By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA
Long before SoccerSam came along, there was HockeySam.
True story.
And, oh, how the sporting landscape in Rochester may have been different if Sam Fantauzzo, aka SoccerSam, had remained transfixed on the puck.
Fantauzzo and his friends in the Ellison Street neighborhood in Rochester were big into hockey. Friends like Phil Naro, who has gone on to bigger and better in the music world.
“We played street hockey and ice hockey and every other sport,” Fantauzzo said. “I loved Hockey Sam. I was going to be Hockey Hank.”
But then along came a fascination with soccer, and SoccerSam was born. The Rochester Lancers of the old NASL played at Holleder Stadium and the team’s majority owner, Charlie Schiano, believed kids should be admitted for free. His theory: that’s how you cultivate new fans and grow the game.
SoccerSam is living proof.
“I found many sports easy to play but soccer was challenging,” he said. “My uncle, Al, took me to my first Rochester Lancers game in 1970 and I saw how skilled these guys were. I was obsessed to become a better player and to learn the game.”
Decades later, his love affair with the sport has only grown stronger. So has his support for the game locally.
His latest projects on the pitch – the Lady Lancers women’s team and the Lancers men’s team – kick off the home season on Sunday afternoon at Wegmans Sports Complex at Aquinas Institute.
The Lady Lancers, a member of the 20-team United Women’s Soccer League, play the New York Magic at 1 p.m. The men’s team, which competes in the 96-team National Premier Soccer League, face the Dayton Dynamo at 4 p.m.
Tickets for the doubleheader are $10, and a season ticket covering all 11 home games (six for the Lancers, five for the Lady Lancers) is just $100. And of course, kids under 10 are free in the general admission area with a paid adult ticket. “A coach can bring his whole team for free,” SoccerSam said.
Eleven-year-old Brianna Collichio will sing the National Anthem for both games. Live music will be provided by The Phil & John Show before and after the games, as well as during halftime. The Phil half of the duo is, you guessed it, Phil Naro, who has collaborated with the likes of Lou Gramm, Julian Lennon and Peter Criss.
The Lancers will be making their seasonal debut on Sunday. The Lady Lancers opened their UWS season on the road last weekend, losing 6-0 to New Jersey Copa FC, the defending East Conference champions, and 5-1 to the New England Mutiny.
The men’s team played as the Rochester River Dogz FC last season. The Lady Lancers were formed after the 2016 NWSL champion Western New York Flash relocated to North Carolina.
“When the Flash folded, I was very vocal with the city that we need to save them but basically nobody listened,” Fantauzzo said.
Enter the Lady Lancers, who feature 18 local players.
“I think I’m more excited about the women’s team because there is no other support for women’s soccer,” Fantauzzo said. “Our focus is local players and to help develop the next stars of the sport. The beauty of this is that a lot of the men’s players could easily play at the next level (USL). Some of it’s political, some of it’s contacts. But now you never know who will be watching these games.”
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