Printer Friendly Version - Saturno Gaining New Perspective as Morgan Boys’ Soccer Coach

David Saturno was a high scoring offensive threat during his playing days for the Morgan soccer team. He has since gained a new perspective on the game while coaching the JV team this fall with his brother. Photo courtesy of David Saturno

The Morgan boys’ soccer team had a familiar face on the sideline this past fall. David Saturno, a former Morgan soccer star who graduated from high school in 2019, returned to coach the JV boys’ team this year. He did so alongside his older brother James Saturno, who also played for Morgan in high school, helping lead the team to a state championship in 2017.

David had a very decorative soccer career while attending Morgan, as he earned All-New England honors and wowed Head Coach Ross Demay. Demay called David “one of the best talents I have seen come through high school soccer.”

During his high school playing days, David did not picture himself ever stepping over to the coach’s box, however, since doing so he has found it rewarding and even emotional at times.

“It heightened my personal understanding of the game and my appreciation for it,” says David. “I feel like it was a different level of emotion in a weird way from playing. Because once you’re on the other side of it, you don’t go back. It was special, and I’m more than grateful to have been given the opportunity.”

As a player, David was a forward. He wore down defenses with his constant motion, and solved the puzzle they presented while scoring a plethora of goals for the Morgan Huskies. He has found coaching similarly talented offensive players to be a vastly different experience.

“Part of being a forward is unlocking things with your own creativity,” David says. “There’s only so much I can tell them, all I can really do is make sure they have the technical building blocks…and make sure they stay confident. I think that’s one of the biggest things as a forward, because if you’re not confident you won’t be able to impose your will on the game in the way you need to.”

David was joined on the coaching staff by his older brother James. The two grew up playing soccer together and found the transition to coaching together to be a smooth one. David eluded to the fact that he could definitely see them sharing coaching duties again in the future.

“We’ve played a lot together and have similar philosophies for how to play,” says David. “I think we both had similar ideas about what we wanted and what we could get out of the specific unit that we had on the JV team. It was easy most of the time, I’d be happy to coach with him again.”

Along with his JV coaching duties, David also helped his former high school coach Demay with the varsity squad. Demay feels that David will quickly work himself into a brilliant soccer coach if that is the route he chooses to take.

“While this was his first experience coaching it was clear that it will only be a matter of time before he becomes a master of the craft,” said Demay. “His ideas and outlook of the game were a pleasure to have and I look forward to what he can provide as a coach in the future.”

David enjoyed the new dynamic of working alongside Coach Demay after only having viewed his coaching through the lens of a player. Seeing him now as a colleague, he developed newfound respect for the work that his high school coach puts in on a daily basis.

“He was my coach when I played,” says David, “so to be on the sidelines with him, deliberating about what we should do more than I ever did as a player definitely helped me understand how hard of a job he actually has. Not to say I didn’t think he had a hard job when I was in high school, but it was something that never really crossed my mind until I was put into his shoes. My respect for him has only increased.”

As for the future of his coaching career, David is unsure where it will lead. He plans to finish college and decide what steps are next in his career, whether it involves coaching or otherwise. However, this year’s experience has opened David’s eyes to the possibility that it is something he could excel at.

“I loved coaching, and I definitely can see myself doing it again in the future,” says David. “I 100 percent could see myself doing it with Ross again in the future…. but when it comes down to it I’m not sure yet. But I loved the kids and there’s a lot of young players on the team that make me excited for the future of Morgan soccer.”