Jaspers give girls soccer team a leg up

On a recent Friday night at Van Cortlandt Park, head coach and parent Andrew Belton led members of the Riverdale United under-12 girls soccer team as they practiced their shooting skills. 

Elsewhere on the field, another part of the team got help on a keepaway game from Manhattan College soccer player Kristen Skonieczny.

In the fall, Mr. Belton reached out to Brendan Lawler, the coach for the Manhattan College women’s soccer team, to see if any of his players would be interested in helping out the Riverdale United. 

“I said to him, you must get asked this all the time, but he said no one had asked before,” Mr. Belton recalled.

So a partnership began. Since the fall, about half a dozen Manhattan College players have come to Riverdale United’s practices. Ms. Skonieczny, 20, is a goalkeeper for the Jaspers. The senior said one of the reasons she helps out is to be a positive female role model for the girls.  

“Having a dad and everything is nice for coaching, but being able to see people where you could possibly see yourself in the future is an awesome experience,” she said.

The Women’s World Cup kicked off on Saturday in Canada, putting female soccer superstars like the United States’ Abby Wambach and Brazil’s Marta in the spotlight. The Manhattan College players are something like superstars to the girls — older, cool and really good at soccer. 

Lauren Barton, a junior who plays defense for Manhattan College, also helps out the Riverdale United.

“My favorite coach when I was younger was a woman, so I kind of grew up with it and I loved it. I’ve obviously always had men coaches, and they can’t always relate to girls as much,” Ms. Barton, 20, explained. 

Ms. Skonieczny added that working with the girls puts things perspective.

“It’s nice seeing them enjoy soccer because a lot of times when you get older, it becomes more serious and you can lose that sense of letting go and playing soccer for the fun of it,” she said. “So it really brings that kid out of me, seeing them enjoy it.”

“It’s terrific,” Mr. Belton said. “You actually have role models for the girls.”