With longtime girls soccer coach Chris Coviello announcing his retirement, Saugus High’s next head coach is April Martinez, who graduated from the high school in 1990 and was a four-year varsity player.
It’s safe to say, she’s looking forward to it.
“I’m very excited. I’m excited to follow in the footsteps of two long-time coaches at Saugus. One being Ted Moriello, who is actually my father, and then Chris Coviello, who has been the coach for the last 12-plus years,” Martinez said.
What was once a dream is now a reality for Martinez, with the fall season just around the corner.
“I always dreamed of taking on this team. I had noticed that Chris had retired and, at that time, I was going through some health issues and had to make sure I was going to be healthy so I could commit to it. Everything turned out fine, so I was able to apply,” Martinez said.
Martinez brings experience to the town and is familiar with its culture. Her daughter went through the girls soccer program, too.
“I graduated from Saugus, played varsity for four years, and ended up playing in college at Salem State,” she said. “I came back and helped my dad finish his coaching career before he passed away in 2008. My daughter went through the program, while my son went to Bishop Fenwick where I ended up coaching for the last four years. When this job opened up, I jumped at the opportunity.”
Saugus has been one of the strongest teams in a stacked Northeastern Conference, and Martinez knows she has her work cut out for her.
Last season, the Sachems sported a record of 15-4-1.
“The program was strong prior to Chris. I think he built up the program and they became even stronger. We will be graduating some really key, talented girls. I’m hoping to continue to build the program,” Martinez said.
And in addition to focusing on her current team, Martinez knows it starts with the youth.
“The youth right now – the boys’ side – is stronger, in regard to numbers. I want to get back into the youth program, so I’m going to step away from club soccer to focus on varsity and the youth. I want to give them a helping hand, whether they need help with practice plans, finding ways to properly condition them, and maybe run some soccer camps, too, if that’s needed,” she said.
When asked to describe her coaching style, Martinez admitted that you won’t see her yelling on the sideline. Rather, she wants to give her team freedom, and will talk when needed.
“When I went through the interview, they were looking for someone who was strict and stern, but I’m not really a strict person. I’m not going to be one who is yelling and screaming at the girls. Watching my kids play, growing up, they’ve had some of those coaches and, sometimes, coaches like that can really bring a player down and lose their confidence,” Martinez said. “I’m going to be organized and have a method to my madness.”
Captains are an important part of any program – let alone, one with a first-year coach. Martinez has four captains ready for responsibility.
“The captains were nominated by Chris. They’re Layla Manderson, Tori Carter, Taylor Deleidi, and Madison Botta,” she said. “We have those four captains in place and we gave them some responsibilities ahead of the preseason.”
Preseason officially starts next month, but the plan is to enter a tournament toward the end of August (at Bishop Fenwick) to help get Martinez more familiar with her girls.
“I’m really excited to get started. We have a new AD (Matt Serino) as well, so I’m looking forward to getting to work with him and working with the team,” Martinez said. “I want to mentor the girls not only on the soccer field, but for college by teaching them to be strong, independent leaders off the field, too.”
