Ask any goalkeeper on the boys and girls varsity soccer teams who has changed their game the most, and without hesitation, the answer is Coach Bernie. For over two decades, WHS goalie coach Bernie Cuddy has shared his knowledge, leaving a lasting impact on the many goalies who have been able to learn from his expertise.
A New Jersey native, Cuddy grew up in North Brunswick, beginning his soccer career during his childhood and continuing to play throughout high school. From there, Cuddy moved to Ireland to expand his opportunities, where he continued his career playing for Dundalk Football Club. He ended his professional career playing for the Central Jersey Riptide back at home in North Brunswick. Cuddy then pursued coaching as the next phase of his soccer career.
A few years into his coaching career, Cuddy opened a business alongside his brother, who shared the same passion for soccer. Cuddy said, “My brother and I started the business almost 20 years ago. It is amazing to be able to work with my brother in the business because we share the same focus on developing players and style of coaching. It is best to be able to work with family in [a field of work] that you both enjoy.”
Through Cuddy’s soccer program, they have trained athletes of all ages. Former WHS soccer goalies who have continued their careers in college have returned to Cuddy for higher-level training. “We have been lucky to have worked with a lot of amazing coaches that we bring to our coaching,” he said. “The focus is to be able to help develop goalkeepers and field players, as well as to give them the freedom to develop their own style.” Cuddy uses his first-hand experience to give his players the best personal development and experience.
Cuddy’s brother grew up playing soccer with both girls head coach Alex Schmidt and boys head coach Eric Shaw. Through this connection, Cuddy was offered a position as a goalie coach for the WHS varsity soccer teams. “I was very excited to join their coaching staff because I knew that it would be an amazing experience working with such high-level teams that they have built,” he said.
Coaching goalies is different from the rest of the team because the position carries intensive mental pressure. He said, “The hardest part of being a goalkeeper would be after a mistake is made, to clear your head and forget [the mistake] because in the next 10 minutes, everything could cave in if you dwell on it.”
Cuddy takes a unique approach to coaching by putting his players in harder situations than those that will come up in a game, so when they face a similar scenario, they can remain calm. “What I try to do with the goalkeepers to work on the mental side of the sport and their position is I try to make our practices harder and more intense than what the game will be,” he said, “so if one mistake happens, they have to continue with the drill and not react to the mistake.”
Senior Sofia Buoscio, girls varsity goalie, attested to this, saying, “He is very tough on me, and there’s always something new to work on once I figure something out. I think that if I got a reward for every single small thing, I wouldn’t get better. You need somebody to tell you, ‘okay, now you need to work on this,’ and I think he’s definitely helped me with that.”
Senior Simon Gunzberg, boys varsity goalie, also agreed. He said, “There are very few practices and games he’s not able to make, and each session with him is harder than game scenarios. Since I’m getting used to facing shots that are harder to save than those I would see in a game, I feel much more prepared and confident when I face the shots in games.”
Both Buoscio and Gunzberg have made countless memories with Cuddy. Gunzberg said, “A specific memory I have with him was in the sectional semifinal last year. We were going into penalty kicks against Elizabeth, and he told me to choose one player and asked me where I thought they would shoot. I pointed out one of their better players and chose the left side. I ended up saving his shot and we won the shootout 4-3, so it was a very important save.” Moments like these have allowed many of Cuddy’s players to thrive in stressful situations through his guidance.
Cuddy explained that one of his favorite parts of being a goalie coach is having the opportunity to make connections with the players. “[Goalkeeper] is such a different position than anyone on the field,” Cuddy said. “When I see them on the field making a huge save or a penalty kick stop, it feels a little special to see them celebrate.”
The program’s talent is undeniable, but its success is a combination of talent, passion and coaching from people like Cuddy. His positivity on and off the field has resonated not only with the goalies but with the entire program. “I always say to anyone that asks me about working with the school, ‘This is not the normal public high school. Most teams do not win like this or have a talent pool like this either,’” Cuddy said.
