Sep 9, 2015 4 min read

Name: Nick Sodini

School: Canon-McMillan

Year: Senior

Sport: Soccer

Sodini’s week: The Big Macs’ forward scored three goals in a 9-0 win over McGuffey Saturday afternoon and earlier in the day, he had two in a 7-1 victory over Ringgold. Sodini only played one half in each game, finishing the day with five goals and two assists for Canon-McMillan (2-0).

“We had very good combination play through the midfield that opened up an attack,” Sodini said. “I was finishing very well. It was a good confidence boost to our team.”

Size doesn’t matter: Sodini is well-respected by opposing players and coaches. Watching his style of play, many would describe a physically strong forward who brings a physical brand of soccer and can power opponents off the ball.

His play is so impressive he is often mentioned as one of the top players in the section, but Sodini is not your typical forward. He’s only 5-7 and brings a unique approach offensively. He often freelances in open space, quickly moving the ball out to draw a defender in before speeding past to create a scoring chance.

“It’s no slight to him because he plays very big and he plays very strong,” Canon-McMillan head coach Larry Fingers said of Sodini’s size. “He has good core strength and balance. His ability one-on-one, on the dribble and changing speeds is very good. Nick is a bit unconventional and he’s very creative. Some of the stuff he does, you watch it come together and it looks like he’s on cruise control. It can be some pretty interesting stuff.”

He is one of the most experienced players in Section 5-AAA, which is arguably one of the most difficult in the PIAA. Sodini is one of the rare instances where a player starts four years and contributed from the moment he stepped on the pitch as freshman.

Though he stood at just 5-5, Sodini helped the Big Macs win the WPIAL Class AAA title in 2012 and they reached the PIAA quarterfinals where they lost to Upper St. Clair.

“It was actually very exciting. Going all the way through the playoffs and winning the WPIAL was incredible,” Sodini said. “It really helped my speed of play because once you hit the high school level it gets real fast. I had to get used to be physical because I’m really small. It helps starting out young.”

High expectations: Canon-McMillan has arguably the most returning in 2015 with seven starters back, including Sodini, senior forward Luke Maher, sophomore Jonah Moore and senior goalkeeper Christian Snatchko.

It could be Sodini who is the x-factor for an offense that could be one of the best in the WPIAL.

“I don’t want to say he teases you with the ball, but he kind of rolls you in, brings the ball close and then he shoots around you,” Fingers said.

Sodini knows that if the Big Macs are going to unseat defending PIAA and WPIAL champion Peters Township, as well as Upper St. Clair, Canon-McMillan’s offense will need to live up to expectations.

“We have a strong group of seniors so I think we’ll do well this year,” Sodini said. “We can move the ball around very well. We can wear out teams quickly and our ability to score is pretty good.”

Compiled by Lance Lysowski