Carmella Vilardo felt nervous stepping onto the pitch. She was a seventh-grader whose size wasn’t comparable to the other girls four or five years older.
But then seven games into the season, the ball left Vilardo’s right foot and sailed into the back of the net, announcing her arrival in one kick. Two games later, Vilardo added four more goals against Medina, giving her a boost in confidence as she tallied six goals and 17 points in the final nine games of the year.
Fast forward a year, when Vilardo’s nerves have been replaced with a tenacity to attack the net instead. And the 5-foot-5 standout is finding her way among the top scorers in Section VI.
Vilardo leads the Wolverines with a team-high 20 goals, placing her in a five-way tie for 10th place in the section. In fact, Vilardo is one of only three players among the top 14 that is a freshman or younger, joining Clarence’s Emma Payne and Wilson’s Addison Elia, both with 20 goals each.
“Eventually, after a few games, you kind of just get used to the intensity and the level of play,” Vilardo said. “… I just got into the flow of things and I got used to playing with the older girls and I got used to the speed of play. … I’ve kind of adjusted quite smoothly.”
Vilardo’s impact on Niagara Falls has been noticeable. In the year before Vilardo joined the team, the Wolverines went 1-12 and scored just six goals all season.
Last year, Niagara Falls went 4-12 and averaged 2.4 goals per game. The Wolverines have taken another step this season as Vilardo continues to improve, already matching their win total from a year ago and getting a bump in goals at 2.9 per game, with Vilardo recording six multi-goal and nine multi-point games.
Additionally, Vilardo has recorded five hat tricks this season, including in Niagara Frontier League contests against Kenmore West and North Tonawanda. But to make the jump from year one to year two, Vilardo had to focus beyond her style of play.
Vilardo played year-round with the Western New York Flash 2011 team of the Elite Clubs National League and, over the summer, participated in private one hour to 75-minute sessions with her teammates in West Seneca. Vilardo also worked on building strength by going to Powerhouse Sports Complex in Niagara Falls over the winter
But, for Vilardo, the most important part was maintaining her touches routine every day. From using a kickboard and a soccer ball in her family’s basement or going to the high school soccer fields to practice her shot, Vilardo is now seeing the results after an off-season of hard work.
“I’ve been comfortable trying to take shots from outside and watching soccer to help with my spaces, my runs and just learning from people who have been great in the soccer world,” Vilardo said. “And just watching them and how they move and how they are so calm on the ball and their touches, that helped me a lot.”
Game preparation is only half of what Vilardo does, though. An emphasis on recovery the past year has led to ice baths and hot tub sessions for after games, along with proper nutrition.
The recovery includes balancing between her Niagara Falls and Flash schedule, with the latter including three practices a week and weekend tournaments and showcases, including in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Nashville, Tennessee. As a result, Vilardo has missed some practice time for the Wolverines to stay as fresh for games as possible.
“Carmella’s play is very intense,” Niagara Falls head coach Cathy Burke said. “She’s super passionate and she goes 110% all the time. … She just has a really good touch and can control the ball very well in small spaces and at high speed.”