Coach Fitzpatrick keeps flying back to Hawks nest

HODGDON – Brian Fitzpatrick just can’t stay away from soccer, and as the Hodgdon girls soccer team has found out, that’s a good thing.

Two years ago, coming off a season in which the Hawks made it to the Eastern Maine Class C final, Fitzpatrick decided it was time to step down after 16 years as the girls head coach. He made it as far as one year, but returned to the job last season and again this fall.

Fitzpatrick hasn’t regretted his decision to return, especially with Hodgdon’s 5-2 record despite a loss to Limestone Monday. Neither has the team.

“He made my senior year,” said Casey Nightingale, a captain and starting left wing.

Fitzpatrick resigned after the 2002 season. The Hawks fell to Searsport in the regional title game, but he said midway through the season he had already decided to step down.

“It wasn’t like, get out when the going was good,” Fitzpatrick said. “But I’d decided halfway through the season that it was a core group of seniors that I’d coached for four years and it felt right. It was just the timing.”

After watching from the sidelines in 2003, Fitzpatrick agreed to help get the program started in 2004 because Hodgdon didn’t have any applicants for the open position.

But just getting the team started in August turned into the whole season – and then some.

“I really did miss it,” said Fitzpatrick, who has taught social studies at Hodgdon for 21 years. “After the season ended Dave [Minzy, the athletic director] asked me if I wanted to do it and I told him I’d like to, and he said they’d like to have me back. So I made the committment.”

Now that he’s back in coaching, Fitzpatrick isn’t sure when he’ll leave. Hodgdon has already shown a big improvement over last year’s 7-7 record when the school dropped down to Class D. The Hawks’ season ended with a loss to Shead of Eastport in the preliminary round.

No matter what kind of results the team has this year – Hodgdon’s two losses are both to Limestone, but the Hawks recently got a 5-2 win over Class D Southern Aroostook of Dyer Brook – Fitzpatrick has plenty to look forward to next year. There are just three seniors on this year’s team, and leading scorer Brianne McGary (12 goals) and goalie Heather London are two of the team’s seven juniors.

Nightingale has five goals.

“There’s our offensive punch right there, for the most part,” Fitzpatrick said. “As long as we have two girls who consistently score, I’ll take that. But they’re working hard.”

London’s progress in the net has been a big key for the defense, Fitzpatrick said.

“She started about halfway through the season last year and she’s coming along, improving all the time,” he said. “She’s tall and athletic. And really eager to learn the position, always asking questions and willing to work.”

So any more thoughts about retirement, for good this time?

“Nope,” Fitzpatrick said with a smile. “I’ll play it year by year, I guess.”