GROVE CITY — George DeAugustino carried a notebook around with him this soccer season.

In it, he jotted down drills, strategy and techniques employed by his Grove City College men's soccer coach, Mike Dreves.

“I wanted to learn from coach as much as possible,” said DeAugustino, a Seneca Valley graduate who turned in a stellar senior season for the Wolverines as a defender. “I'm definitely looking for the next chapter.

“I want to go into coaching because soccer has given me a lifetime of memories and I'm looking forward to showing other what the game has done for me and what it can do for them.”

Coaching is in the DeAugustino family, but not in soccer.

Wrestling has been the family's sport of choice.

DeAugustino's great-uncle, Gus, coached for 34 years at North Allegheny High School, winning 380 dual matches and is regarded as a legend in the sport in Western Pennsylvania.

His father, also George, served as the wrestling coach at NA as well.

“Being around my family, I've always known what it takes to be a coach,” DeAugustino said.

DeAugustino thought he'd be a wrestler, too. He participated in the sport until the fifth grade, but heard another calling.

Soccer.

“I liked wrestling, but I had a greater love for soccer at the time and I couldn't do both.”

Grove City College had been certainly happy that DeAugustino chose soccer.

DeAugustino started 68 games in his career with the Wolverines as a defender and was honored twice on the All-Presidents' Athletic Conference team.

He helped Grove City record eight shutouts this season, a 12-8-1 record, and a trip to the conference title game and ECAC Tournament.

DeAugustino also chipped in with three goals this season — the first three of his career — including the game-winner against Geneva College.

He was honored with a spot on the PAC first team and was voted team MVP.

“I'm very honored and very blessed,” DeAugustino said. “I couldn't have done it without my teammates, the other guys around me. The best part of this team was how we worked for each other, worked as a group to accomplish goals.”

The first thing DeAugustino had to accomplish when he came to Grove City four years ago was adjusting to a more physical brand of soccer.

The game was intense at Quad-A Seneca Valley, but Division III soccer was even more physically demanding, especially for the 5-foot-9, 155-pound DeAugustino.

He also had to adjust to a position change. DeAugustino played outside-back his first two years at Grove City after spending his high school career as a center-back.

“It's just a faster game at the college level,” he said. “You have to be willing to put in the hours to adapt and adjust to the physicality of the game.”

DeAugustino is trying to adapt to another major change, and perhaps his most difficult one.

His playing career is over.

“I started playing when I was 5 and I'm 22 now, so you do the math,” DeAugustino said. “It's been a long time since I haven't played soccer. It's interesting, I'm still working out like I'm playing next year.”