SCHEDULES
Mike Suffoletto is back where he belongs - coaching soccer. Formerly the Bellingham High boys coach for 12 years, the 54-year-old Suffoletto has been appointed to direct the girls varsity, which managed only a tie in 18 outings last fall.
He replaces Mike Bileau, who coached the girls for the last four years. "I'm excited about the opportunity and I'm eager to coach again," said Suffoletto, a former All-State forward-midfielder at Mount St. Charles. "There are some talented girls on the squad. I've seen their motivation in the classroom and I hope to see that quality on the field. We’ll have only three seniors and there are 21 returnees."
Suffoletto first coached the North Attleboro boys for six years before taking the reins at Bellingham, where he's been teaching history since 1976. His boys squads managed 4-6 victories a season, but it's his 1994 team that provided Suffoletto with his top thrill. "That's the year when we played all our matches on the road because the football field was under construction," he said. "We started at 3-7-1 but finished with a 5-1-1 record in our final seven games for an overall mark of 8-8-2. We went to the tourney that year but lost, 1-0, in the first round to Old Rochester. That team had talent and it showed commitment to the game. That squad had a special bond."
If the girls program is to experience success, Suffoletto knows that different people will have to be on the same page and the players will have to be committed to the sport.
"We'll need the boosters club, youth league, parents and players to work and develop a program we all can be proud of," Suffoletto said. "Players will need to work in a summer program, follow a fitness program and bond at captains' practice." Suffoletto's immediate goal is for the girls to get their first win. Before that happens, he’ll focus on some general objectives.
"We want to be competitive, develop players and the team, teach the basics and develop technique," he said. "We'll have to approach going forward with patience - one game at a time. We know the Tri Valley League is a tough conference with a lot of competition." What style Suffoletto employs no doubt will depend on his roster and its degree of talent. "Our players will determine our mode," Suffoletto said. "The strengths of our players and their abilities will play a major role. I like to blend speed and skills."
Suffoletto utilized speed and skill when he was playing at Mount St. Charles. After graduation in 1971, he enrolled at Providence College, where he played on the varsity for four years. He was the Friars' leading scorer as a sophomore. "I started coaching at North Attleboro, then took the Bellingham post," Suffoletto said. "I left coaching to teach and train my kids in the sport. My son Eric played at Connecticut College, and my daughter Lauren now plays at Mount. I was glad to get the opportunity to see my kids compete."
Suffoletto is laying the foundation now for the fall season, and he's getting involved in organizing key aspects of the program. "Working with boosters and the youth league is very important,” he said. "They play a key role in the success of a program."
Two girls who also will play key roles are next fall's captains - Brooke Moore and Paige Myette. Both will be seniors when the new season kicks off and both will be counted on for their leadership. Moore is a defender and Myette plays midfield.
"My philosophy of coaching is very basic," Suffoletto said. "I want my players to be better at the end of the season than when they started." Suffoletto is delighted to be coaching soccer again. And, as he says, he's happy to be directing a program that he believes "has a lot of promise."
After an 0-17-1 campaign last year, Suffoletto, who has 18 years of experience on the sidelines, knows that time and patience will be important as he builds the program and that the season opener against Dover-Sherborn in September will be an early gauge. "We can only go up," Suffoletto said.
written by Ken Hamwey. Bulletin Sports Editor