It's never easy to say goodbye to someone who has made a lasting impact on your program, but this is the kind of goodbye that comes with genuine pride and excitement.

Our coaching staff and student-athletes would like to recognize and celebrate our assistant coach, Jake Natola as he takes the next step in his coaching journey, accepting a new assistant coaching role at Lenoir–Rhyne University in Hickory, NC (NCAA D2).

During his time with Skidmore, Jake has been a model of professionalism, energy, and commitment. Day in and day out, he invested deeply in our student-athletes, not only as players, but as people. Jake's ability to connect, teach, and inspire elevated our training environment and strengthened the culture of our program. Whether it was detailed session planning, individual player development, or simply being present in the small moments that matter, his influence has been felt across every level of the team.

While at Skidmore, Jake helped the program reach a 10-4-3 mark in the 2025 season, which was the best win percentage since 2005 and the highest ever point total in a Liberty League season. Jake supported the growth of current student-athletes with 6 being named all-conference and 3 being named all-region. Also, he played a pivotal role in building an excellent 2026 recruiting class.

At Lenoir-Rhyne, Jake will step into the primary assistant coaching role under Jorge Morales. He will be heavily involved in recruitment, roster and scholarship management, film analysis, and on-field instruction. Jake will also be able to pursue his master's degree through Lenoir-Rhyne as well.

Lenoir-Rhyne will be receiving an exceptional teacher of the game who builds meaningful relationships with players, earning trust while pushing them to grow. His work ethic is relentless, his organization is sharp, and his passion for the game is evident in everything he does.

We are incredibly grateful for everything he has given to Skidmore Soccer, and we will be following his journey. Lenoir–Rhyne is gaining not only a talented coach, but a tremendous person. We're excited to see his career take off and we know this is just the beginning.