In the last five months, Brdarski has framed the Covid-19 pandemic as an opportunity for growth and empowerment for his team, rather than a setback.

“We talk to our team about how this is life, and how life is about changing and adapting,” Brdarski said. “It’s such a difficult situation, and it takes someone very strong and willing to be vulnerable to overcome these things. And that’s going back to what life is really about.”

Brdarski realizes that the pandemic has taken a lot away from his team. For the incoming freshmen, they’ve had a spring without a high school graduation and a prom. Now, they have a fall without soccer. So do their teammates.

He’s taken to scheduling video conferences on Zoom with his team, and found that his players were willing to acknowledge to their teammates that they were scared, and that they grieved their losses.

Like Burke, Brdarski also wants his players to know that they are not alone.

“I told my players, ‘It is OK to be scared and to be vulnerable,’ ” Brdarski said. “I told them, ‘If you ever feel like this is too much, call someone.’ Four days later, a player called me and told me, ‘I’m really sad.’ And I said, ‘Let’s talk about it.’

“My players will probably remember that they didn’t play this season, but I hope they say that they found the power to connect as a group, and that’s what they’ll remember about this season.”