Head coach Manya Puppione knows exactly how she wants George Mason’s(w) facilities to look. The locker room must be set up specifically, everything placed perfectly. The players’ bags should be lined up in number order in front of the bench, standing neatly. The team is to arrive early to practice, cleats on, prepared.

It’s a meticulous environment, one that demands specificity and diligence. It’s one that requires a certain type of player. And ahead of the 2022 season, Puppione has brought in 26 new ones. 

“We're just constantly trying to put those puzzle pieces together to see if it's a product that's going to come out successful,” Puppione said.

The unusually large class is Puppione’s attempt to build the program as she intended it. She stepped into the role in July 2021, with no control over the recruits for the upcoming fall season and limited options to execute her style of play. Those problems were further compounded by a slew of injuries, with Puppione often looking over to her bench to find only three substitutes available for high octane league matches.

Although the recruitment effort never stops, she said, Puppione hardly slowed her efforts in bringing in her first proper group. However, in the same vein as piecing together a perfect lineup of bags, there was a real intent to her class, a series of players identified for specific purposes. Some were transfers from established programs, others were exciting club talents, but all are there to bring George Mason back to prominence.

“There's never enough time for a college coach,” Puppione said. “We're always doing something”

Recruitment has never quite been a regular fixture in Puppione’s coaching repertoire. Her first collegiate job was a three year stint at Maryland as an assistant. She helped piece together a top 25 recruiting class, but left for Marymount before she could expand on that success. And although her stint in Arlington brought success — Puppione led Marymount to an Atlantic East Tournament appearance — she never quite had the time to establish a youth soccer pipeline.

It perhaps makes sense, then, that this group is so large. The 26 additions come from across the country — reaching to every corner of US Youth soccer — to form what Puppione dubbed a “young but experienced group.” And finding the right players hasn’t been easy for George Mason’s staff.

Though they collected a handful of players from their own ID clinics, Puppione and her staff looked beyond the confines of their Fairfax, Virginia, campus. Trips to top club tournaments were essential. Diligent study of copious highlight videos was imperative. There were flights to Anchorage to see the eventual state player of the year, drives to ECNL events to seek out extra pieces.

“We have been all over the place, recruiting everywhere, knowing that we needed a large class,” Puppione said.

Those trips might have unearthed some future stars. Virginia native Mia Casciani projects to be a goalscoring threat from day one. Keegynn Applegate posted 23 assists in 16 games to earn the Alaska state player of the year award. Victoria Conick, meanwhile, has all the tools to become a top college goalie. Player development for those incoming freshman will be vital, but it appears the pieces might just be ready to blossom.

Composing the class wouldn’t have been possible without the network Puppione has developed over the years. She paid many a visit to parents and athletes as an assistant at Maryland. She was always on the phone during her stint at Marymount. Even her husband — a prominent club coach in Maryland — served as a potential point of contact.

So, she energized some of those connections while assembling her group at George Mason. It’s the main reason why Puppione was able to lure in a handful of high-profile transfers. Midfielder Milan Pierre-Jerome played some valuable minutes at Maryland, and also featured for the Haitian national team at the youth level. Tori Paul — another former Terrapin — saw the pitch in College Park, while boasting some youth international experience with Trinidad and Tobago.

Meanwhile, Shea Carroll, Ashley Shimberg and Brooke Volpi were all near-misses in Puppione’s former jobs. Now, she’ll inherit them as college vets, ones that can be molded to lead her group.

That leadership will be vital in a system that requires such diligence and attention to detail. It starts with lining up bags correctly, piecing together the locker room perfectly and executing practice precisely. And if all 26 players buy in, it might just end with a fair few wins.

“I believe with this group we can get a conference tournament championship title,” Puppione said. “All the players are excited, they're very motivated and driven.”

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