 Coach Chris Case, '01 |
Recruiting is the lifeblood of any successful organization, and Chris Case, ’01, knows this well. A head coach at Fredonia State in two sports, he has recruited a steady stream of players who have repeatedly put their names in the record books.
In women’s soccer, the top two leading scorers in program history are Case recruits. A third — currently a sophomore — is scoring at a rate that would put her on top by the time she’s through. He also gets credit for bringing in the team’s all-time leading goalkeeper as well.
In women’s lacrosse, two Case recruits have been named SUNYAC Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year — the first Blue Devil women to land either.
Case, too, has received many awards. He has been named SUNYAC Coach of the Year three times — twice for soccer and once for lacrosse.
The first honor came in 2003 in only his second season as women’s soccer head coach. Then, in 2008, he was honored in women’s lacrosse after a record-setting, 11-win season — the most in the program’s 14-year history.
His third and most recent, however, may be his most cherished. Picked to finish eighth in the pre-season SUNYAC coaches poll, the Blue Devils surprised the 10-team conference by finishing second with an 11-5-2 record — including a program-best six conference wins — and advancing to the semifinals in the SUNYAC Tournament for the first time.
“I’m always trying to find players who can come in and start for us,” said Case. “And even if they can’t start, good players give you depth.”
Case was more than just a good player when he came to Fredonia in 1997. He was, in the assessment of his coach, one of the best goalkeepers in the region.
“Chris was a top recruit to our program,” former men’s head coach Mike Middleton said. “He was one of the top ’keepers in the region and developed into one of the very best in the whole Division [NCAA III].”
Case appeared in only three games as a freshman, but he made 57 starts over the next three seasons and posted a 43-10 record with four ties. He was credited with 26 shutouts and an 85.6 save percentage which, together with his 0.69 goals-against average, rank among the all-time team leaders.
“More importantly,” Middleton said, “you could see straight away that he was a good guy. He was fun to be with. The other players really liked him, and I just thought he was great.”
Well, maybe not everyone liked him. Kyle Marvin was his teammate for two seasons and has been an assistant soccer coach for him the last five years. He remembers Case as a driven player who demanded much of himself and his teammates, even if it meant getting into their faces.
One of those instances was with Marvin, who took offense at what he felt was an overly aggressive slide tackle by Case.
“It probably happened,” Case laughed when asked about it. “I was a senior and didn’t want to lose.”
Marvin believes Case’s goalkeeper pedigree has helped him coach. A top-notch goalie has to see the big picture and scan the field to stop an opponent’s offense. He also has to be a solid communicator.
“As a goalkeeper, he wasn’t afraid to talk during every minute of the game,” Marvin said. “Luckily, he doesn’t have to yell as much anymore.”
That’s now the job of his players, such as Becky Scroger, ’09, a three-time All-SUNYAC goalkeeper, who is normally soft-spoken. Yet, at Case’s constant urging, she learned to bark out defensive signals. It paid off. Scroger established school records for career and single-season goals-against average (1.03 career; 0.67 in 2007) and career shutouts (23).
This year’s starting goalkeeper, freshman Meaghan Meszaros, is learning this too. As she told the campus newspaper, The Leader, “Coach Case gave me training that would prepare me for all aspects of the game. He taught me techniques [for] how to stop shots and also how to talk to the players on the field to help them keep the other team from shooting.”
Case prepares for every game. His scouting reports are full of details and his recall of opponents is uncanny. His training methods, however, have matured over time. When he started coaching, hard runs up “Tin Man Hill” were routine, but these days his players do most of their running with a ball, and even play little games as they run — a tactic he learned from Middleton.
“They drill harder than if they spent the whole time sprinting,” Case revealed.
The players also get days off in the middle of some weeks. It gives them time to focus on their studies, and saves their legs for later in the season. He discovered he shouldn’t push his players too hard or else they might push back. It’s the same with recruiting.
“Not everyone is the same, but if you push, push, push and give deadlines, if they’re not ready by the deadline, it puts you out of the game,” Case said of talking to recruits. “[So] you have to read each situation. If they’re eager to make a decision, that’s when you push the envelope. If they’re up in the air, you reiterate the points of why Fredonia is good for them.”
This proved true with Reilly Condidorio, who learned of Fredonia’s program at a college fair as a senior at LeRoy High School. That sparked her to write to Case and express an interest in playing for him. During a series of follow-ups, she sensed he was looking out for her best interests as much as his own.
“He was different than other coaches,” she said. “He asked me tough questions about aspects of the game and what I could bring to his team. I think these types of questions are important because a player should be confident and know the answer to that question about their skill level. I felt welcomed at Fredonia but not pressured to come here, which was a big plus for me because some coaches put too much pressure on coming to their schools and it is overwhelming.”
It’s been a terrific fit for them both. In her first two seasons, Condidorio has been named First Team All-SUNYAC twice, Second Team All-Region as a freshman, and the only First Team All-Region selection in Fredonia State women’s soccer history this past fall. Her 20 goals and 50 points over two seasons are more than half the current school record in each category (33 goals and 80 points by Lauren Heilweil, a teammate of Condidorio’s the past two seasons).
Case says he looks for players with the right attitude and work ethic who appear willing to accept coaching — and who won’t affect team chemistry negatively. Once he’s found a player with those qualities, he encourages them to visit to see the impressive facilities and meet the dedicated people.
“I found,” he said, “that if you can get a kid on our campus, it sells itself. I think that’s one of the big reasons we’ve been able to bring so many quality players here.”
