Aug 31, 2017 4 min read

When Rob Miele was hired as the Belle Vernon boys soccer head coach in December, he wasted no time in getting the offseason program rolling.

Miele, who returned to his alma mater after coaching at Elizabeth Forward the past two seasons, got the Leopards’ offseason program rolling with workouts and indoor tournaments. The team has worked hard for eight months and Miele is eager for the Leopards to finally play matches that count in the standings.

“The guys have worked hard since day one and camp went pretty well,” said Miele, who is a third-grade teacher in the Carmichaels school district. “We’ve put the boys in some different situations and they have responded tremendously.

“I’ve been very pleased with the competition and have a lot of guys that want to play a key role on this year’s team.”

The Leopards return six starters and Miele is going to lean on them to lead the team.

Junior forward Markello Apodiakos earned all-section and All-WPIAL honors and was voted the section player of the year after scoring 19 goals with four assists.

Another junior forward, Aaron Brown, is back as a starter, as is classmate Hunter Martin, an all-section player a year ago.

Senior midfielder Peyton Colditz was also all-section a year ago and two other seniors, midfielder Jackson Guess with his three goals and assists, and defender Markie Lovett, round out the returning starters.

Miele pointed out that Lovett, Guess and Apodiakos were voted captains by their teammates.

“They have all done a great job being vocal leaders throughout summer workouts and through camp,” he said. “But they also lead by example on the field.”

A key position battle is in the net as senior Jacob Davis and junior Jake Sepesky are in a dead heat for the starting goalkeeper job.

“Jacob was the JV goalie for three years, has experience and nice size,” Miele said. “Jake is a converted field player, is both very athletic and quick, working hard on his technique and improving every day but has limited experience in games.

“We’re going to take our time making a decision … as we want to give both guys every chance and want to make sure we have the right guy.”

Another key player to look for is sophomore forward Niko Apodiakos.

When asked about his team transitioning in several new starters, Miele said the team is not inexperienced.

“I think that we are experienced because a lot of the guys filling out spots played last year,” he said. “They did some nice things and the keys for us will be to get good goaltending and find the back of the net when the opportunity presents itself.

“We have some talented offensive players but sometimes we get too cute instead of just playing a simple game and outworking teams.”

Miele also pointed out the hard work of the Leopards’ freshman class.

“I’m excited to see some of these guys get out and compete at a high level on the JV team,” he said. “The pipeline looks to be strong down the road.”

What are Miele’s expectations for the team in his first season at the helm?

“The expectations have to be clear each year, and I think this team can control its own destiny this fall. It will be up to how quickly they can come together, plus we have to stay healthy,” he said.

“We will need to hit our stride in October and we have some tougher games out of conference at the end of the year to prepare us for late-October soccer.”

Miele did not hesitate when asked what goals he has set for the team.

“First, we want to be section champs, win the WPIAL title and make a run in the PIAA playoffs,” he said. “I think those will have to be the goals every year of our program.

“We will have a successful season this year if we worry about the things we can control.”

The first step is the Section 3-AAA title, but Miele knows that neighboring rival Ringgold is loaded.

“They are certainly the favorite in my opinion just because they have their lineup from last fall returning and didn’t graduate a whole lot but I anticipate a race to the end,” he said. “I expect Trinity to be much improved and have a nice young core to build around.”

Belle Vernon opens in its Paul Sasko Memorial Kickoff Saturday when it hosts McGuffey at 8 a.m. and OLSH at 4:30 p.m.