Soccer
Favorite athlete: Lance Stephenson
Favorite team: Arsenal FC/Philadelphia 76ers
Favorite memory competing in sports: Beating CB West at War Memorial this year in front of a huge crowd
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: I was jumping over a fence to go to the bathroom before a game, and as I was jumping down, my shorts got caught on the chain-link fence and ripped. I had to play the entire game with the entire left side of my shorts split.
Music on mobile device: Rap/Alternative
Future plans: Attend college, study neuroscience
Words to live by: “You’re only given one little spark of madness. You mustn’t lose it.”
One goal before turning 30: Have traveled to every continent except Antarctica.
One thing people don’t know about me: I love photography.
By Mary Jane Souder
Nino Barbati isn’t a headliner for his Central Bucks East soccer team, a distinction typically reserved for goal scorers. Instead, Barbati has been entrusted with the task of anchoring the defense as one of the team’s center backs. Listening to his coach tell it, he possesses a coveted combination on the soccer pitch.
“He’s an extremely hard worker who is very good on the ball and also very tough,” East coach Josh Isaacsohn said. “You find in the high school level there are a lot of kids that are very good on the ball and a lot of kids that are very tough, but you rarely have that combination, especially in the back defensively where it’s important.”
Beyond that, the Central Bucks East senior – a captain – also has the perfect traits to lead the squad.
“He’s a leader through talk and through play, and that’s what is great about him,” Isaacsohn said. “On the field, he absolutely is a warrior. He will play forever.
“At the same time, he’s commanding the field and talking, and he’s constantly trying to help the guys around him, so it’s nice because rarely do you get a captain who’s a combination of both.”
The Patriots’ defense has allowed one goal or less in seven of 11 games. The back line feels a whole lot like home to the senior captain, who began his high school career playing outside midfielder but last year moved to outside back, a position he played for his club team.
“That was more natural for me,” Barbati said. “I’ve always played defense my entire life, and I was a little confused on the wings.”
For Isaacsohn, moving Barbati to center back was a natural choice.
“He’s was always a quiet, hardworking kid who was fairly versatile,” the Patriots’ coach said. “With the offseason work we’ve done and seeing him play with the guys around him – it just seemed to be a role I thought would work out well for him. He’s extremely coachable, and I’m glad he’s one of our center backs.”
Barbati’s soccer career has not been without a few speed bumps. After playing swing and seeing action mainly for the jayvee as a freshman, he earned a spot on the varsity as a sophomore.
“I played a little bit at the beginning of the season, and after that I didn’t really see any minutes, Barbati said. “I didn’t have much confidence then. I wasn’t in the best head space with soccer.”
Some might have walked away, but Barbati stayed with soccer, a decision he hasn’t regretted.
“Playing soccer has given me a lot more confidence in general,” he said. “It made me mentally tougher. It definitely forces me to go out of my comfort zone.”
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Barbati has been playing soccer since he was in kindergarten. He started basketball at the same time, but it was soccer that won him over. He began playing travel soccer in third grade but never chose to join the travel circuit for basketball. He tried track in middle school, but it wasn’t a good fit, and by that time, he had narrowed his sports down to just soccer.
“My initial interest in soccer was from my sister Zoe – she played high school and club,” Barbati said. “I started watching the English Premiere League when I was in third grade, specifically, the World Cup. I was going into third grade and the 2010 World Cup was the first taste I got of professional soccer. I loved that competition, I loved watching every game.”
Barbati’s journey on the club circuit began with Buckingham United but most of his time was spent with Ukranian National.
“I have gone in and out of phases,” he said. “There have been times when I’ve gotten burned out and needed a change, specifically, changing club teams when I was in 10th grade kind of renewed it. I was getting burned out before I changed clubs.
“My sophomore year my club team was pretty competitive. We were at a lot of showcases, and I thought about using soccer as a means to guarantee my admission to certain schools, but I could never play past the D3 level. A lot of the schools that I could play at didn’t really align with my academic interests.”
These days Barbati’s focus is on a high school season that has proven to be quite a turnaround after last year’s five-win season. The Patriots already have five wins after 11 games and are in the thick of the hunt for a District 1 4A playoff berth.
Ask Barbati the highlight of his high school career so far, and his answer speaks volumes.
“When I was a significant contributor last year, we had a really poor start,” he said. “We started 1-11-1, and we were getting blown out by a bunch of teams, and then at the end of the season, we finished out the season with four wins, one tie and zero losses in our last five games. Obviously, it didn’t really move us up in the standings, but it was just a good confidence booster.
“Having the team in a bad spot and then being able to finish strong and finish it out with everyone having fun and everyone being involved, that was pretty meaningful. It showed there was a lot of resilience. We tried to bring that into this season too, and we’re in a better spot right now. We’re in a position to make the playoffs.”
The team’s improvement is underscored with a pair of wins over its archrival.
“Last year we got absolutely destroyed by West – we lost 3-0 and 2-0, and this year we swept them,” Barbati said. “We battled back from being down and scored the goals in the final seconds in both games. It shows how tough our team is.”
While Barbati takes his role of captain seriously, he didn’t need a title to step into a leadership role.
“On the field, I know I have to be vocal,” he said. “I knew either way – whether I was captain or not – I was going to be very vocal this year. It doesn’t change how I treat my teammates. I just have a sense of responsibility.”
Barbati is in the midst of the college application process.
“I have a list of schools I’m applying to,” he said. “I’m applying to a lot of very competitive schools, and I’ll just see what happens. I’ll be happy wherever I go, I know that.”
He plans to major in neuroscience.
“I would like to conduct psychological research out of college and after that maybe become a clinical psychologist,” he said. “I like the interpersonal aspect of it. It’s also a perfect balance between interpersonal experiences and science.
“I’ve taken biology and psychology classes in school, and they have ignited this interest as well. I find it very interesting. I also like to be around people and talk to people, and it’s the perfect mix of those two.”
Barbati’s people skills are underscored in his involvement with TOPSoccer, a volunteer organization that allows those with adaptive needs an opportunity to enjoy the sport.
“I really enjoy those sessions,” he said. “It kind of fits with my interest in neuroscience as well.”
Barbati has been paired with the same buddy for two years.
“He’s non-verbal,” the Patriots’ senior captain said. “At first, it was a little awkward, but even though he’s non-verbal, I’ve still been able to get to know him – I talk to his mom, learn about his interests, see what he likes in practice.
“One of my favorite parts about that – even though he can’t talk, there’s still a real personality there. Overall, I found that experience rewarding. The program is awesome. It’s a nice platform for all those kids for exercise and socialization they don’t always get. You can see how much it means to all the kids. Everyone there is really happy.”
The program is 10 weeks in the fall and 10 weeks in the spring.
“He has been phenomenal with the kids over there,” said Isaacsohn, who runs the program through CBAA. “He’s taken some of the more challenging kids who are non-verbal and others who are extremely energetic. He’s been unbelievable.”
Barbati is a member of the Spanish Honor Society and anticipates joining the National Honor Society this year. In the spring, he tutors and helps with homework at a homeless shelter in New Jersey one night a week. This past summer, he traveled to Peru for three weeks for a Spanish Learning Exchange Trip. The trip also included community service.
For now, soccer is front and center for Barbati, who realizes this could be his final season of competitive soccer.
“I think I’m going to play club soccer in college, but I have no clue yet, so this could be my last competitive experience in soccer so it’s a lot of totality coming,” Barbati said. “We have seven games left. I want to make it count, and I want to have fun out there.
“That’s something – when I was younger my sophomore year, I wasn’t necessarily having fun playing. I wasn’t playing much, I was putting a lot of pressure on myself. Each year I’ve gotten a little bigger, gotten more confident, and I’m glad to say I’m enjoying my senior year the most.”
