CSJ taps Juettner to rebuild soccer
Toolbox
By Tom Haley STAFF WRITER - Published: October 8, 2009
Andrew Juettner had a winning touch as the Mount St. Joseph Academy girls varsity soccer coach. His Mounties went 44-33-2 during his tenure from 2001-2005 with two state semifinal appearances and now he will try to bring that winning formula to College of St. Joseph's women's soccer program.
Juettner replaces Ben Turner who never got to coach a game at CSJ. He was hired to coach the Fighting Saints this fall, but the season was scrapped due to an insufficient number of players.
CSJ Dean of Students Rob Lukaskiewicz said the school had some recruiting goals to make the women's soccer program viable again and that Turner did not feel the goals were realistic.
Lukaskiewicz said that the numbers were low the previous year when Ian Akin was the coach. Turner's recruiting yield of eight or nine new players would have been a good one for any other year, but it was not enough for 2009 when a number of the players were found to be academically ineligible.
"Coach Turner made an honest effort and normally what he brought in would be a heck of a recruiting class," Lukaskiewicz said.
"We expect to have a vibrant, flourishing women's soccer program."
Juettner will hold informal practices this fall and recruit high school players with an eye on next season.
"We know Andrew has a pretty tall order," Lukaskiewicz said. "But he's used to rebuilding and growing a program."
Juettner is a College of St. Joseph graduate. He played NCAA Division II soccer at St. Leo University in Florida and another year of soccer at CSJ after transferring.
"It needs to be a big recruiting class next year," Juettner said.
There was plenty of excitement during his stint at MSJ when Kate Daley and Alex Marcell were career 100-point players (combined goals and assists) as teammates and the Mounties played a memorable 8-on-8 overtime playoff game against perennial power Northfield.
He wants to bring a similar excitement to this program.
He will begin by attending high school games in Vermont.
"We want to have big recruitment in Vermont but also branch out and cast a big net," Juettner said. "I have just met with the admissions people and I know Pennsylvania and New Jersey are big states for them now."
He also said he would like to get some transfer student athletes to bring some leadership and maturity to a program that is rebuilding.
"The thing that impressed me about Andrew is his willingness to be a team player," CSJ Athletic Director Ray Fish said. "And I will do anything I can to help him."
CSJ is a member of the Sunrise Conference which has eight member schools, but will shrink to seven with Paul Smith's exit after this season.
Fish said the conference wants to expand to 10 schools and split into divisions, possibly limiting the long trips to Maine-Fort Kent, Maine-Machias and Maine-Presque Isle to every other year.
Schools that have been mentioned as possible future members are Hesser College in Manchester, N.H., and Briarcliffe College in Bethpage, N.Y.
There will likely be more definitive news about the future direction of the league following a Sunrise Conference meeting in South Portland, Maine on Dec. 6-7.
tom.haley@rutlandherald.com
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