JOHN KOVACH | Colleges Three Reinos playing soccer

NESHANNOCK -- The successful Reino family soccer story began in Italy in the 1960s, and progressed on a course to New Castle, Neshannock Township, Neshannock High, Westminster College and Clarion University.
The story line is how Sam Reino, who played in Italy, came to plant the seeds of the sport in America as a player, coach, father and fan.
The main plot is how he helped to develop soccer in the New Castle area, became a coach and nurtured his love of the sport in his family.
The latest chapters find three of his children -- Pasquale and twins Marianne and Josephine -- playing collegiate soccer at the same time.
Pasquale is a junior with the Westminster men's team, and Josephine and Marianne are sophomores on the first Clarion women's team.
Helped form team: Like Sam, Marianne planted a few soccer seeds of her own as she helped to form club soccer at Clarion last year.
Sam, a mechanic for the Phil Fitts Ford dealership in Neshannock and an assistant boys coach at Neshannock, and wife Carmie, now get to watch all of the family's games that they want.
"I try to see all three of them play whenever I can, plus I still am coaching the high school team," said Sam, now in his seventh season at Neshannock.
Sam came to America when there still was very little soccer being played.
"I came here in 1966. Soccer wasn't very big yet in this part of the country. When I was 22 or 23, we started a men's league," said Sam, who after his playing career ended concentrated on coaching the children.
Joined program: He moved his family from New Castle to Neshannock in 1985, and "they just started a soccer program and they were looking for coaches, and I got [involved] in 1986."
Sam coached Pasquale in the Pa. West Youth League from ages eight to 18, and later coached his girls in the same loop. The league had spring and fall sessions.
"My daughters played in the league, but with the girls team, [while] I was coaching the boys team," said Sam. "But when Pasquale finished [at] 18 years old, I coached the girls team for a couple of years and I actually had a lot of fun with the girls."
Sam said Pasquale and Marianne developed into strong offensive players, while Josephine played defense.
One of the best: In youth play, "Pasquale played on the top team in Beaver, and then he played on the West Penn premier team," said Sam.
And at Neshannock, "Pasquale was a forward [and] he broke the [school] record [with] 71 career goals," added Sam, noting that his son had 22 goals as a junior and 29 as a senior.
He said Pasquale also was picked among the section's top 15 players for four years in a row, including being named the section's most valuable player as a junior and senior.
Then, "Since he got really serious about it, he wanted to play college ball," said Sam.
Twins learn: Meanwhile, the twins continued to hone their skills with the Neshannock girls team.
"They enjoyed it, especially Marianne," said Sam. "The program was new, but she did very well. Marianne, as a senior, had 29 goals; and Josephine was a defender and played the sweeper."
But unlike Pasquale, the twins didn't have soccer in their plans when they chose their college.
"They wanted to be teachers, so they looked at Clarion, but when they got there Clarion didn't have a soccer program," said Sam.
Enter Marianne: "Marianne helped to get a club team and the program started. Last year was a club sport. Her sister joined team this year."
Pasquale, a forward, played in all of Westminster's first six games this season, starting three of them; and was the team's second-leading scorer with nine points on four goals and one assist.
Generally the first player off the bench, Pasquale had Westminster's only goal in a 2-1 loss to Washington & amp; Jefferson -- the Titans' first defeat after five wins under coach Girish Thakar.
Meanwhile, Marianne and Josephine started all of Clarion's first eight games this year, but were held scoreless while the fledging team struggled through a 1-7 record under coach Christina "Nina" Alonzo. Marianne is a forward and Josephine is a defender.
Other area players: Also with the Clarion women is Nicole Bell, a freshman midfielder from Wilmington.
Joining Pasquale on the Westminster team are James Houser, senior goalie from Boardman; Rick Walker, freshman goalie from Cardinal Mooney; Chris Castillo, freshman defender from Austintown Fitch; Andrew Rudloff, senior midfielder from Lakeview; Zach Hudson, sophomore defender, and Jonathan Shaw, freshman midfielder from Howland.