Director of Coaching

Jack Flatau Jack serves as the Director of Coaching for the Kenmore Soccer Club. Jack joined Kenmore Soccer Club following an 11 year tenure as the head women's coach at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas.  Jack coached 29 all-conference players throughout those years, with 6 first team selections.  Jack went to Southwestern from Austin Westlake High School, where he served as the head men's and women's soccer coach for 12 years. During his tenure, the Chapparals went a combined 240-108-17 (.657). From 1995-1997, Jack served as the Director of Coaching for the USA Soccer Club in Austin. He began his coaching career at Kingwood High School, before moving to Conroe High School. He also coached the USISL semi-professional team in San Antonio in 1992. In addition to his coaching background, Jack holds a USSF A license, a NSCAA Advanced Diploma, and served as an ODP State Staff coach. Jack attended Cortland State, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1979. He earned his Masters Degree from Southwest Texas State University in physical education and educational administration.

Coaching Staff

Cyle Anthony Cyle is an assistant coach for the Under 14 Girls Storm. A long-time volunteer with the St. Andrew's Soccer organization, Cyle enters his 3rd year on the staff of Kenmore Soccer.

Roberto Calvaresi Roberto is an adjunct coach for Kenmore Soccer, following a lengthy playing career. He has previously coached Under 12 Boys, Under 14 Girls, and Under 16 Girls teams for Kenmore Soccer.

Tim Courtney Tim is a life long soccer player and student of the game.  In college, Tim played for 3 years with Division 1 Canisius College. After completing his scholastic career, Tim has continued to play, while also becoming involved in community activities. He has 10 years experience coaching soccer, beginning his coaching career with the Town of Tonawanda Recreational program, before moving into Travel soccer for the past 7 seasons. Tim has 4 years experience working under Jerry Miller, one of the finest coaches in the community and the former Director of Coaching for the KenTon Soccer Association, before both of them departed that organization for other opportunities.

Nick DeMarsh Nicholas DeMarsh is in his eighth year as the head coach of Buffalo State's women's soccer program, after four years as an assistant with the men's program. He started as an assistant with the men's program in 1997 and was part of the Bengals' team that qualified for the post season in 1998. After a two-year hiatus, he returned to the program under Coach Rudy Pompert in 2001. His additional coaching experience includes 15 years of tutoring young boys and girls at Joe Machnik's No. 1 Soccer Camps, and he also coaches on the girl's side of the ball as a member of the New York State West Olympic Development Program.  He has served as a coach of Under 16 and Under 17 girl's teams with several local travel and premier clubs including Buffalo United Soccer Club, and the Empire United Soccer Academy. In 2004, he led his Buffalo-Niagara Soccer Club Under 17 girl's team to an appearance in the US Club Soccer National Championship. In 2006, Coach DeMarsh led his Buffalo United Under 16 Girls Elite team to a New York State West State Cup Championship, and qualified for the USYSA Regional Championships. Most recently, Coach DeMarsh lead his Under 16 Girls Elite team to the 2008 US Club Soccer National Championship title.  During his playing days, DeMarsh competed on the men's team at Buffalo State for four seasons in the early 1990's, earning All-SUNYAC honors for three consecutive years, and was team MVP as a junior. Following his successful collegiate career, he spent one season with the Capital District Alleycats of the United Soccer League.  DeMarsh, earned a bachelor's degree from Buffalo State in 1996, and also has his NYS Provisional Certification in Art Education. He also holds a USSF National A Coaching License. Coach DeMarsh is the ninth coach in the women's soccer program's 25-year history, led the team into a second SUNYAC post-season appearance in 2009, including the program's first-ever home playoff game.  In addition to his coaching responsibilities with the women's soccer program, Coach DeMarsh also serves as the coordinator of the college's fitness center.

Pat Finucane Pat has been married for over 23 years to his wife Sharon, and has two daughters - Kelley and Shannon. Pat has been a resident of Kenmore for 18 years. He is presently the CFO for M.J. Peterson Corporation, and is a 1986 graduate of University of Northern Colorado (MBA), 1983 graduate of Canisius College (BS - Accounting & Finance), and 1979 graduate of Bishop Timon High School.  Pat served in the US Air Force from 1984 to 1991 and attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Pat played nearly 24 years of soccer at all levels - including South Buffalo Soccer Club (1976 - original member), Cheektowaga White Eagles, West Seneca Soccer, Lowery Lobos (Colorado), Colorado Comets, and St. Louis Anheiser Busch (AB) Selects.  He earned All Catholic honors in Soccer, Track, and X-country for Timon High School between 1975-79, and was an original member of Bishop Timon's first Varsity Soccer Team and the Monsignor Martin Athletic Association Soccer Champions in 1978/79.  Pat played his college soccer at Canisius College as a Midfielder and Striker.  During Military Service, he played one year for the USAF TAC Command Team competing against Foreign Military Service, College, and other US Military Service teams.  Pat's coaching experience began in 1988 as an assistant coach for the St. Paul 's (O'Fallon, Missouri) Soccer Club (Under 10) and later the St. Louis Soccer Club (Under 10 and Under 12).  After his return to Buffalo, he continued his youth coaching at Grand Island Soccer Club and St. Paul 's in Kenmore . Pat served as the coach of Bishop Timon JV and Varsity Soccer between 1995 and 1999) - with two Monsignor Martin Athletic Association Soccer Final appearances.  Pat spent four years coaching with KenTon Soccer Club (Under 11 to Under 14 Girls) before departing in 2006 to coach for the Kenmore Soccer Club.  Pat currently holds an E License, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Kenmore Soccer Club. He is also a member of St. Paul's Kenmore School Board and Parish Finance Committee (since 2002), is a past member of the Buffalo Rotary, IMA, and is involved in numerous corporate advisory boards.

Tim Hirschbeck Tim has over 30 years of experience teaching young athletes to play sports in Western New York. He has worked with at least 60,000 young athletes, 3,000 parent volunteers, and 250 paid staff during that span. Tim and his wife, Tricia, are the founders and owners of KidsPlay, a company of over 30 coaches dedicated to running instructional youth sports leagues that are fun, fair, and challenging for all players. A long-time resident of the Kenmore area, Tim has the positive attitude that we seek for our entire staff and is a role model in that regard for all of us. Tim was the 2008 recipient of the Roger Jank Award, presented to the individual who most exemplifies the spirit of dedication to youth soccer in the Buffalo area. Alyssa Hulbert A current member of the Hilbert College women's team, and former player at Kenmore East High School, Alyssa joins Kenmore Soccer's coach mentoring program and is working with Director of Coaching Jack Flatau with the Under 8/9 Developmental Program.

Josh Jung A teacher at Starpoint Central Schools, Josh is an assistant coach for Kenmore Soccer for the Under 12 Boys.

Glenn Koeppel A long-time coach in the Kenmore/Tonawanda community, Glen coaches the Kenmore Wildcats in the Upstate Women's League.

Dave LaMendola A former coach with Buffalo United Soccer Club, the premier-level soccer club for our area, Dave returned to the community where he teaches at Hamilton Elementary School, in order to work with the youth players of the Kenmore Soccer Club. Dave holds a C License from the United States Soccer Federation. He serves as an assistant with the Under 10 Kenmore Spirit.

John Rojek A graduate of Kenmore East High School and Canisius College where he played 2 years of varsity soccer before transferring and graduating from Buffalo State College, John coached the Kenmore East Junior Varsity Boys for 18 years where he was also the Kenmore East High School coach-of-the-year in 2003. He is the longest tenured soccer coach in the Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda school system, and currently coaches the Junior Varsity girls at Kenmore East High School. John holds the A License from the United States Soccer Federation, and the Advanced National Diploma from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, and is the only individual in our community to hold these credentials. John has worked numerous camps including the University of Buffalo, Buffalo Blizzard, Michele Akers, KenTon Soccer Association, Aurora Arsenals, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. John served as a member of the Board of Directors of the KenTon Soccer Association for 11 years, and served as their Director of Coaching for 2 years, before departing and helping form the Kenmore Soccer Club. John has coached for the Olympic Development Program and served as a coach for the Exceptional Seniors games in Buffalo. John was the 2008 recipient of the Jack Hicks Award, presented to the individual who most exemplifies the spirit of volunteerism for youth soccer in the Kenmore/Tonawanda community that the late Jack Hicks did.

Anthony Romanini Anthony is an assistant coach for the Under 14 Girls Storm. A long-time volunteer with the St. Andrew's Soccer organization, Anthony enters his 3rd year on the staff of Kenmore Soccer.

James Ruggiero James Ruggiero recently completed his 12th season as the Head Women's Soccer Coach at Hilbert College in Hamburg , New York . During his tenure at Hilbert the team has advanced to the championship match 4 times, winning twice. His career wins are the most ever for a Hilbert Soccer coach. Ruggiero's coaching philosophy centers around teaching life's lesson through athletics while always keeping ethics and sportsmanship in the forefront. To that end, his Hilbert teams have received the National Soccer Coaching Association of America's Sportsmanship and Ethics award for seven consecutive seasons. They have earned the SILVER award in 2003, 2006, & 2008 and the GOLD award in 2002, 2004, 2005, and 2007 for not receiving a "yellow" caution card during the entire season. Recently, Ruggiero has been asked to serve on the NSCAA's national Ethics committee. He also serves on the New York State Division III Women's ranking committee. 2010 marks Ruggiero's 33rd season in coaching. In addition to his soccer experience he has been involved in baseball, basketball, volleyball, and lacrosse. He was previously the director of coaching for the Aurora Arsenal Soccer Club. His soccer coaching experience reaches both genders and all levels including house, travel, club, premier, and college. At Hilbert, Ruggiero has twice been named "Coach of the Year". Ruggiero was an all-league player in both baseball and soccer at Kenmore East High School continuing his soccer career at Kent State University in Ohio . In 2006 Ruggiero was inducted into the Kenmore East Athletic Hall of Fame. His is also a Lifetime Varsity "K" recipient from Kent State University . A self employed architect since 1986 Ruggiero also is a full-time instructor in the Architectural Technology Department at Erie Community College . He has degrees from both Kent State University and the State University of New York at Buffalo. Jamie was the 2009 recipient of the Roger Jank Award, presented to the individual who most exemplifies the spirit of dedication to youth soccer in the Buffalo area.

Nico Ruggiero Nico Ruggiero is a freshmen at Cortland State University and brings several years of playing and coaching to the Kenmore Soccer Club this season. He is a long time Premier player with Buffalo Premier, Buffalo Niagara, and Buffalo United Clubs, winning a state championship in 2007 with Buffalo United. He captained his Iroquois Central School soccer team to a Section VI title, a Far West Sectional Championship, and a trip to the state final four in the fall of 2007. He was selected to several all-league teams during his high school career. Nico has worked several camps during his brief time as a coach. He's performed many clinics for youth players at Hilbert College and has been a camp instructor for former professional player Andrew Crawford's "Next Level" for the past 3 years. He has also served as a trainer for several other local camps. Nico will be working with the Under 10 Boys team this year sharing his philosophies of sportsmanship and hard work to the team.

Andy Sharman A former standout player at St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute and Fredonia State, Andy is currently a graduate student at the University at Buffalo. Andy tutored under Director of Coaching Jack Flatau with the Under 9 Boys in 2008-2009, and now coaches the Under 14 Kenmore Panthers.   Kristy Tartaglia Kristy is an Assistant Coach with the Buffalo State College women's soccer team. She joined the Bengals' coaching staff in 2009 after completing her four-year playing career a season earlier.  A native of Liverpool, New York, she was a defensive midfielder and earned SUNYAC All-Academic Team and Commissioner's List accoloades.  She completed her degree in Art Education and is currently pursuing a Master's Degree in the same field, while serving as a substitute teacher in the Ken-Ton School District.

Mike Thoin The current head varsity coach at St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute, Mike serves as the head coach for the Kenmore Express Women's team. Mike has extensive playing and coaching experience in the community, including stints with the KenTon Soccer Association, Buffalo/Niagara Soccer Club, Buffalo Premier Soccer Club, and Buffalo United Soccer Club.

Ray Thompson A long-time volunteer for youth soccer in the Buffalo area, Ray serves as the head coach for the Kenmore Ambush Women's team. Ray is a former member of the BWNYJSL Board of Directors, and the Board of the Clarence Soccer Club. He has coached in the Kenmore/Tonawanda community for 12 years.

Joe Tomizzi Joe is an investigator for the Buffalo Fire Department, and currently serves as the director of the recreational soccer program at St. Andrew's school in Kenmore. Joe serves as the head coach for the Under 14 Girls Storm.   Bianca Vasquez Bianca joined Kenmore Soccer from a successful playing and coaching career. She was a 4 year starter for Holy Angels Academy, where she earned All Catholic honors each year. While playing for Lasell College, she was an All-Conference player and team MVP. Bianca possesses a B.S. in Athletic Coaching Education from West Virginia University, and a M.S. in Physical Education from Canisius College/ She holds Teaching Certification for New York State and the State of Georgia. She served as the Assistant Coach for the Daemen College Women's Soccer team for 4 years, and holds the D License from the United States Soccer Federation, as well as the NSCAA National Diploma.   Hector Vasquez Hector joined Kenmore Soccer following an extensive career as a High School College, and Club coach. While the head coach at Holy Angels Academy during an 11 year period, Hector amassed a record of 148-18-5, with 10 straight Monsignor Martin League finals, and 6 Divisional championships. Hector founded the Riverside Express Soccer Club, which had teams playing at the premier youth level. He has 5 years experience as an Olympic Development coach, has led teams to 15 Buffalo District State Cup finals, and has coached 3 teams that captured State Cup championships and made Region 1 appearances. Hector served as the Women's Soccer head coach for Daemen College for a 4 year period, leading the team to its first-ever playoff game, which was followed by back-to-back playoff appearances. During his tenure at Daemen, Hector coached 9 Academic All-Americans. The team earned NAIA Scholar status 3 times, and led the college in team GPA for 3 years in a row. Hector possesses a D License from the United States Soccer Federation, and during his 23 years of coaching experience he has coached players who have progressed to Division 1 colleges and into the professional ranks.

Karen Voght Karen joined Kenmore Soccer for 2008-2009, and is an assistant coach for the Under 10 Kenmore Ambush Girls. A former all-Western New York defender, 3-time all Niagara Frontier League player, and team captain while at Kenmore East High School, Karen helped lead the Lady Bulldogs to back-to-back Section 6 championships in her junior and senior seasons, the only sectional championships ever won by the program. Karen was a starting defender for 4 years at Buffalo State College, where she also served as team captain in her senior season, and the 4-time "defender -of-the-year". An instructor at numerous summer soccer camps, Karen served as an Assistant Women's coach at Buffalo State College in 2003 and 2004. She also helps operate the Upstate Women's League, and has assisted in growing that league from 6 teams to the current level of 26.

Ken Voght Ken serves as the head coach for the Under 11 Kenmore Ambush Girls for 2008-2009, and also leading the team that will oversee the Under 9 Boys developmental group. A graduate of Kenmore East High School and Buffalo State College, Ken has been involved with youth soccer in our community for over 25 years. A founding member of the KenTon Soccer Association, Ken held virtually every position within that organization until his departure in 2006. Ken has received numerous accolades for his work in your soccer in western New York, including the Jack Hicks Award and the Tony Simpkin Award. In addition to his 26 years as a youth soccer coach, Ken coached the Kenmore East varsity girls for 5 years between 1998 and 2003, including the only years in school history where they captured the Section 6 championship. Since 2003, Ken serves as Assistant Women's coach at Buffalo State College. Ken is the founder and president of the Upstate New York Premier Soccer League, the Upstate New York Travel Soccer League, and the Upstate Women's League. He was also a founding director of the Buffalo United Soccer Club, a position he relinquished in 2005 to return to coaching soccer for the youth in our community. Ken holds a D License from the United States Soccer Federation, and is a long-time member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

Bob Vorburger Bob has an extensive coaching resume, in addition to his experience as a scholastic player and a participant in the Senior Men's travel league. Bob still plays when the opportunity is presented, including 2 years of play in the Clarence Masters Tournament. Bob has worked with KidsPlay in our community for 16 years, and also coached travel soccer with the KenTon Soccer Association for 16 years before departing to join Kenmore Soccer Club. Bob also coached Mt. ST Mary's varsity team for 2 years, Cardinal O'Hara's Boys varsity for 1 years, and served as the boys junior varsity coach at Amherst High School for 1 year. He has worked numerous camps, including the Buffalo Blizzard, KenTon Soccer Association, and the 2007 Kenmore Soccer Summer Camp. Bob holds the D License from the United States Soccer Federation, the NSCAA Regional Diploma, the NSCAA Intermediate Diploma, and is a certified ACEP instructor and soccer referee.

Jen Weinert Jen joined Kenmore Soccer for 2008-2009 as an assistant coach for the Under 10 Kenmore Spirit Girls. A former standout forward for Kenmore East High School where she set the career goal-scoring record and led the team to the first of its two back-to-back Section 6 championships, Jen was a 4 year starter at Canisius College where she earned a soccer scholarship. Following her graduation from Canisius in 2002, she has played in the Upstate Women's League with the Kenmore Ambush, while also completing graduate study at the University of Michigan.   Mark Westerholt A long-time youth soccer coach and referee in the Buffalo area, Mark serves as the assistant Varsity Boys coach at the Nichols School where he works closely with Jack Flatau, the Director of Coaching for Kenmore Soccer Club. Formerly with the Delaware and Riverside Soccer Clubs, Mark joined Kenmore Soccer to serve as the coach for the Under 16 Girls Kenmore Express.

Chris Wright Chris serves as an adjunct coach for Kenmore Soccer. He holds a National D License from the United States Soccer Federation, as well as a Goalkeeping and Intermediate Diploma, Chris is a graduate of Niagara Wheatfield where he served as the captain of the varsity soccer team for 2 years, as well as Buffalo State College where he played varsity soccer. His scholastic coaching career includes stops as the Modified girls coach at Hoover Middle School, 3 years as the Junior Varsity Girls coach at Kenmore East, a season as the Freshman Boys Coach at St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute, and his current position as the Junior Varsity Boys coach at Kenmore East. Chris has coached Travel soccer for 5 years, and is a member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.   Zack Wood Zack was a former standout Kenmore East midfielder and a senior captain, all NFL soccer player.  He began his collegiate soccer career at SUNY Fredonia in 2005 as a midfielder.  Fredonia participated in the Division III Elite 8 in Michigan.  He transferred to Buffalo State in his sophomore year, earning team defensive player of the year in both his sophomore and junior years.  Zack completed his senior year as a team captain, playing midfield/forward and spent time on defense as well.  He helped lead the team to their most successful season since 1984.  He has also been named to the State University of New York Athletic Conference All-Academic Team and the Commissioner's Academic List for excellence in 2007 and 2008.  He is completing his studies at Buffalo State College in exceptional education/English, and is serving as a coach for the Under 14 Boys Kenmore Panthers.