New Alton boys soccer era begins under Coach Nick Funk
GODFREY – A new era for Alton High School soccer got under way this week when preseason practice started for the Redbirds.
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One-time Redbird player Nick Funk took over as the program's coach, replacing Jay Robertson, who stepped down to pursue other interests during the spring. Funk was one of Robertson's assistants the previous three seasons.
The Redbirds finished last season with a 9-10-3 record, dropping their final six matches of the season before being eliminated in the IHSA Class 3A Quincy Regional 3-1 in October by the host Blue Devils.
“We've got a lot of hard workers,” Funk said of the returning players for this year's edition of the Redbirds. “We're looking really good; we've got a group of 16-17 seniors, so we've got a really good core to work off of. Everybody's looking good.
“Our same core from last year has been standing out. “We've got (CJ) Nasello and (Skylar) Funk back and a few center-midfielders we're looking at. Those two (Nasello and Funk), we're going to try to build off this year. We're going to try and push forward pretty quickly and pretty hard this year. We're definitely going to try to force the pace of the game; that's our goal.”
Funk expects the Southwestern Conference to be the usual tough test this season. “That's good, though,” Funk said of the SWC. “It creates better play, creates better players. We're looking forward to it.
“We're going to be relying heavily on our middle (the midfielders); they're going to have to push our pace for us.”
Having the recently opened on-campus Piasa Motor Fuels Field for the full season will be an advantage for the Redbirds, Funk believes. “It's a great thing to have everything on-campus and everyone together,” Funk said. “I think we're in good shape; we've got a lot of kids who really love the game and have been taught to love it, be respectful and all that. I think Jay left us in a good spot.
“There's quite a bit of the same stuff (between Funk and Robertson's style of play), but we're gong to push forward a little harder; we're going to do as much as we can to get the ball in the net and try not to sit back unless we have to.”
Funk admitted to having some anticipation into stepping into the role of head coach this season. “I don't know if it's pressure (taking over the program), but there's always anxiety and nervousness; it's a big responsibility and I look forward to it. There's always a little bit of anxiousness (of stepping into the role of the head coach). The administration (at AHS) has done a good job of not putting too much pressure on me; we've got a good relationship there.”
The teams Alton will be facing in the SWC and in the IHSA regional, such as Edwardsville and Quincy, are expected to be tough teams on the Redbird schedule. Alton opens the season up at home Aug. 24 against Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin and hosts their round-robin Invitational tournament the weekend of Aug. 26-27 at Piasa Field. Alton will be part of the St. Louis CYC Tournament Sept. 19-24, with the finals taking place at World Wide Technologies Soccer Park.
The SWC opener will be at home Aug. 30 against Granite City and the Redbirds will play MICDS of St. Louis at GCS Ballpark in Sauget Oct. 1. The IHSA Class 3A playoffs begin Oct. 20, with the state tournament set for the Chicago suburb of Hoffman Estates the weekend of Nov. 4-5.
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