By KEN HAMWEY

Staff Sports Writer

Steve Bigelow is the new head coach of the Millis High girls’ soccer team but he’s no stranger to the school, the players, the program and the former coach. 

The 45-year-old Bigelow, who’s taught English at Millis for 13 years, knows the student body and its student-athletes. He’s also very familiar with the school’s motto — “Small school, big family.’’ 

Previously a teacher-coach at Brighton High School, Bigelow has watched a plethora of the Mohawks’ matches and has great respect for Olivia Zitoli, who left coaching after four years to devote more time to her family.

 

“I’ve been a superfan of Millis’ sports teams,’’ Bigelow said. “I’ve taken my two girls to watch soccer and basketball games, and I attended many of Olivia’s practices. We’ve had lots of discussions about styles, formations and strategies. She’s a great role model and an excellent coach, and I’ll listen to any advice she offers.’’

Bigelow spent 11 years teaching English at Brighton High before joining the Millis faculty. Brighton is also where he started his coaching career.

“I was a co-head coach for a year with the boys’ varsity soccer team, then became a co-head coach with the varsity baseball team for eight years,’’ Bigelow noted. “I played soccer at Needham High and I’ve also coached a girls’ select team (grades 4, 5 and 6) for three years in Holliston’s Youth Soccer program.’’

Bigelow doesn’t think his transition to head coach will be difficult. “Being a teacher at Millis and knowing the players as students allows for a smooth coaching transition,’’ he said. “I’ve watched this team as a fan for years and keeping Molly Breen as an assistant will aid in consistency for the players and the program. Molly is one of Millis High’s all-time best athletes.’’

Last year, Zitoli guided her squad to an 8-12-2 season that included two victories in the state tourney (Smith Academy and St. John Paul II) before bowing to Whitinsville-Christian. Bigelow hopes to build on that success in his rookie season but injuries have plagued the squad early on (11 starters have been available for only one of the first four matches). At Local Town Pages deadline, the Mohawks were 1-4.

“Our goals this year are to qualify for the tourney and go as far as possible,’’ Bigelow said. “We also want to be consistently competitive in the Tri Valley League. And we want to work closely with the youth program [Millis Youth Soccer] to develop a good feeder system.’’

Six seniors graduated from last year’s squad but Bigelow is upbeat about his team and its strengths.

“We’ll be versatile in terms of speed, power and finesse,’’ he offered. “Our players have a high soccer IQ, they’re instinctive, athletic and coachable. Our team chemistry is also a  plus. We’ll be a gritty, hard-nosed squad that will adapt and be difficult to play against. Our challenge will be replacing defenders on the back line. Three of the four have graduated.’’

Millis’ three captains are all seniors with top-notch leadership skills. They include Olivia Fong (center fullback), Lindsey Grattan (midfielder), and Riley Sullivan (midfielder/defender).

“Olivia is tough, has great technical ability and sees the field well,’’ Bigelow said. “An excellent communicator, she’s instinctive and tasked with marking our opponents’ best players. Lindsey’s speed is unmatched. She’s tenacious on full field runs and has very good crossing and passing ability that sets up scoring opportunities. Excellent in transition, she adjusts quickly and likely will get playing time at striker.” 

“Riley is a high IQ player with good spacial awareness and positioning. An incredible team-first player, she’s solid in transition and gets her teammates involved. On defense, she’s a good decision-maker and has a keen understanding of formations and alignments.’’

Another key is sophomore goalie Ella Maher, labeled by Bigelow as “one of the best goaltenders in the TVL.’’

“Ella has excellent instincts, isn’t afraid to come out of the goal, plays the angles well and clears effectively,’’ Bigelow said. “She’s good with the ball at her feet and she’s decisive in traffic. Willing to dive for a loose ball, she has no weaknesses. As a freshman, she helped the team win a penalty-kick shootout against St. John Paul II in the tourney.’’

Bigelow has only two juniors on the team — Rylee Silvia (central midfielder) and Maddie Steiner (wing, midfielder). “Both have taken a more active role in the team this year, contributing in practice, team building, and on the field,’’ Bigelow said. 

The coach also said, “I’m fortunate to have to have such a strong upper-class group for the underclassmen to observe and learn from. This group as a whole has jelled and been a joy to coach. They work hard at practice, support and push one another, and celebrate each other’s successes.’’

Bigelow, whose degrees are from Colby College (English major) and Boston College (education), has an interesting coaching philosophy.

“I believe players reach their maximum potential when they feel challenged, validated and respected, and are part of something bigger than themselves,’’ he emphasized. “’Small school, big family’ is our motto and that drew me to Millis. It’s that mentality that I want to resonate with our program top to bottom.’’

Bigelow also wants his players to learn valuable life lessons during their athletic journey. “Sports teach kids how to overcome adversity and how to be resilient,’’ he said. “And sports also teach players how to be leaders and quality teammates.’’

Steve Bigelow has been a loyal fan of the girls’ soccer program at Millis and now, as its coach, he’s eager to help the team bounce back from a slow start and move in the right direction.