'He is just Nick': Hudson soccer's Nicholas Savelli makes unique journey to 1st goal
Hudson senior Nicholas Savelli loves sports and interacting with people. He also loves Hudson boys soccer, and is the team's manager.
Last weekend, he got to take a more active role on the field for the Explorers, and he loved every moment of that, too.
Savelli scored a goal for the first time as a high school varsity soccer player Saturday on Senior Day. He helped Hudson earn a 4-2 win over Copley in a matchup of two of the best boys teams in Summit County.
This match, though, was about more than just a win and a loss.
It was about the moment in the third minute of action when both teams came together to make Savelli smile on a rainy day at Hudson Memorial Stadium.
Savelli's path to his first varsity start and goal is unique because he was diagnosed with Trisomy 21, also known as Down syndrome, at birth.
"He is just Nick," Hudson coach Steve Knapp said after the match. "He is awesome."
On the goal, Hudson junior Sam Robledo sent a pass to Savelli, who put the ball into the net with his right foot. Savelli then ran to the sidelines to celebrate with his Hudson teammates.
"It felt good to score a goal," Savelli said. "This is my first time playing [in a varsity match].
"We have a talented team. ... I am happy to be part of the team and I am looking forward to seeing what we can do in the playoffs."
Robledo, who is Hudson's leading scorer, gave his captain's band to Savelli for the special day. Savelli wore the captain's band with pride. Hudson's other captains are seniors Gavin Mertes, Luke Bleifer and JJ Wright.
"It was a great moment," Robledo said of Savelli's goal. "I have been waiting for an opportunity like this for him to get on the field. This was a real joy for the entire team to see him get his goal."
Savelli's parents, Stephanie and Paul Savelli, were in attendance along with his brother, Andrew, 15.
"It was awesome to see Nick score a goal," Mertes said. "... There was a cool buildup to it because all of us knew it was coming. We practiced it in practice, and it was awesome to see it in a game. The celebration was really cool because everybody did the Ronaldo celebration. I thought we had a cool atmosphere."
Hudson's starting 11 versus Copley featured seniors Savelli, Mertes, Bleifer, Wright, Aidan Lawrence, Adam Dzierwa, Logan Pallo and Derek Huminsky and juniors Robledo, Braeden Deutsch and Sam Sockol.
Knapp said he appreciates what Savelli brings to the team.
"Nick has been with the soccer team for three years now and he comes to everything — every practice, every get-together — and he rides the bus with us," Knapp said. "He does everything and he is more into it than anybody. The kid knows everybody. He knows every number.
"When we put bags away at the end of the season, I don't know the numbers. I have to bring him in to help me with the numbers and make sure whose bag is where. He knows the uniform numbers. He knows stats. He looks up stats of the other team and tendencies of the other team before games. I am, like, 'Nick, what is going on? Who do we have to worry about?' And he knows that kind of stuff. He is really awesome."
Knapp and Explorers assistant coach Corey Barnes have known Savelli since he was a ninth grader. Barnes is an intervention specialist at Hudson High School and worked with Savelli in grades 9-11. Savelli has been in Knapp's physical education class at Hudson all four years.
"Corey and I came together and we were, like, 'Nick would be perfect to help out with the team because Nick loves sports,'" Knapp said. "Maybe this is not the sport that he intended to play. He is a big basketball, football and baseball fan. He loves the Cavaliers, Browns and Guardians. He came in and has never looked back. He has been all in from day one. Our players have taken him in. I don't know if we would even know what to do if he wasn't with us."
Savelli might not have known as much about soccer when he joined Hudson's team, but that's changed.
"He absolutely loves soccer now," Knapp said. "Just to see this was awesome. Dave [Antal] and the Copley program are such a great program. Dave is such a great coach. I knew that this was the right game for Nick to score a goal. We always play the last game of the year, Copley and Hudson.
"... I wish it was sunny and 70, but we made it work. This was still super, super rewarding."
Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Hudson High School's Nicholas Savelli scores special soccer goal
