Men's Soccer
Inside Men's Soccer
Gary Crompton
Head Men's Soccer Coach
Email Coach Crompton
Gary Crompton enters his second year as the head men’s soccer coach at Bentley University in 2009.
“Bentley University is extremely fortunate to have selected someone with his background as a player and as a coach at a very successful Division I academic institution,” said athletics director Bob DeFelice upon Crompton’s hiring.
In Crompton’s first year on the job, the Philadelphia native led Bentley to its first postseason appearance since 2004 after the Falcons defeated Saint Michael’s 4-3 on the last day of the regular season to clinch the final Northeast-10 playoff spot. Bentley finished the season at 8-9-2 overall and 5-6-2 in the conference for eighth place.
Crompton also saw two of his players selected to the Northeast-10 All-Conference teams, and two players named to the NE-10 All-Academic team.
Hired in July of 2008, Crompton, 38, previously spent 14 years as an assistant coach at Harvard University, spearheading the program’s recruiting and scheduling efforts. During his tenure, the Crimson made five appearances in the NCAA Tournament (1994, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2007) and captured three Ivy League championships (1994 co-champions, 1996, 2006).
In the latter stages of his tenure, he helped lead Harvard to consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 20 years. In 2006, the Crimson earned an automatic bid by winning the Ivy League, and proceeded to defeat Binghamton 2-1 in the first round before losing to finalists UCLA in the next round. Harvard earned an at-large bid to the tournament in 2007. In addition to those successes, four of his Crimson players earned All-America honors and 23 were first-team All-Ivy League selections during his tenure.
Before stepping into the coaching ranks, Crompton was a standout defenseman at the University of Maine. He was a two-year captain and an Academic All-America for the Black Bears.
Crompton is also nine-year veteran the professional ranks, playing in the United Soccer League with the Cape Cod Crusaders, Worcester Wildfire, Boston Bulldogs and Connecticut Wolves. He was named a USL All-Star with the Crusaders in 1995 and with the Wildfire in 1997.
In addition to his coaching career at the collegiate level, Crompton has over a decade of experience working with young players around the country. In 1998, he traveled to South America observing player development with Universidad de Catolica in Santiago, Chile. Crompton was also head coach of FC Greater Boston Bolts U-17 team from 2002 to 2006. He is currently head coach of the Bolts’ U-16 team that competes in the United States Soccer Federation Development Academy, a nationwide program of select youth clubs.
Crompton holds an “A” License from the USSF and an Advanced National Coaching License from the National Soccer Coaches of America.
Crompton graduated Magna cum laude from Maine in 1992 with a double degree in sociology and psychology. In the spring of 2009 he earned his master’s degree in psychology from Harvard. Crompton currently resides in the greater Boston area.
|
|
Overall |
Northeast-10 | |||||||
|
Year |
W |
L |
T |
PCT |
W |
L |
T |
PCT |
Finish |
|
2008 |
8 |
9 |
2 |
.474 |
6 |
9 |
2 |
.462 |
8th |
|
Total |
8 |
9 |
2 |
.474 |
6 |
9 |
2 |
.462 |
|
Steve Pickman
Assistant Coach
Steve Pickman enters his second season as Gary Crompton’s assistant coach. The 2009 season will be his 10th as a coach in the collegiate ranks, eight of which have been at the Division I level. Prior to joining Crompton at Bentley for the 2008 season, Pickman spent the 2007 season as the goalkeeper’s coach on the coaching staff at Harvard University with Crompton. The two helped lead the Crimson to a 12-4-2 overall record and a third-place finish in the Ivy League.
“The work he does with goaltenders is outstanding,” said Crompton. “We have a close working relationship and I really trust the insight he brings to the table. He really is a quality coach and a quality person that the players enjoy being around. We’re lucky to have him, as he could be a head coach anywhere.”
Prior to his stint at Harvard, Pickman spent six seasons as an assistant coach at Providence College. From 2001-06, he served as an assistant coach with the women’s team and was the top assistant from 2004-06. From 2001-03, he simultaneously served as the goalkeepers coach with the men’s team.
In 2002, Pickman helped lead the men’s team to their first appearance in the Big East Tournament since. The following season, the Friars once again qualified for the Big East Tournament and advanced to the semifinals by upsetting No. 23 Virginia Tech in the quarterfinals, before losing to the eventual champions Notre Dame.
Before joining the Providence staff, Pickman was an assistant at Roger Williams University for the 2000 season.
Pickman played goalkeeper for two seasons at Hartwick College before transferring to the University of Rhode Island in 1998.
He finished his two remaining years of eligibility with the Rams and graduated in 2000. In 1999, he helped Rhode Island capture the Atlantic-10 championship and earn a berth into the NCAA Tournament. That season, he posted a 0.8 goals against average and a .857 save percentage.
After graduating from Rhode Island, Pickman continued his playing career in the United Soccer League with the Rhode Island Stingrays from 2000-02.
A native of North Kingston, R.I., Pickman currently resides in Waltham.
