Girls soccer: Veteran area coach Matt DeCapua takes reins at North Ridgeville

North Ridgeville achieved the highest of highs last season when its boys soccer team advanced to the Division II state semifinals. Matt DeCapua is hoping to bring the same success to the girls team. DeCapua was introduced earlier this week as the Rangers' new girls soccer coach, replacing Tim Hoffman, who guided the program for the last four years. "I'm excited," DeCapua said. "It's going to be a lot of work and I'm up for the challenge. I'm going to bring a lot of energy and I'm excited for these kids to feed off of that." DeCapua is a veteran of the Lorain County soccer scene having spent the past two seasons coaching the Vermilion girls. Prior to that, he had stints at Avon Lake and Lorain County Community College, where he coached the men's teams. "No knock on Vermilion, it's a great town and I enjoyed my experience there," DeCapua said. "But I bought a house in North Ridgeville and then this position became available." DeCapua and North Ridgeville athletic director Don Sparks have a working relationship dating back to when both were at Normandy High School. That made the move even more attractive to DeCapua. "We talked and I interviewed and they offered it to me and I jumped at the opportunity," DeCapua said. Vermilion went 16-5-2 with DeCapua as coach, setting a school record for wins in his first season. "We are thrilled to welcome coach DeCapua to the North Ridgeville family," Sparks said in a news release. "His extensive experience, proven leadership and passion for soccer make him the ideal fit for our program. I am confident that he will take our team to new heights while serving as a positive role model for our student-athletes." The Rangers went 8-6-3 last season. "I'm sure the girls want to duplicate or even go beyond the success the boys have had," DeCapua said. "I would think it motivates them, it's motivates me. (Coach) George (Panagiotou) has done a really nice job of developing a culture and a brotherhood with those young men. I'm a very passionate coach and I enjoy building relationships with my players. I look forward to building a similar culture on the girls side." The Southwestern Conference has emerged as one of the top soccer conferences in the area in recent years with Avon making a state semifinal appearance in 2024 and Avon Lake playing in two regional finals in the last four years. DeCapua expects to bring North Ridgeville to that level in short order. "I know the coaches in the SWC, I have some friends at Avon Lake and Avon," DeCapua said. "I know Attila (Avon coach Attila Csiszar) and coach Buczak (Avon Lake coach Doug Buczak) really well and I'm excited to compete against those guys." DeCapua will meet with the returning North Ridgeville players next week and begin overseeing offseason workouts as the team prepares for the 2025 season which begins Aug. 15. Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.