By BRIAN TORTELLA
Correspondent
On X @tortreports
WEST DEPTFORD — After stepping away from the helm of the West Deptford High boys soccer team last fall and taking a varsity assistant role due to family reasons, Timothy McAndrew didn’t take long to land right back where he belongs — as head coach of a program he’s had such a strong impact on.
Motivated by a closely bonded senior class he’s coached the past three years, McAndrew stepped back into the role after one-year head coach Michael Carmody accepted the head coaching position at SUNY Broome Community College in New York.
“I was going to come back no matter what— one more year as the varsity assistant,” said McAndrew, who is an special education teacher at West Deptford Middle School. “But then, the kids reached out to me. They come from great families. Their parents are awesome. I know them pretty well from my time here, my time in tennis, and I was going to be here anyway, so (why not?).”
The start of his second tenure was a success, as West Deptford earned a 3-0 victory over Camden Tech on Wednesday in a non-league matchup. Seniors Aiden Zuzulock and Riley Yearicks, along with sophomore Kevin Bassett, each notched a goal for the Eagles in the victory.
Yearicks, a four-year varsity starter, was a key advocate for McAndrew’s return.
“I started out with him as my freshman-year coach,” Yearicks said. “He’s a big role model for me and kind of a father figure to me during soccer season. He’s a great dude all around, very humble. He makes everyone feel at home and makes everyone happy. Nobody’s left in the dirt. Just a great person to be around.”
Zuzulock shared that sentiment, but admitted he was pleasantly surprised by his comeback.
“I am (very surprised), I didn’t expect it at all. But it’s great,” said Zuzulock, who scored his first career varsity goal late in the first half. “I’m extremely happy he’s back. I think he’s a really great coach, he has a lot of good chemistry with us. He knows us all really well.”
The Eagles are loaded with upperclassmen, including nine seniors on the roster, most of whom have played alongside each other for several years.
“The senior class is very strong this year,” Yearicks said. “We’ve been playing with each other since we were 4 or 5 (years old). We have grown upon each other. Family, friends, brothers. Just great people all around, and we’re looking to win it all this year.”
This class has only one goal — to win a state championship. The Eagles fell to eventual Group 2 state champion Sterling in the sectional semifinals a year ago. And according to Yearicks, that was a main pitch when recruiting McAndrew back to the sidelines.
“Our message was that ‘you didn’t finish what you started, and we want to win it all,’” Yearicks said. “That’s all we want to do. The time has come. The final year of us. It should be a great year. Hopefully, we’ll win it all for him.”
And for McAndrew, he’s back to finish what he started.
“A lot of our parents are super invested in this program. I know there’s horror stories of soccer parents and all that good stuff, but we have a really great community with great parents and great kids. Their families are wonderful. Really good people who raise really good kids. It’s a great way to spend the second half of my day. I love being with them.”
So, what can we expect from his Eagles this fall?
“A well balanced and thorough approach. All things by committee. All these guys work so hard to do their piece of the puzzle and make sure it fits right and take care of what they need to,” McAndrew said. “Like today — we got three goals from three different people. The ball moved well. Everyone got in on it. The defense maintained the shutout. All the things we want, right? Variety, balanced scoring and a gritty, tough defense.”
WHAT’S NEXT: West Deptford travels to Cherry Hill West on Friday at 4 p.m. Camden Tech hosts Bishop Eustace on Friday at 4 p.m.
