Oct 13, 2005
By Mike Reiss
When the school day ends at Newton North High School, the teacher turns into a world-class runner.
''Once we get out from that end-of-day meeting," jokes Neil Stafford, ''I'm usually sprinting through the parking lot."
It's not because Stafford doesn't enjoy his job as a special education teacher. He likes it very much. It's just that he usually has a successful college soccer team waiting for him about 50 minutes away.
Stafford is in his fourth year as head coach at Assumption College in Worcester, and his Greyhounds (9-0-2) rose to new national heights last week when the National Soccer Coaches Association of America ranked them No. 3 among Division II women's soccer teams.
Only Metropolitan State (Colorado) and Seattle Pacific (Washington) were ranked higher.
''To be No. 3 in the whole country is an amazing accomplishment," Stafford said.
''It's surpassed what we've dreamed about. We might not have the best skills or best athleticism in the country, but I think we're one of the best teams in the country."
Stafford, a graduate of Marlborough High, has tapped into Boston's western suburbs for five players on his 20-player roster.
Northborough's Amy Ryan, who attended Algonquin Regional, is a senior midfielder. Marlborough's Michaela Morrisroe, a junior, is a starter on defense after two years as a backup. Hudson's Emily Pattison is a sophomore forward, while classmate Kim Sullivan of Natick has been a stalwart on defense. And Shrewsbury's Heather Melander is a freshman alternating between midfield and forward.
Such a mix might have been volatile in the high school days, because Algonquin and Shrewsbury are traditional rivals. Same with Marlborough and Hudson.
''We hated Hudson," said Morrisroe. ''That was always the biggest game of the year, really intense."
So what was Pattison thinking two years ago when she joined the Assumption team, making her teammates with Morrisroe?
''Just that she was from Marlborough, and we just don't like Marlborough," she said.
That quickly passed.
Now all five players, and Stafford, tout team chemistry as one of the Greyhounds' greatest assets.
Ryan said ''we're all best friends" and Stafford said he sometimes even tells the players not to spend so much time with each other off the field, because he wants them to make other friends, and sometimes be removed from the intensity of the season. But that same chemistry was what attracted Natick's Sullivan to Assumption.
''When I came to campus for a visit, I saw how close the team was, and knew this was where I wanted to be," she said.
Same with Melander. Her first trip to campus was with her uncle, Joe Lane, the former St. John's of Shrewsbury basketball coach and Assumption basketball player.
''It was kind of unexpected. I grew up only 10 minutes from here and wanted to be further away," Melander said. ''It was one of the last schools I looked at, but when I saw how well the girls got along -- how everyone from upperclassmen to freshmen seemed like best friends -- it seemed like the perfect fit."
Stafford, who is known as a tough coach, lauded his five players from Boston's western suburbs. Ryan has been ''a warrior who provides great senior leadership;" Morrisroe is ''very tough with a great first touch;" Pattison is ''a very good technical player;" Sullivan is a ''diamond in the rough and is tenacious on the field;" and Melander is ''one of the most fit kids on the team."
Stafford feels fortunate to recruit such players, because he's a part-time coach and Assumption doesn't give scholarships.
Many of the schools the Greyhounds compete against have full-time coaches and do offer scholarships.
He said one of the reasons Assumption has achieved success is a dedicated group of assistant coaches over the last four years, including Erin O'Grady, Rob Risley, Matt Kagan, Mike Kulas, Ellen Daley and Josh Cole.
The Greyhounds have also taken a cue from two professional teams in the region.
''Last season, we kind of compared our season to the Patriots and Red Sox," said Ryan, a management major. ''They've shown how you can be an underdog and still win. You still give it your all."
