BROCKTON, Mass. ---- Massasoit Community College Athletics Director Julie Mulvey recently announced that Jim Stapleton has been named the new women's soccer head coach for the Warriors.
Stapleton becomes the eighth women's soccer head coach in program history.
No stranger to Massasoit, Stapleton will be entering his 14th season as the men's basketball coach and served as the assistant women's soccer coach a season ago. Stapleton recently won his 200th career game leading the Massasoit men's basketball program and is the all-time leader in program history in victories with 203.
"Jim is very energetic and will do a great job leading our women's soccer program," Athletics Director Julie Mulvey said. "He's been around Massasoit, knows how to recruit and has plenty of connections in the high school soccer ranks. We are excited for the upcoming season."
Known for his coaching experience on the hardwood since 2001 with the Warriors, Stapleton has 12 years of coaching soccer at the high school ranks.
"I'm really excited to coach the women's soccer team this season," Stapleton said. "I think with a strong group of returners and newcomers we have a chance to be very successful. The key will be to get the roster size up to 16 to 18 kids. It is a totally different mindset compared to coaching men's basketball, but I am ready for the challenge ahead."
Stapleton takes over a team that advanced to the New England Region XXI Finals in 2013 and has three returning all-region student-athletes. The Warriors finished last season 6-9-0 overall and 6-3 in divisional games.
Stapleton's soccer-coaching career started at Groveton High School (Groveton, N.H.) in 1988 as an assistant boy's soccer coach. After one season, he served as an assistant at Walpole High School from 1989-1993 for the girl's team.
Stapleton went on to spend three seasons, from 1994-97, as the head coach of the North Attleboro boy's team and was named Sun Chronicle Coach of the Year in 1995. During his tenure North Attleboro made the MIAA State Playoffs three times as Stapleton inherited a program that had only made postseason play once in school history prior to his arrival.
He later went on to be the head coach of the Stoughton High School girl's soccer squad from 1998-2000.
Over the last 10-plus years, Stapleton has been around the game of soccer at the youth, club and high school levels due to his two kids, Tess and David. Tess played two years at UMass-Dartmouth (2011-12), while David will be a student-athlete this fall as a freshman soccer player at Curry College.
A Brockton native, Stapleton teaches eighth grade history at South Middle School.
