North Central College Women’s Soccer – Coach Andrew Gamarra
On today’s episode, I speak with Coach Gamarra from the North Central Women’s Program in Illinois. We talk about how he is usually recruiting against mid-major D1 programs. He describes the bustling suburb with its own downtown, as well as being near Chicago. Lastly, we discuss how his staff try to be players’ coaches but focused on the overall experience. Learn more about North Central College Women’s Soccer.
Matt: [00:00:00] Hi everybody. Welcome to discover college soccer today. I’m lucky enough to be joined by coach. Andrew at north central college. Welcome coach
Coach: Thanks for having me man. I appreciate it.
Matt: Yeah, thanks for being here. I mean, it’s uh, it was beginning of december It’s winter in florida. I’m guessing it’s winter up, uh up there too, huh?
Coach: Yeah, it’s chicago. It’s cold, uh arctic Breeze has hit us this past week. So it’s been a little bit colder than usual, but yeah,
Matt: that’d be all right. All right. Well, yeah, we, this is, this is the time of year where, uh, you know, we break out the, the wooly hats and gloves for, for hopefully only a week or two, but we’ll, we’ll, we’ll see, uh, But, but I’m headed to Raleigh, uh, this weekend for the Raleigh showcase, which is, you know, it’s, it’s, it’s college showcase season, right?
I think there’s men’s and women’s events on both sides of the country this weekend. Uh, unfortunately your guys season wrapped up with the NCAA tournament, but so congrats for making it there. But how fast are you jumping in from season end to, to the recruiting trail?
Coach: Yeah, no, thanks for the compliment.
It was, uh, it was a really good season, but There’s not much, uh, much of a break. You know, we, uh, we had Thanksgiving week and then, um, my, my assistant went out to surf at Silver Lakes the day after Thanksgiving. Uh, so she was just out there and flew back, um, yesterday. And then I’m out to Norco on Thursday.
Um, so I’ll be out there for three days. And then the following weekend is ECNL St. Louis. So [00:01:30] our, our staff will be there and then, uh, and then there will be a small break before we’re actually heading your way down to Florida for, um, ECNL, um, and Tampa. So, yeah, there’s not much of a break. The, you know, the wheels are already turning, um, for, for our recruiting process, but, uh, that’s, I guess that’s the life of it right now.
Most seasons are ending and then you’re just in that window, really recruiting. Building your list and then, you know, then pivoting to getting those kids on campus, hopefully in the new year.
Matt: Well, as, as a D three, how much, let’s give me a percentage wise, when you’re at these events right now, how much of it is spent on 25 current year recruiting class versus 26 is say the next year, you know,
Coach: yeah, you know, it’s a good question about division three.
And I also think about genders, right? Guys versus girls can be, uh, Very different, um, but for us, I would, I like to think we’re on the more competitive edge where we built the program to really recruiting. It’s against, um, you know, the mid major division 1 division 2 timeline. Um, versus maybe, you know, uh, maybe an average division three program.
Um, you know, there’s some programs that you can recruit, um, and give them the full senior year and then, you know, bring them onto your rosters. And sometimes that’s enrollment. You just there are a lot of things that change for each program. [00:03:00] Um, but for us, we’re done with our 25. So we’re really looking at our list, uh, you know, for 26 is and kids that we’re looking to bring on campus.
We’ve been really blessed to finish up our classes. Typically, before kids are starting their senior year. Um, usually we leave a spot or 2 available, just whether that be now the transfer portal, or, you know, some local talent that just, um, you know, didn’t, um. You know, didn’t finish their process that early, but again, on the women’s side, you tend to see those those girls want to have those decisions done a little bit earlier to be able to enjoy their senior and not to have stress the anxiety of the worry of identifying a school.
And we do, like I said, a really good job of bringing all those juniors onto campus, showing them what we have to offer. Um, and then kind of using that timeline where they’re already in that headspace of thinking of a decision. Because as I said, we’re recruiting kids that are really between mid major division 1 school or coming to play here in the division 3 environment.
So, you know, they’re, they’re already ready to make that decision, but for us, when we go to these showcases now. As we’ve ended our season, we keep identifying the junior pool, but we really start to build our database for the sophomore pool. So now we’re talking about the 27th. Um, you know, at that point it’s, it’s, you know, we get them on campus for an ID clinic over the summer and then starting to position [00:04:30] them to get to maybe a game or something in the fall.
Matt: You mentioned the portal and obviously it’s, uh, this year, especially with the new regs coming, it’s kind of exploding like, like everyone would imagine it would, uh, how, how much are you dipping your toe in that water or does that, is that a fit for your school? What’s that look like for you guys?
Coach: I, I mean, I don’t, it’s not too much of like effects of right now.
Uh, I’d say the, probably the, the, the most we use is if we’ve been in contact with a kid prior. Uh, meaning that they did a visit when they were in high school and we were heavily recruiting them. They ended up choosing a different path and then they were unhappy with the experience. We will reach back out.
That’s probably the extent of it. We’re not, we’re not filtering like some of the division ones. And I just had a really good conversation with the division one coach this week. And um, he just said the, the environment division one, you’re really looking for, looking for experienced players. So it’s, it’s becoming less and less of you’re seeing a lot of freshmen play or underclass play at the division one level.
And so now what they’re trying to do is they’re trying to get those experienced players coming from another program. So that’s where they’re just filtering going through shoot blasting out emails to all these kids that hit the portal. So, and that now reduces potentially a number we’re bringing in. I think what’s going to happen.
Um, that’s going to be a positive effect for us is now with the roster limit [00:06:00] of 28 kids. If that passes for every program, you know, there are some, there are some division 1 schools that are enforcing it. Others are, you know, letting their conference decide some that are wavering waiting to see, like, hey, is this all going to go through now?
If that if that does. Now, if that does go all the way through where it really is a 28 roster limit, that will have a great triple effect at all. Not only from a. From a division 3 sample, I’m talking about from power 4 to mid major division 1, um, you know, to division 2, it will just, I think it will. Level out some of the competitive and continue to increase, um, program’s ability to be very successful.
So, um, we’re already starting to see that with the 25 that we brought in. We have two kids that were verbally committed, um, at division one schools and, you know, when that passed, they unfortunately were, um, dropped and, you know, restarted the process and, you know, became an avenue for those kids. So, um, You know, which is great for us.
You know, it makes us more competitive. Um, and that’s what we’re looking for.
Matt: Well, whether it’s at these tournaments, showcases, ID cams, transfer players, whatever the case may be, what is it that you’re looking for in a player? What kind of makes up that hierarchy of things, both on the field and off the field?
Coach: Yeah, no, it’s a, it’s a really good question. Um, you know, we like to pride ourselves on our athleticism. You know, I think, um, [00:07:30] you know, that those are just the types of kids that, um, are able to. Really, um, really try to translate from maybe the club high school to the college game because you see the physicality change.
You see the speed of play change. Um, but if they’re great athletes, they really can, um, adapt. Well, um, so athleticism is a big piece for us. Obviously, you have to have the, the simple things, um, you know, and do them. Well, um, so those are, you know, those things now have to be, um, You know, a must, but, um, yeah, I would also say just from in terms of like, uh, you know, uh, you like to find those blue collar kids that just have a little bit different in terms of work rate and, you know, get back into a play, you know, things aren’t going well, you know, or, you know, can they control some of the, um, when, you know, when things aren’t spinning away, but, you know, it’s different for every position where we look for versus like, say, six or nine.
So every position is a little bit different in terms of Well, we’re technically recruiting, but, um, but yeah, we’re, you know, we, we pride ourselves as being a pretty athletic team getting up and down the field, press a lot,
Matt: So in terms, we talked about 28 being the roster cap for Division I, possibly most likely happening. Is there a roster size you feel is ideal that you’re trying to hit each year?
Coach: Yeah, we’re typically around the 28 to 30 roster. You know, [00:09:00] there are just things that we can’t, um, foresee, you know, and, and usually that’s dealing with injuries and, you know, uh, losing two to three players and then you just have bumps and bruises just along the season. This season, you know, we were.
rotating our roster quite a bit just because we’d have, you know, a kid out with an ankle or out with, um, a concussion. And it was probably more than we’ve seen, uh, in any past years. So having depth is important. Um, and then we have three goalies and we want to play elevens during practice. So, you know, that’s usually where we’re floating.
Anyways, if we have 28 to 30 healthy, you’re at 22 or 23 anyways. Um, and then we travel everybody. Everybody’s part of our experience, you know, which is nice because we know that there are travel rosters. It makes, I think that, That 28 to 30 spot is, um, you know, it’s right there where you can still include everybody anything higher than that You tend to it tends to get more difficult and um, obviously more expensive from a budgetary perspective.
Matt: No, that makes sense Well, let’s talk a little bit more about the school. Maybe some folks not familiar with north central You’ve been there a few years now What have you found that’s that’s really exceptional about the school some things that are awesome Maybe some things we wouldn’t even know by going through the website
Coach: Yeah, I mean, for those who haven’t been to Naperville, I’d say that it’s a, uh, it’s a great destination.
Um, people wanting to get to the western suburbs of Chicago. Um, you know, it’s one of the safest cities in the country. [00:10:30] So, I think it offers a unique, a unique experience where our Our campus is in a residential community, which is, you know, sometimes seen at some colleges, but then next to it is, um, a really bustling downtown area with, um, you know, shopping opportunities, um, restaurants, hotels, and just creates this unique environment where it gives us gives our kids an opportunity.
To explore different options to find different opportunities, and most importantly, to allow their network to grow, no matter what field they might be in, whether that be education, because we have an influx of. Um, elementary, middle schools, high schools in our area in the DuPage County area, you know, from a health and science standpoint, if you’re thinking something in the medical field, you know, just an opportunity to either shadow or work at a hospital or work at a clinic just, you know, surrounding opportunities with that.
And then, um, you know, business is another big 1 and as I mentioned before, but the proximity to Chicago as well. You have the Metro that can get you to the city within 40 minutes. Um, and we’ve had kids that have taken those opportunities. So I think that’s just. That’s how our kids are able to find a lot of success outside the classroom, just because it’s not, it’s not a remote location.
It’s very well connected. There’s also a lot of resources. So [00:12:00] that’s helped. And just the college itself has really invested like most places have, has invested just in that health and science realm, whether you’ve added, you know, uh, nursing or PA or PT. And those are, those are programs that we’ve added, uh, in the last, Seven to eight years and buildings to, um, to continue to enhance those experiences and those resources.
So, uh, North Central is, yeah, a lot of people come, uh, to Naperville like, man, how do you not get kids? You know, it just really sells itself. Um, so we’re really, we’re really fortunate to be able to recruit from that aspect. And I think it’s proven itself. We have some of the best division, three athletic programs, um, In the country and so many different sports.
Our football team has been to the Stag Bowl the last three or four years. Basketball’s been to the Final Four multiple times. Baseball’s been to the World Series. So, you know, women’s soccer, men’s soccer, Enzo on the, on the, uh, on the other side. We really put, uh, both programs, um, on a national platform, which is great.
Keeping up with the other sports here now. I think we’re both now trying to kind of get over the hump of, um, Getting past the, you know, the first weekend of the NCAA, I think it’s coming with time.
Matt: Cool. Well, you mentioned that those resources and things and a lot of times, you know, for student athletes coming to college for the first time, balancing the demands of the classroom and the soccer field can be tough.
So, [00:13:30] so what resources are available to really help them both on the field and off the field be successful?
Coach: Yeah, um, I think the division three environment provides a lot of those opportunities. Um, you know, regardless of the school, I think you have, um, you have those resources that you’re making those connections classes because it’s a smaller environment to 20 to 25 people and, um, you know, right away you’re starting to build rapport with your teachers.
They know, like, they know if you’re missing class or not, and whether that’s good or bad, you know, some, some kids tend to, um, you know, thrive in that environment. Other kids want to, you know, be, you know, in a larger school, but, um, I would say outside of, you know, the, the typical writing center, you know, tutoring services, um, is, it’s the internships, um, And, um, just opportunities off campus that they’re that’s available to them.
So our campus offers, I think, everything that a traditional school would have, you know, but then what’s unique is now, as you head into Naperville, you have connections with either your professors or either the departments that you’re working under to either student teach again, work at the hospital and do clinic hours, you know, everything within 5 to 10 minutes of campus.
And there’s just not a lot of places that have that, you know, [00:15:00] where you’re not driving 20 or 30 minutes to get to one of those opportunities. I think that’s what enhances our environment.
Matt: Yeah, no, it sounds great. Well, let’s talk a little bit more about the soccer side of things. Um, in terms of. Take me back to, say, mid October, right, before the conference tournament. I bet you’re in the heart of that conference season. Walk me through, what does a week look like for a player in terms of when are practices, games, classes, meals, all that kind of stuff?
Coach: Yeah, it’s a great question, just how our, maybe our season lays out. I think prior to that, you know, we really challenged ourselves playing some of the best competitions in the country, um, where we played six, seven, Teams are an on conference season that made the National Tournament, um, And one is still playing, obviously Wash U is in the final four.
Um, and then Chicago who is simply they playing Wash U to get the opportunity to get there. So we challenge ourselves from that aspect to, um, prep ourselves not only for the conference season, but also to hopefully, um, have that experience to play when we get to the national tournaments that have played teams to that caliber.
Um, typical week, you know, we play once you kind of get to the conference, you’re playing a Wednesday, Saturday. Yeah. Um, schedule. So training is, um, you know, every day kind of in between Sundays or off days. Um, you know, it’s [00:16:30] just tapering. You know, we’re, we’re, we’re changing probably different game plans for different teams.
As I said, um, before we had, um, More injuries than we’ve had in the past. So, you know, we were having to change formation a bit change kind of our lineup who was playing in what position? Um, and we still found, uh, obviously ways to be successful, um, you know, which was important for us. And, and, uh, you know, I think things that we try to do, um, you know, a little bit different is maybe not different.
Um, yeah. But to the hopefully to the benefit our student athletes, we, you know, we region a lot. We spent a lot of time with our athletic trainer. Kids that have played quite a bit are doing recovery workouts, especially at that time of year. So, um, you know, and they’re lifting and doing those things to continue, like, to prevention to be, um, fully healthy throughout the season.
And so our athletic training staff is just incredible. They do a great job of. Um, trying to keep our, our athletes as healthy as possible. But, um, yeah, I’d say that’s what the month of October looks like. And then obviously, you know, you’re playing for opportunities to host, uh, within your conference tournament, and then, uh, and then to make a run once you kind of get to November.
Matt: Well, we talked a little bit about your roster size, but besides players, there’s staff. So, besides yourself, what other staff help out with the team? Uh, maybe what other athletic [00:18:00] department staff help out with the team? What’s that look like?
Coach: Yeah, we’re fortunate, uh, from a Division III perspective. We may be hit and miss, you know.
You have full time, you have graduate assistants, you have volunteers. So, um, from our side of things, we have, um, A full time person that works in the department. Um, she’s been with me for a long time. Her name’s Kate Perry. So she’s been terrific. We’re on so many different levels of the program now, um, and recruiting is probably 1 of the biggest ones.
Um, so she’s full time. She’s also our goalkeeper coach. Um, and then we have a graduate assistant, Maria Fields, who’s in her, who’s in her 1st year. So, you know, she’s continued to, you know, You can learn, um, you know, obviously about our program, but she has a successful career at Illinois West End, uh, which was in the conference, so it made it really easy for her to transition and understand just the league ahead of this, and she’s got some programs that made runs at the national tournament, so, um, it’s, it’s helped from that aspect, and then, uh, our volunteer, um, assistant is Jason.
Who is, uh, she was on staff, um, the last couple years as her graduate assistant and then moved into the high school environment to teach. Um, so she teaches. And then also, um, also coaches, uh, in the high school for the spring. So in St. Charles Mason State Championship for last year. So, uh, we have four full time or full for, uh, four people on staff and two that are full-time.
So it really helps from that perspective too. When you talk about a roster of 28 to 30, you know, having enough [00:19:30] eyes, um, you know, people that you can get feedback from and just continue to develop the players that within the program.
Matt: Okay. Awesome. Well, how about you? How would you describe kind of your coaching style, style of play that you’re looking to play there?
Coach: Yeah, I think, I think we’ve changed over the years where we have, um, you know, we’ve continued to put ourselves around, uh, coaches that have been successful, whether it be in our, um, whether our field specifically in soccer or also from like just being mentored by successful coaches within the department at North Central.
So, you know, our style, I would say. Say that we’re more players, coaches, we’ve been in their shoes before, have played. You know, we try to, um, make sure we’re thinking from the standpoint of like what their experience is looking like. Um, but we’re also asking them to compete at a really high level. So really competitive through their training to prepare themselves for games.
Um, but, you know, I think we, you know, we continue to hopefully shape within like, As the modern game continues to change, whether we’re using analytics or, you know, we’re using different ideas of how, like I said, to, um, probably use recovery for our student athletes. So I think adaptable is, is key to our staff.
And I think that’s what we continue to
Matt: all [00:21:00] right. Well. In terms of the offseason, right? You get two seasons here, so you’re, you’re entering, you’re entering that winter quiet period, but, uh, focused on recruiting, but in terms for the players, what’s that spring look like, you know, briefly, what is it that you focus on, and, and what would the players get out of that?
Coach: Yeah, I think what’s really changed, and it has been nice, is now the dates, um, are different at Division 3. It used to be you get 15, and that was always after the spring. Spring break at a school. Um, but now, with having, um, 24 days that you could spread out, From the start of, you know, essentially the second semester to the end, um, we use those to full capacity.
So we’re, we’re actually, you know, we’ll be training in a month. So, you know, the facilities, um, especially in Chicago, it’s not like we can go outside in January, a little bit chilly, um, but, uh, we use our facilities where we’ll train once a week and then we’ll do, the girls will do strength and conditioning twice a week.
Um, so that keeps them active, keeps them getting tested on the ball, it keeps them, um, working in the weight room where they are, um, working with a strength and conditioning coach and developing, uh, athletically. So, you know, you’re talking about three times a week that they’re, you know. Continuing to do work throughout the winter, um, where used to be that lag period of about, you know, 6 weeks where we weren’t really doing anything prior.
And, you know, it was more on [00:22:30] their own. And, um, but that has really helped. You can see the development of kids. We saw that last year with, you know, a huge job, um, for players from their sophomore. Uh, to junior freshman, sophomore year, and that’s, I probably say that was the big difference between like the levels, right?
If you think about Division 1, Division 2, they’re using their hours, they’re using 8 to 12, or whatever that might be. And they’re continuing to, you know, get touches and work throughout the off season, so you can see their growth. And I think now we’re benefiting from that, and that our, our kids are, are really, um, are really excelling.
So, um, so yeah, in one month from now, we will, uh, be. Getting touches on the ball, which is crazy to think, you know, as we think about down period and, uh, from a rest perspective from like a coaching staff, cause we’re reading that right now, but I think it’s a benefit to our program. And I think that’s why we’ve seen a lot of success.
Matt: Yeah, for sure. Well, coach, you’ve been generous with your time. I got one last question for you. And that is if you had one piece of advice, uh, for folks going through this college recruiting process, uh, what would that be?
Coach: Yeah, that’s a, that’s a really good question. And we tend to tell people not to rely on others throughout this process, right?
To really take control at the wheel to identify the aspects that are going to be meaningful to process. You can find good, bad, average at any level. But really trying to find the right experience is is key. Um, [00:24:00] some people want to be, um, you know, eat, eating, breathing, living soccer, right? Which is, which is awesome, you know, um, and that might be the division 1 experience.
Others might want to still compete at a really high level, but also want the balance and might understand that they might not be playing professionally in 4 years. So, what resources and what opportunities are the school going to give you when it’s all over and said and done? Um, but really not relying on others in this process, finding Um, you know, finding the schools, whether that’s the radius that you want to be in, or maybe the size, or specifically the major that’s going to be key to what you want to study.
Then you think about competitiveness program, all those things, find the four or five factors that are going to be really meaningful for you to help you narrow down your search. Um, it’s, it’s hard to go into a process, be really broad and say, well, I’m into anything. I’d like to be anywhere. Well, there are a thousand schools that you can play at any level, but.
How do you start to narrow it down that list? That’s my advice. And those are the same things that we tell our recruits. We want them to go see other places. We want them to take a look at other programs and talk to other coaches because You know, we want them to understand like the fit has to be mutual, right?
And you’re not gonna you’re not gonna know that unless you put yourself out there and find and find other schools to compare it with So
Matt: absolutely couldn’t agree more. Well coach really appreciate it again. Congrats on a great season and uh, Give me a shout when you’re down in lakewood ranch. Uh, thank you, man.
We’ll be there in [00:25:30] january We’ll we’ll grab a coffee or something. Uh, it’s in it’s in my backyard. So sounds
Coach: good Happy holidays, man. All the best to you and your family
Matt: likewise. Take care
