Jessica Gambale has been around the game of soccer since she was four years old. Now, she gets to be around a new program, new players, and new opportunities as the head coach of the Lynn Classical girls soccer team.
The Rams finished the regular season with a 15-2-1 record – allowing just four goals over the 18 games. With playoffs beginning this week – no matter who they line up against – Classical will put up a fight with its offensive explosiveness, superstar goalkeeper in Lauren Wilson, and a brand new head coach in Gambale.
The Gambale family lives and breathes sports – Jessica’s sisters both played college soccer, and she played college lacrosse. Despite her love for both soccer and lacrosse, Gambale says she knows a bit more about soccer and its technicalities – adding that her former coaches used to applaud her knowledge growing up.
Years later, she was put in contact with the Rams of Lynn Classical, calling it “the right place at the right time.” Gambale joined the program as an assistant coach last season – her initial reaction: excitement.
“I always knew I wanted to be a coach,” Gambale said. “It was just a matter of when, and it seemed like a perfect opportunity.”
Little did Gambale know – her foot in the door, as she called it, was the start of something bigger. She was named Classical’s head coach just a few days before the 2022 regular season.
“Me and the girls figured it out together and we’ve turned things around pretty quickly,” Gambale said.
Despite believing that education comes first for her players to focus on, Gambale couldn’t wait to live out the soccer experience with her fellow Rams.
“Sports are just such a good way to learn time management and get to know new people. I think everyone should play sports,” Gambale said. “I just wanted them to have a good season, make the best of it, and get some wins along the way.”
Her favorite part of coaching is seeing a plan executed, and her players doing so. Whether it’s a small positional change or a correction to a player’s fundamentals, one of Gambale’s goals was to show each and every Ram what they’re capable of.
With all the wins to choose from, it was Classical’s second game against Medford that remains Gambale’s favorite. The back-and-forth showdown ended with the Rams winning, 2-0, on enemy turf – featuring two impressive tallies, a great performance from Wilson in net, and early momentum the Rams carry with them to this day.
“That was definitely a really fun one,” Gambale said.
Another point Gambale values: player progression. Gambale said if each player feels they’ve improved from game one to game 18, that’s a win in itself.
With the regular season complete, now comes the postseason. Despite the added stakes and expected early jitters, Gambale’s message to her group remains the same.
“We’re going to be seeing some of the best competition we’ve seen in the tournament. We’re ready for it, we just have to keep doing what we’ve been doing and lock in on defense, put away our opportunities on offense,” Gambale said. “If we can play one of our best games, I think we can compete with anyone.”
