Andrew Mattarazzo fought back his tears and stumbled over his words, trying to think of the right thing to say.
The first-year Concord girls head soccer coach and his wife unexpectedly welcomed their son Antonio into the world on Sept. 28, 2020. Unexpectedly, because what was just supposed to be a normal check-up close to the delivery date, they were told that Antonio was coming now.
“It’s pretty emotional,” he said following Concord’s 1-0 win over Londonderry. “Everything happened so fast. You never know what’s going to happen in life. It was an emergency C-section, and now we’re playing on his birthday.”
Mattarazzo called the Crimson Tide’s victory Tuesday a family win, and like all families, they had to work together until the final whistle was blown.
They played a very evenly matched opponent in the Lady Lancers, and it showed at halftime as the scoreboard remained deadlocked at zero. While both teams were generating scoring opportunities, neither was able to sustain offensive success and the defenses for both controlled the game.
It wasn’t until the 61st minute when one of Concord’s chances paid off, however.
Senior defender Caley Nault drew up the field from her spot in the back line and sent a crossing pass over to junior midfielder Avery Fitcher. Fitcher played the ball perfectly, and the one-timer goal was the difference-maker.
Seemingly, when one team is able to break the scoring tension, it keeps finding the back of the net, and while that wasn’t the case for the Tide, they were able to generate better chances. Freshman midfielder Willa Marino and junior midfielder Gabriela Chown from the wings of the field kept driving the ball into the middle, creating havoc in front of the net.
“That’s what we’ve been striving for with these girls,” Mattarazzo said. “We’ve got to attack and keep creating chances, and that’s what we were able to do.”
Some of those chances were over before they started, though. At least three in each half were blown dead because of offsides as the Tide like to push up on the defense and stretch the field.
Eventually, the chances stopped and the defense was forced to close out the game. Behind solid play from senior goalkeeper Lily Hillsgrove and a back line that’s filled with experienced players, the Tide held on.
“(If) we don’t give up a goal, we can’t lose,” Mattarazzo said. “You either tie or you win.”
Not only was Concord winners on the pitch, but it was off the pitch too. The girls got cupcakes to celebrate Antonio’s birthday. Antonio received plenty of toys, and Andrew got to witness it all with both of his worlds there in one spot.
“I’m super excited to get the win on Antonio’s birthday,” he said now through a smile instead of tears. “To have him be healthy, my wife be healthy and my girls all here playing hard, that’s what I do it for.”