1), this new bunch is defying the odds and making themselves a team to watch this season.

Being a team that graduated seven of its starters the year before, it has not been
easy continuing their dominant ways that the team once had. Junior, center
midfielder, and one of the team’s leading goal scorers, Joey Schinella explains
that the team’s largest obstacle is its inexperience. “It’s tough rebuilding a
team because we have many young players who aren’t familiar with the style that
we play and they didn’t have varsity experience coming into the season,” Joey
said.

Longtime coach and fearless leader Mario Caminiti takes a different approach to the new program. “We are retooling, not rebuilding,” Caminiti claims. “The previous
members of the program left a foundation, and we are working hard to add to
it.” Caminiti was, for many years, an Italian teacher here at Stamford High School, and although he has retired from teaching, he could not retire from the sport
he loves so dearly. “The passion that I have for the game and the challenges
that come with working with young people” as he puts it, inspired Caminiti to
stick with his team, and the team has thanked him with victories week after
week.

In a tough FCIAC division, each win is a hard earned one, but some were absolute
upsets and came as a complete shock even to the team itself. For example,
Stamford High upset former state champion Norwalk this past week (the team that
had beaten Stamford in a crushing State semi-final the year prior). As Michael
Nunziante, starting left midfielder for the Knights puts it, “Winning the
Norwalk game and the Warde game were big for us because they helped us in
fulfilling the message to the rest of the league that we’re still one of the
teams to beat.” Nunziante, however, reminds us “We haven’t won anything yet,
and that’s something our coach has told us every practice-every day.” Schinella
echoes his attitude- remarking that the championship for both the division and
the state is “any teams to take,” and Caminiti adds, “What counts is how we
finish in November.”

Caminiti, Nunziante, and Schinella all agree that the team’s current success is a result
of the tremendous work ethic the team has as a unit. Day after day, through
blood, sweat, and tears, the team pushes itself and strives to better itself
for the challenges to come. They believe that how well they do in the future is
a direct result of the time and effort they put in now. Nunziante agrees this
inspiring approach that the team has makes this program a model for athletes
and students alike. “Always chase your dreams,” Caminiti says. “Everyone can
achieve; if you are willing to do the dirty work.”