PHILADELPHIA - Every athletic season there are thousands of students who go through the same thing, in fact there are probably at least a dozen at La Salle University right now. These students attend every practice, every game, and, at times, are asked to do things others are not. They do all of this despite knowing they will never, almost ever see a minute of playing time.
Who are these individuals? They are the student managers. They shag balls, film games, fill water bottles, pick up after practice. They perform the thankless jobs that often times go overlooked. All of this done without even a hope of stepping on the field to once get a sense of Division I playing experience.
Recently, Women's Soccer manager Kailey Spadafora was one of eight seniors recognized on Senior Day. It was the first time she put on a La Salle jersey, walked out onto the field just before a game and heard her name announced at McCarthy Stadium over the PA system.
"Being asked to be a part of Senior Day meant so much to me," said Spadafora. "McCarthy Stadium is a special place and it was truly an honor to be able to be recognized with the other seniors on the field that day."
Spadafora, who will be finishing up her third season as the student manager for the Explorers, has no regrets on her decision to come to La Salle with the understanding that she might never get a chance to play.
She started, as most soccer players do, at a young age. She grew up going to camps with siblings, older cousins and friends. Her father coached her and younger sister Breanna. Even though she enjoyed playing basketball and was better at hoops, Spadafora stuck with soccer.
"Honestly, at first I was more into basketball, because I felt like I was always better at it," she said. "But, I got moved up to varsity (in soccer) when I was in ninth grade, so I think that kind of made me more motivated to work harder at soccer."
The midfielder played for Oneida High School in upstate New York, and playing alongside her sister, became one of the school's top players. The midfielder was a four-time varsity letterwinner, was named team Rookie of the Year as a freshman, earned the Outstanding Team Player Award, and to top it off, as a senior, was named team captain and voted the school's Most Athletic Female.
"I love to run, so I played in the midfield. My sister was always the striker," said Spadafora. "She would always score the goals and I would always cross the balls.
"That made me love soccer even more, because of our connection, always knowing where each other would be on the field. In our league (Tri-Valley) we were always recognized that way, because she would always score the goals and I would have the assists."
As graduation loomed, Spadafora had some Division III schools interested in her, however, because she mostly played AAU basketball in the summer, she only had two years of experience in club soccer.
Her club coaches Claire McLain, Head Utica Women's Soccer Coach, Chris Mclain, Assistant Colgate Women's Soccer, and Kelly Kuss, former Colgate player and now soccer and lacrosse coach at Amherst College, were great influences. They pushed her to work harder at practices and motivated her to continue her soccer career after high school.
"I knew I wasn't ever going to play Division I soccer," Spadafora said. "I wanted to, but I knew I wasn't good enough, and therefore I was determined to do whatever I needed to do to be part of a team.
"I looked in to some other schools closer to home, but then I came here, and after meeting Paul (Royal) and Dan (Mannella), they completely sold me on this school and their soccer program. I really wanted to go to school in a city and after visiting La Salle, I fell in love with La Salle."
There was complete honesty from her parents and the La Salle coaching staff in Spadafora's attempt to play for the Blue and Gold.
"I wanted to play soccer even though my parents and club coaches warned me about it," she said. "They told me that Division I would not be what I was used to and that it would be more difficult compared to what I had done in the past.
"I told them that I would do anything to get involved with this program. I never expected La Salle to even give me a chance. The coaches were willing to let me do whatever to be part of this team, even if that meant shagging balls or filming games."
Head Coach Paul Royal adds this on Spadafora. "When Dan and I took over this program some years ago, we were always looking for people with honesty and integrity along with a strong work ethic. Once we came across Kailey at her first tryout, we saw that she had the passion, desire and work rate to become a successful person.
"It was unfortunate that we didn't feel she was ready for the jump to Division I, but after spending the first season with her we noticed that she had something very special that this program needed. We strongly believe that our family model is to surround our players with quality people who have a very high level of integrity, loyalty and trust.
"And there's no better person who exemplifies those characteristics than Kailey! I'm incredibly confident that upon graduation Kailey will find great successes both as a person and a professional. It's just going to be sad to lose someone that has offered all of us so much."
As it usually goes, homesickness always plays a part in a freshmen's first year of school. And being almost a five-hour car drive from home didn't help.
So, after her freshman year at La Salle, Spadafora decided to transfer to Syracuse - just 45 minutes from home - however that didn't last long. After one semester at Syracuse, she was "homesick" again, this time for La Salle Women's Soccer.
"I think being part of this team made me want to come back to La Salle, because I knew I had something to look forward to," said Spadafora. "It was a last minute decision to transfer to Syracuse and once I was there I realized how much I missed this program and the people I had been involved with here.
"People really embraced me here and I didn't feel the same way at Syracuse. Paul and Dan have really gone out of their way for me. When I was home for that semester, I realized I needed to be away. I like missing home, I like having my parents come visit me, and I love Philadelphia.
"I also became really close with Amy (Grant, the former goalie and now an assistant coach), just from her being a player and me being a manager. She took me under her wing from the start. I remember rooming with her on my first away trip to the Virginia Commonwealth University Tournament. What I really like about La Salle, they didn't treat me like a manager. They treated me like I'm another player. Every single person on this team has made me feel so welcome and so comfortable."
Assistant Coach Amy Grant reflects on Spadafora. "Kailey has been a true Unsung Explorer the entire time she's been with us. She never complains about shagging balls or about filming games, and she's as heartbroken as we are when we lose, and she has just as much pride in every win.
"Although she travels with us often, when she can't make a trip, she's always watching GameTracker online and texting me to make sure it's right. She is always the first text I make after a game if she isn't with us. She's a dedicated and passionate ambassador for our team.
"Bottom line, Kailey was a great find for this program, and we are really going to miss her next year. There are tons of talented players out there that can fill roster spots when seniors graduate. However, I'm not sure that we will ever fill the hole that Kailey is going to leave because she has grown so close with the program and set an expectation for managers that will be hard to beat."
So, as any player would, Spadafora soaked in the whole experience of being a Division I student-athlete, just without the chance of playing time. She says that she learned so much from one year at La Salle, attending practice and learning the drills the team does.
"After my first year here I could tell how much I grew as a player and a person, just from being a part of this team and practicing with them," she said. "I love seeing the new freshmen come in, I love seeing the girls improve throughout the season and especially each year, and I love seeing how much this year's seniors have grown from when they started as freshman.
"I love everything about being part of this team. I can truly say that I feel every win and every loss, so it's awesome to see them be successful and win games and heartbreaking when they come up short, because I know firsthand how incredibly hard each and every one of them works.
"I never thought I'd be part of a Division I program. I've never been part of team that's had this much personality. I love being able to travel with them and laugh the entire ride. It's awesome to be a part of this."
But as with every student-athlete the ride does end. So the marketing major who will graduate in May looks to the future with no regrets. She points to the connections she has made with being part of this team and says that being in the city has made the possibilities of what she wants to do professionally that much easier.
"Being in this city with six professional sports teams, gives me great opportunities," she said. "I love sports and would want to work in sports marketing. A friend from home, her brother, worked for the Sixers and he studied sports marketing in college, so that is something that I could see myself doing, working for a pro team. At first, I wasn't sure if I'd want to stay in the area, but now I would definitely love to live here."
La Salle will conclude its regular season with a road trip to St. Bonaventure and Duquesne, and has a chance to extend their season by making a trip to the Atlantic 10 Championship in Charlotte.
Spadafora, as she has for the past three years, will perform her usual duties, which has increased over time.
"I don't have any special roles, but I just make sure the players aren't doing stuff that they shouldn't have to do, like going to chase down a ball," she said. "I don't mind it and since Amy has joined the staff, she has kept me a little busier with additional responsibilities."
"Amy will ask me to help with things like getting the sandwiches for pregame meal, make sure the locker room is clean and setup before every game, and help put the jerseys in the lockers before every game."
And who knew that four years ago, a freshman that had no delusions of ever suiting up for the Explorers in her time at La Salle would get to put on a jersey for her last home game as well.
