Photograph by Dai Sugano
Saratoga co-head coaches Joe Guttadauro (left) and Kevin Murphy talk over strategy during last week's key win over Fremont.
Falcons in boys soccer hunt
New coaches give Saratoga a lift
By Dick Sparrer
Joe Guttadauro wasn't looking for a job.
Why would he? He was already a successful financial planner who had started his own business in Saratoga.
Still, when he saw that Saratoga High School was advertising in the newspaper for a new soccer coach, he was interested.
So Guttadauro talked it over with his longtime friend, Kevin Murphy, and the two of them decided to go for it... together.
Well, they landed the job. And now the two Saratoga coaches hope to land a spot in the Central Coast Section playoffs for their Falcons.
If the Falcons do make the post-season, it will be a remarkable turnaround for a team that posted an 0-10-2 league record a year ago.
But, then, it's already been a pretty impressive turnaround for the Falcons. Saratoga is now 8-1-2 in the El Camino Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League, and the Falcons are 10-5-3 for the year.
"We're in the hunt," said Guttadauro of Saratoga. "If we can win out, we'll be a CCS representative."
Guttadauro and Murphy are no strangers to CCS competition. The two of them first met as soccer players at Bellarmine, and as seniors they led the Bells to their first CCS berth.
"Kevin and I have known each other since our freshman year at Bellarmine (1976)," said Guttadauro. "By the time we left Bellarmine, we were best friends."
And by the time they left Bellarmine, the Bells were moving into CCS prominence.
"Our junior year, we didn't win a game," said Guttadauro of the Bells. "But our senior year we were the first Bellarmine team to qualify for CCS."
The two all-leaguers played for coaching legend Bill Chambers at Bellarmine, who recently retired after a sensational career on the sidelines for the Bells.
Racing down the field with the soccer ball is Saratoga forward Nobuaki Tomine.
Photograph by Dai Sugano
Guttadauro and Murphy went their separate ways after Bellarmine. Guttadauro played soccer at Santa Clara University, and Murphy played at Saint Mary's. Guttadauro went on to a career as a financial planner, and Murphy began teaching school and coaching soccer in Fresno.
"But we always stayed in touch, and we would get together during the holidays," said Guttadauro.
Not long after Murphy joined Guttadauro in his business, the two saw the ad for the coaching opening at Saratoga.
"We applied for the job together, and we were hired that way," said Guttadauro.
Murphy came to the job with his experience as a girls and boys high school soccer coach in Fresno, and Guttadauro has assisted Chambers for six years at Bellarmine.
And the two have turned the Falcons into El Camino Division title contenders this winter.
"We're made a lot of progress, and we're doing quite well," said Guttadauro.
The Falcons came through with wins last week, including a big 5-3 victory over first-place Fremont.
Anthony Lin and Naoyuki Honda knocked in two goals apiece, and A.J. Weitsman also scored a goal in the win over the Firebirds. Honda and Nobuaki Tomine had assists for the Falcons.
The clubs were locked in a 1-1 tie at the half, but Saratoga broke the game open with four second-half goals.
Earlier in the week, Saratoga had whipped Wilcox 5-1. Tomine had two goals and an assist in the win, and Weitsman had a goal and an assist.
Sergio Patterson and Yosuke Okada also scored goals, and Honda, Osama El-ziq and Trevor Adams had assists.
The Falcons will close out the regular season this week when they visit Santa Clara on Feb. 9, 3:30 p.m.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
