St. Peter’s University Women’s Soccer – Coach Julia Bazi
On today’s episode, I speak with Coach Julia from the St. Peter’s Women’s Program in New Jersey. We talk about how she likes to recruit everyone. She describes the urban campus near New York City. Lastly, we discuss how they play an adaptive style focusing on possession. Learn more about St. Peter’s University Women’s Soccer.
Matt: [00:00:00] Hi, everybody. Welcome to Discover College Soccer. Today I’m lucky enough to be joined by Coach Julia Bassey from St. Peter’s. Welcome coach.
Coach: Thank you, Matthew. Thanks for having me.
Matt: Yeah, yeah. Thanks for being here. Uh, we, we were just chatting a little bit. You’re, you know, you can tell, tell from your accent.
You’re not from New Jersey. Uh, but, uh, But as a former World Cup player for, from, for Australia, you gotta be, you know, try trying to cheering on the, the men’s side, although we’re talking on the big day for the USA against Iran, so, yep. Hopefully when this goes live and people watch it, everybody’s happy because of the result.
Coach: absolutely . I hope they win. I hope, I do hope they win. . It’s my adopted country, so I do. There you go.
Matt: There you go. Awesome. Well, we’re talking about those games. Your, your games have wrapped up for the season, so, uh, talk more about recruiting, cuz I’m sure that’s what you’re hot and heavy into at this point.
Yes. Uh, now that the season’s wrapped up, looking at next season, so right now it’s the end of November, are you primarily wrapping up your 23 class? Is 20 threes done and you’re looking at 20 fours? What does that look like for you in a typical year? Yep.
Coach: So we’re right in it with the 20 threes right now.
Um, it gets a bit difficult to. So a lot during the season, cuz we’re all over the place , right. Um, but now it’s like, now we’re going for the finish line. So all the girls that we’ve been in contact with, we’re making time to go watch play in person. Um, we wanna get them wrapped up quickly. Um, [00:01:30] we have a number set and we have specific, you know, positions and, and players that we’re looking for.
Um, hopefully we get them right. So that’s always the plan, right? But we always have to have, um, Option B and C as well, just in case, right?
Matt: Yeah. Well, so when, when that June 15th date rolls around, when you’re allowed to start talking to juniors, are you hitting that trail hard there before your season starts as well?
Coach: Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely do. Um, it’s a bit more difficult being a smaller school, you know, you know, the bigger schools have already wrapped up 25 , you know. But, um, we do what we can with the resources we have. . Um, I think we do a good job with what we have. Also, uh, myself and the two other assistants we’re, we’re on it.
Right. We’re, we’re trying to get to as much as we can, so. Awesome.
Matt: Yeah. Well, you mentioned going to and seeing players play, so are there tournaments that you kind of have on your list as to places I have to make sure I get every year?
Coach: Yep. So the, there are a few, especially like the PDA ones that are close by.
And then we do host our own clinics and camps, which is big for us cuz we get to see them play in person on a more personable level. Um, and then there are other clinics that happen around the area, maybe Philadelphia, Massachusetts we can get to. So we’ll look at those camps too, like the exact camps and, and there’s a few different ones that we try and get to is also okay.
Matt: Now, in terms of. what, what we all call the alphabet soup. [00:03:00] Um, are you focused primarily on E C N L or GA or, uh, national League or does, does the alphabet soup matter ?
Coach: Uh, not for me. Uh, I look, I’ve been here a lot of years now and I still dunno it , right? So once I think I do, and then another one. So I’m just like, you know what?
Luckily I have my assistant, he’s like a walking thesaurus, right? So if I, if I need to ask anything, I tell him and he knows everything. So he’s from the area. So he is very, very good with that stuff. Um, but look, we look at the players, right? We know what we want and what we’re looking for. It’s not always the superstar of the team.
Sometimes the coaches look for that coach’s player we call it, mm-hmm. , um, who’s gonna do that dirty work, but doesn’t stand out as much. Sure. So, you know, there’s certain things that we look for when we’re recruiting.
Matt: Okay. Well in, in terms of just kind of building on that, whether you’re at a tournament or a clinic or something Yep.
Do you have kind of your checklist of what you are looking for? What, what are some of the on the field attributes as well as some of the off the field attributes that really kind of catch your eye?
Coach: Right. So the main thing we do first is the girls that have reached out to. We wanna make sure we see them cuz we already know they’re interested.
So we’ll go watch them play. And then naturally you come across a few other players that are really good. So, you know, we, we get in contact with them also, um, like for this season we’re looking for replacements for the sixth [00:04:30] graduate students that we’re graduating. So I’ll naturally wanna replace them with, uh, with the same talent, right?
So, uh, we have our list and we know where we’re going after. Okay? Yep.
Matt: Well in terms of your um, roster. I noticed you have a few international players. Yes. Is are you looking, I mean, how big is international recruiting in, in your overall recruiting scheme and, and how does the transfer portal fit in these days too?
Coach: Yep. I love the transfer portal. I’m all for it, so, um, both, right? We’re looking for both. Um, you know, they’re really, really top ed players. You know, they might be gone to a Rutgers or a Penn State, or, you know, naturally mm-hmm. , which is fine. Um, so sometimes we do explore the international option, but we’re not just gonna pick someone because they’re international.
They also have to meet the criteria of what we’re looking for. Um, but we’re open, we’re always open to anything and everything, as long as the personality is right and the talent is. So they’re the two things that we go for. Yep. The personality is a big one because, you know, you want the chemistry to be good amongst the girls.
So for me, what I say is, I don’t wanna, even if you’re the best player in the world, but you have a rodden attitude, I don’t want you on the team. So just one bad egg can bring down everything. So at the moment it’s fantastic. All the girls get along. Um, and we kind of wanna keep it. . Awesome.
Matt: Yes. Awesome.
Well, one [00:06:00] question we get sometimes is around official visits, um, and, you know, as a, as a smaller school and, and like you said, you’re, you’re doing as much with what you got that you can, um, you know, do you guys sponsor a number of, of official visits for, for kids, and what exactly would, would someone.
Coach: Between an official visit? Yeah. So we don’t really do like the big official visits where we fly them in, you know, put ’em up in a hotel and we just don’t have the resources for that. Um, the best we could offer would be, um, obviously the girls can stay with the girls in the dorm room. Um, I, I, I like that cuz it kind of gives them.
A feel of what it’s like to be a student athlete on campus, living with teammates. Mm-hmm. . Um, and then we also make sure we feed them, so we give ’em vouchers for the cafeteria so they can taste the cafeteria food, um, and kind of just have a real feel, hands-on feel of what it would be like to be at at St.
Peter’s.
Matt: Okay. Yeah. Now, as a, as a parent, my, my, you know, and many other parents, the first question we always, uh, look at is, oh, geezes, what’s this gonna cost me? Right? Yeah. So, I’m not holding you to, to hard numbers here. Yeah. But can you just give me a, a little bit of an overview of what it would be like in terms of what.
What aid is available, what, uh, whether that’s academic money, what the athletic scholarship situation is, just, just kind of an overall, uh, viewpoint of the, of what it costs.
Coach: Yeah. So St. Peter’s in general is a private school, so naturally it’s more money, . Um, the school will [00:07:30] range from about 50, 60, 50 7,000 a year.
Um, but what we do offer is huge academic. as well as athletic aid. So we are a school that can combine the two. Um, some don’t, right? Everyone’s got their different policies, uh, with us. You know, if you come in with good grades, you can get more than half of that taken away by academic aid. Okay? So then, you know, adding athletic scholarship, they kind of, that number that you were scared of when you first heard it kind of diminishes and becomes, okay, this is actually pretty good.
We can afford. Okay.
Matt: Well, let’s talk a little bit more about the school. Uh, you know, some folks out there may not be familiar with St. Peter’s, even though it’s right there in the heart, in the heart of it, all right? Uh, yep. Next to Manhattan and Jersey City. So, can, can you just gimme some insights? What are some really cool things about St.
Peter’s that, that I’m, I’m not gonna learn just by clicking on the website.
Coach: Yep. Um, I’m sure you learned more about them. Um, March Madness from last. Yep. Yep. So that, I think that put us on the map a little bit more. Uh, when the coaches and I went away, uh, for tournaments, they knew who we were straight away.
Right. It was kinda like, oh, St. Peter’s, is he, like, we never had that before. Right. So that was, thank you to the men’s basketball team. So that. . Um, but like the area itself is, is I actually bought a house around here, so it’s really, really nice. Uh, maybe 20, 25 years ago, probably not. Um, but now it’s just luxury buildings and, and it’s just growing and growing.
So it’s, it’s a nice area. It’s safe, which is a [00:09:00] big question the parents ask, which naturally you should. Um, I mean, we’re one stop from Manhattan, uh, but people forget that Jersey City itself is. Nice city because you have Manhattan as your, as your in your backyard. So, um, Jersey City’s extremely diverse, uh, which means amazing food, right?
So we have, um, uh, you name the nationality, we have it. Um, so, and we have the view of New York. So, you know, the boardwalk, there’s, there’s restaurants and bars with kids when they’re older, um, and parents and, and you know, there’s always something to do. You know what I mean? Hoboken’s next door. Jersey City, Jersey City Heights, it’s, oh, it’s, it’s really nice area.
So if you’re not a city person, probably not the school for you. Um, right, because it is, uh, it’s a city, right. So if, if you enjoy the city, perfect place. Okay. Yeah. .
Matt: Well, in terms of the, the academic side of things, right. Um, how is being a soccer player at St. Peter’s, how do the student athletes really balance their studies and, and sport commitments, and what support systems does the school offer to help?
Coach: Yep. So, uh, everything, uh, we have academic advisors, um, study hall. We have psychologists. We even have priest. Um, so whatever resources you need is there for you. Uh, what we speak to with the girls is just communication. So we don’t want [00:10:30] them sitting in their room freaking out, like, this is too much. And that’s why we kind of have an open door policy for us coaches so the girls can come in and out, call us anytime they want.
Um, you know, cuz we want them to be happy where they are. Um, the worst thing for me as a coach, and I’m sure other coaches will feel the same, is you don’t want your players. Miserable or upset or, or, you know, struggling. Um, so we do meet a lot one-on-one just to touch, touch base with the girls just to know where their head’s at.
Um, there are one or two that have come in and, oh, this is a lot. And then we sit down with a, a advisor and then we fix it. Right. So it is communication. Communication is a big one cause the resources are literally there for you.
Matt: Okay. Awesome. Yeah. Well, rolling back a few months, uh, during the season. Can you walk me through, and I know there’s no such thing as an a, a, a typical week, but Yep.
But can you walk me through what a, a player might be walking into in terms of, you know, when is class meals practice? Yep. Games, travel routines, that kind of thing.
Coach: Yeah, no problem. So I’ll give you the week. So, uh, in our conference, we, we play Wednesday, Saturday. , we have no option. That’s our, that’s our conference, right?
Wednesday, Saturday. So what we’ll do, we’ll do, uh, we’ll train in the morning. So we train at 7:00 AM So the girls have class, they don’t have to worry about. Oh gosh. I gotta get to training now. I can’t fit it in. I’ve got so much to do. Trainings in the morning. It’s over and done with. You’re finished. Uh, we do do [00:12:00] film on Monday too, to prepare for Wednesday’s game.
Uh, Tuesday will train. Uh, Wednesday we play, and then they’re required to do some form of recovery afterwards, whether it’s in the swimming pool, uh, massages, uh, compression boots, ice bath, whatever the athletic trainer says you need to do. It has to be. Um, Thursday, repeat Now we’ll go, we’ll go do the, um, training and the, and the, the film, uh, train again Thursday, Friday, and then play Saturday and then they’re off on Sunday.
Okay.
Matt: Well, in terms of your conference, how, how big is the conference? How much travel do you guys have to do?
Coach: Yeah, so there, there are 11 teams. Um, the furthest we go is ni. So we have two teams that are up in Buffalo and Niagara. I enjoy the ride. I mean, it’s a good bonding experience for the girls, even though they do sing karaoke on the bus , they, you know, there’s one or two that are actually pretty decent, but the rest , um, that’s probably the furthest we go in terms of conference play.
Uh, the rest of, you know, within an hour, Connecticut, jersey, New York, so it’s not too bad. Okay.
Matt: Yep. . Well, let’s talk more about the soccer side of things. Okay. You were mentioning, you know, needing to, to reload the roster cuz you have some graduate students leaving and stuff. Yep. What, is there a roster size that you find is ideal that you’re trying to hit every year?
Coach: Yeah, so for me, I think between 26 and 28 is, is more [00:13:30] than enough. Um, you know, unfortunately we do get injuries during the season, um, which is normal. Uh, so we wanna make sure we have the right amount of players to cover or also in training too. We don’t wanna have 10 people. What kind of training can you do with that?
So, 26 to 28 for me is, is ideal. Okay. Yep.
Matt: And you mentioned your staff and, and how everybody pitches in and helps with recruiting, but can you talk a little bit more about your staff? What, what else do, do they help you with and, and what does the staff look like?
Coach: Yeah, so I have, um, my assistant, Brett Axelrod, he’s our goalkeeper coach.
Um, he basically deals with everything , everything the head coach doesn’t wanna deal with. He takes care of all of that, that fun stuff. And he, he does a great job at it too. So, I can’t complain. I am lucky in terms of my assistants. Uh, I know sometimes the head coach gets the recognition when things go well.
Um, but assistance do a. You know, and, and I’m, I am lucky to have, I’m fortunate enough to have two really good ones. Um, and then Yudy is, is Brazilian. Um, you know, he is got the Brazilian mind. Um, we do a lot of the, the field work in terms of training on the field while Brett takes care of the goalkeepers.
So, you know, go, I’m not a goalkeeper, I don’t know anything about goalkeepers. So if he tells me this is what we need to do with goalkeepers, it’s basically what happens. We all pitch in, in our part. So that’s, that’s, and what I say is like, you’d rather have three brains working together than just one.
Right? So I let them kind of express [00:15:00] what they think or what they feel is right, or what, which, who should we start with? Like it’s kind of an open discussion. .
Matt: Okay. That’s great. Well, in terms of continuing with that, can you tell me your style of coaching, kind of the team style of play, what that culture of the team is?
Coach: Yeah, so personally I love possession. I’m a big possession believer. Um, I like to a attack and press high. Um, but it also comes down to what kind of plays you have and who we’re playing against. You know, every coach wishes they can play, you know, ticky tackle football and like beautiful stuff. But, um, it comes down to who you’re playing against and what kind of players we have at the time.
And so we, you do have to tweak it sometimes. Um, I do have a young squad, so they’re learning a lot, which is great. Um, but yeah, so we, it’s, it is adjusting for me, I love possession. I like to attack with speed and press up high. So if, if I had to pick, that’s what it would. Okay.
Matt: Yeah. Now, do you guys employ any sort of technology in terms of, you know, the trackers or the practice, film, game film, you know, what, what kind of technology are you guys using to help the team during the year?
Coach: Yeah, so we use Instat for all of that, so Yep, that’s what we do the film with. And, and Prou does the scouting reports and he would, he sits down with them or, or me, and we go over, um, individual stuff. So, you know, there might be one or two things. We wanna show an individual play instead of a team. So we’ll sit down with them and go over that as.
Okay. [00:16:30] Yeah.
Matt: Well, we’re, we’re almost to December, so you got a good nine months really before you’re, you’re back in looking at the season, uh, for next year. But can you give me just a rough overview of what the next nine months will look like in terms of an off season program for the girls?
Coach: Yep. So they, they do have a bit of a winter break.
We don’t wanna overwhelm him with too much over c. Um, because they are just finishing exams and they’re finally home with their families. So we give ’em that kind of reload. But we do touch base with ’em once a week to see what they’re. Doing in terms of workouts, and then the spring comes and then all of a sudden it’s the fall.
Um, you know, the summer workouts, they get a summer packet, um, that has all of our fitness testing and nutrition, um, body workouts, uh, you name it on there. Um, so what we do is we have an Excel sheet that each player puts in their workouts for the week, and they’re due by the end of the week. So not only do we get to see what they’re doing off season, , um, if they come into, into preseason.
Not in shape, but they’ve told me they’ve done this, this, and this. I can kind of like say, well, I don’t know . Yeah. So, um, and that also keep, keeps us in touch with them throughout the summer too.
Matt: Okay. Yeah. That’s awesome. Well, coach, we’ve talked about a lot of different things, covered a lot of ground, but I always like to end these with the same thing and that’s what didn’t we cover.
What else would you like us to know, whether it’s about recruiting, about the school, about the soccer or, or anything else in general? I’ll, I’ll leave you with the last. [00:18:00]
Coach: Yeah, so like, like, like I said, I have a really young team, um, and, and we took this team from the bottom and we’re building it up. Um, we’ve had two pretty successful seasons, um, from what I’ve been told was the best season since 2009.
So we wanna build from that. Um, you know, we are a small school, so resources are extremely limited compared to some of the teams we do play against in the Mac. Um, but for us, It doesn’t matter. Uh, we’re gonna do the work if it comes down to the coaches wanting to do the work. Um, and like I said, the three of us are nonstop
So we, we want the best for the program and not just for us to be successful, but also to give the best experience for the players. Awesome.
Matt: Yeah. Well, coach, we wish you the best of luck in, in building this team up and uh, if you’re in Philadelphia at the Coach’s Convention, be sure to swing by the table.
Uh, we’ll be there in person and would love to meet you and, uh, thanks for being on. Yeah, thank you. Appreciate it.
