There were early indications that perhaps this wasn’t going to be “their year.”

The Ellicottville girls soccer team had lost a pair of Big 30 all-stars who’d combined for 42 of its 55 goals from the 2023 season. And though they also had six starters back, the Eagles were as young as they’d been in awhile, starting a handful of sophomores who’d never before played at the varsity level.

The Allegany-Limestone boys, meanwhile, had graduated five key players, including their starting goalkeeper, from the year before. And that was from a squad that, by its own standard, had a bit of a down year, going 11-5 and losing to Southwestern 7-2 in the sectional semifinals.

Still, there was a shared internal optimism that good things could happen.

Ellicottville coach Tammy Eddy, while acknowledging the uncertainty that lay ahead, was adamant that she possessed a hard-working group of girls who were “team-first” to their core. A-L boss Jon Luce believed that, despite what his Gators’ prospects might have looked like on paper, there was the potential to be great.

“We came into this year having very high goals; we kind of set that for ourselves when we first started practice,” Luce said back in November, “and it didn’t matter what other people thought — if we were gonna finish .500 or whatever — we had our own goals in mind of how far we wanted to go.”

For both, a pair of proud soccer programs by nature, the word “special” is seemingly always part of the vision. And though it might have taken some time to come into focus, that’s the word that, in many ways, defined their seasons.

ELLICOTTVILLE, IN something of a transition year, still managed to win 12 games, claim its third sectional title in four years and give itself yet another shot of reaching the state final four. Allegany-Limestone made history, advancing to the New York State semifinals for the first time ever after claiming their sixth sectional title under Luce. And for what they were able to coax in a year where it seemed anything but guaranteed, both coaches were rewarded: Eddy with the Judy Bliven Award as the Big 30 Girls Coach of the Year and Luce as Doug Burke Award winner for Boys Coach of the Year.

In the aftermath of the announcement, each was modest about being given the area’s highest high school soccer honor.

“It’s kind of uncomfortable to be honest with you,” Eddy acknowledged. “I mean, there’s so many great teams and so many great coaches in this area that … I don’t know, in my opinion, I’m little Ellicottville, so I’m doing the best I can with what I have. It’s an honor, it’s super cool, but then I’m like, ‘why’d they pick me?’”

Added Luce, “I’m truly honored to receive the Big 30 Coach of the Year award. But this is never just about one person. This award is a reflection of the hard work, dedication and support of the entire team. I share this recognition with my coaches and my players.”

Humility aside, however, almost no one did more with their teams than they did.

Theirs were two of only three teams (alongside the Ellicottville boys) to capture a sectional or district title and appear in a Far West Regional. Theirs were the last two Big 30 teams standing, finishing their campaigns on Nov. 8 and 16, respectively. A-L, after several previous close calls in the FWR, not only broke through to the state final four, but came within a goal of winning the Class B championship.

So how was each able to entice such success in a year marked by heavy graduation losses and multiple question marks?

Through their own quality coaching, for starters. But also the belief that the only thing that mattered was playing with, and for, one another.

“In Ellicottville, it’s all about the team,” said Eddy, whose team forged ahead without Brooke Butler and Mandy Hurlburt, now both playing in college, but with new standouts such as Addison John and Drew Ficek. “These girls did a lot in the summer together, they did team-building during the season. … I just feel like the teamwork is huge.

“I don’t have any girls yelling at each other on the field or in practice. They’re there to support each other and build each other up and that’s been the culture since Mary (Neilon) coached and it’s something that I truly value. I think these nervous younger girls were embraced by these more experienced girls and they said, ‘listen, we can do this together. I really feel like that is a big piece of the culture in Ellicottville.”

An equally large piece, at both Ellicottville and A-L, is the degree to which their players take ownership of their own seasons.

“It’s a result of their hard work, commitment and talent,” said Luce, whose 2024 Gators remained loaded with the latter, led by Big 30 Player of the Year Cooper Wilczewski, Zander Parsons and Carson Kwiatkowski. “From the first practice to our final game, they gave everything they had. We pushed each other to be better every day, and the culmination of that effort was the incredible achievement of making it to states for the first time in school history.

“This is a moment that none of us will forget and it’s a testament to what happens when everyone buys into the process and gives their best the entire season.”

The parallels, however, don’t stop there.

Both coaches have been among the winningest in the Big 30 (though Luce has been so over a much longer stretch), with Eddy recording a .735 winning percentage (72-26-5) over six seasons and Luce notching an .842 mark over two decades, including a glittering 19-3 mark this fall, while also closing in on his 300th career victory (293-55-18). Both have claimed at least three sectional titles in the last 10 years.

And both are now (or had long been) permanently woven into the fabric of Big 30 soccer.

Indeed, Eddy is the first Ellicottville girls coach to earn COY honors since the fabled Mary Neilon (2010), for whom Eddy played for, and coached with, before taking the reins in 2019 and for whom the girls’ Player of the Year Award is named. Luce, meanwhile, the inaugural Burke Award winner in 2005, joined Fillmore legend Jamie Mullen as the only three-time boys Coach of the Year.

And each noted: It’s the impact that others have had on them that led to this moment.

“Mary’s synonymous with Ellicottville soccer,” Eddy said of Neilon. “The cool thing about Mary is, when she retired, she said, ‘this is your team, this is your program. You take what you can from me, but make it yours,’ and that really meant a lot to me, because obviously there is a lot that I’ve taken from her, but she would come back to watch games and visit and just be so proud of us and our program continuing to do well. It’s really cool.”

What has it meant to her to maintain the program’s sectional-winning standard?

“It’s something that I’m super proud of, but it’s something that … my heart and soul is into Ellicottville soccer just because of my history with it,” said Eddy, who also credited much of the Eagles’ success to assistant coach Tracy Rozler.

“I coached modified for 25 years before Mary retired and I played for Mary. If you played for Mary or you played Ellicottville soccer, it’s a bond. And I tell these girls, it’s a bond you have (for life). I have former teammates and former players, Mary, reaching out, saying congratulations, good luck. It’s just an Ellicottville girls soccer bond.”

Luce’s coaching style was also largely influenced by his high school coach, former Cuba-Rushford mentor Carl Holmes.

“The lessons I learned from him have stuck with me throughout my career,” said the longtime A-L coach, who also extended a “huge thank you” to assistants Matt Fidurko, Dave Talbot, Steve DeGroff and Dylan Talbot for playing such an integral in the Gators’ historic season this fall.

“(Holmes) taught me the value of hard work, discipline and focusing on the fundamentals. He emphasized that success isn’t just about talent, but about how much you’re willing to put into it and how you come together as a team. I try to bring that same mindset to my coaching because those principles have helped me get to this point and, more importantly, helped the team achieve what we accomplished.”

In the end, both Ellicottville and Allegany-Limestone fell a bit short of their ultimate goal, with the Eagles (12-5-1) bowing to a Section 5 power (this time Keshequa) in the Far West Regional for the third time since 2021 and the Gators dropping a heart-breaking 2-1 decision to North Salem in the state championship.

But to be in those positions at all was its own source of “special” for two programs that have become so accustomed to it.

“When I look back on this season, it’s clear that the journey wasn’t easy,” said Luce, echoing a sentiment from Eddy. “Some challenges tested us, but our athletes and coaches all showed up each time we faced adversity. They dug deep, kept their heads in the game and, most importantly, played for each other.

“That’s the spirit that leads to success, and it’s something I’m proud to be a part of.”