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Soccer life comes full circle for new Big Red girls coach Annie Cutri

CUTRI

STEUBENVILLE — After living and coaching soccer in Georgia and Arizona since 2010, Annie Cutri decided it was time for her and her husband, Rocky, to move back home in June 2019.

Cutri, a 2006 Steubenville High School graduate, is a chemistry, science and math teacher. She loves soccer so much that she decided to help Steubenville under Jared Robinson last year.

Earlier this year, with Robinson departing, Cutri’s soccer life has come full circle, as she is this season’s head coach for Big Red.

“I’ve been coaching since 2010, and I loved it when I did club soccer, which is a little different from high school soccer. With high school, I coached at different schools,” she said. “I always loved coaching and knew I wanted to be a part of it. I also just want to give back to the program that I went through when I was in high school. I just can’t stay away from soccer.”

Cutri began coaching in 2010, a year removed after earning a degree in chemistry from Ohio State University. She later earned her master’s in chemistry from Georgia Tech.

Her coaching resume includes leading an all-girls school in Atlanta, an assistant with Woodward Academy and later as co-coach with Verde Valley in Sedona, Ariz.

After that, the Cutris couldn’t take it any more. They missed their families, which has to be a strong bond. They definitely did not miss the snow or the chilling temperatures.

“Atlanta was close enough to where parents and others could come visit us,” she said. “When we moved to Arizona, we loved it out there, but it was too far away from family. So, we decided to come back.”

Cutri played all four years during her time at Big Red in the early to mid 2000s. Luckily, she was an assistant last year because girls soccer has changed considerably.

“It helped a lot with just being able to see the competition and how other teams performed,” she said. “It also helps to know about my returning players with their capabilities so that we have an idea of how to adjust.

“Soccer is very different than when I played. It’s much bigger now, seeing all of these programs grow. I also got to learn how they do playoffs now and the OVAC tournament because we didn’t have one when I was in high school.”

Now that Cutri has it all figured out, she hopes to have a full season because of what Big Red can offer in 2020. The 2019 Steubenville squad reached the OVAC Class 5A championship but fell. It later lost in the sectional championship to a strong St. Clairsville team, 1-0.

“We have great returning seniors like Mary Marshall up top. Our junior class looks really solid,” Cutri said. “So, I think we are going to be able to hold our own. It will be a little different because, with the seniors we lost last year, we lost two of our center backs and our goalie. Other than that, we really didn’t lose too much from that senior class, which is a good thing.”

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, nobody knows what will happen on a day-to-day basis. Big Red is able to practice and prepare as always. However, it is only practice, and the school’s four scrimmages have been canceled.

All Cutri, her players and coaches can do is prepare for their season opener on Aug. 21, while staying safe and following the proper protocols.

“For me, I just kind of take it day by day, which is hard because I have a very Type A personality,” Cutri said. “The girls and my coaching staff have been really good about following the protocols and guidelines that we have. We have a lot of support from our athletic director and those in that office. The girls, even with the uncertainty of this season, they are all very positive and have shown up to every practice like it’s the last game of the season, so they’re putting it all out there.”

Cutri resides in Mingo Junction with her husband. This year, she will teach math and science at Harding Middle School. Prior to that, she has taught chemistry at the high school and collegiate levels.

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