By Nelson Coffin
nelson@iaamsports.com

It’s not always easy to coach a team that is the odds-on favorite to win a championship.

Just ask Nick Gill, who was named the IAAM Indoor Soccer Coach of the Year recently after guiding the Magic to their third straight A Conference title, 30th consecutive win and second unbeaten season in a row last month.

Yes, the Magic had plenty of talent, although that’s not always a guaranteed path to the top.

It takes more than that to win in a sport that is as frantic, fast-paced and full of surprises as indoor soccer is.

Add to that the length of the season and a quirky schedule in which Mercy played only one regular season game after the winter break, and the potential for a letdown rises dramatically.

“We had a lot of days off,” Gill said. “We had to find ways to keep it interesting for the kids.”

One of those ploys was to hold an Olympics-like competition that allowed the players to vie for modest prizes and awards.

Because 13 of his 15 players play soccer year-round and the other two are club lacrosse players, Gill limited their practice time as much as was practical.

“Nick does a great job of making sure the players have an outlet outside of school,” said assistant coach Brian Casserly. “He makes practices short and to the point so that kids can do their homework, do whatever else they have to do and get to club practice. And as the AD (athletic director), he care about their overall experience. That’s why the kids love being around their AD.”

With a slew of freshmen who had never played the sport in such a competitive environment, Gill admitted that the season was challenging for the Magic.

Keep in mind that to secure the title with a taut 3-2 win over John Carroll in the championship match at Coppermine “Du” Burns Arena in Canton, the Patriots came perilously close to netting the equalizer in the waning seconds of regulation.

“Getting the freshman acclimated took almost to the middle of the season, because indoor soccer in the iAAM is a very physical and tactical game,” Gill said. “But it really worked out well in the championship when two of our goals came from freshmen (Asia Minor and Sydney Feiler) and one from a sophomore (Carsyn Hyman).”

The tactical part of the game is a strong suit for Gill, said Casserly, who has coached the Magic tp three consecutive B Conference lacrosse titles.

“I never played soccer,” Casserly said. “I learned a lot about soccer from him and a lot about coaching lacrosse, too. I learned not only how to coach tactics, but how to approach the kids better.”

Gill credits his other assistant, Kristopher "Critter" Ward, and Casserly for making the award possible.

“Brian’s input was invaluable when ‘Critter’ had to miss some time (due to the death of his mother,” Gill said. “And ‘Critter was mainly a goalie coach who helped a lot with in-game adjustments.”