By Sean Savage
@SeanSav13
For those who haven’t met Brendon Boates, he exudes a passion and drive that is hard to find. Some days, he uses those traits to train past exhaustion at South Shore Sportfighting in Rockland, Mass., in an effort to become an MMA fighter.
“That was my mid-life crisis,” Boates said. “I’ve been fighting with people half my age instead of buying expensive sports cars.”
Usually, he’s hustling around Alden Street. Boates has filled in as the women’s soccer head coach for the 2024 season, in the absence of Kristin Cannon. From the moment the first whistle blew – signaling the start of preseason sessions – the Pride knew they were in for a different season.
“He’s tough just as a person,” graduate defender Maddie Daigneault said. “He’s not scary, but definitely intimidating in certain aspects. I honestly think it helps everyone a little bit more for him to be tough on us like that.”
Last year, Boates served as the assistant coach, which helped him prepare for his new position.
“As the head coach you have to sort of be the hammer, and you [the assistant coach] can be the one to put your arms around people and help them out,” Boates said. “In a weird way, it has helped me. I’ve built relationships with the players, so we’re close, and they trust me.”
Moreover, Boates brought his abundance of soccer knowledge to his new position, from his days playing on Brock-Affleck field alongside several coaching tenures. These included time with Bridgewater State and Northeastern – not to mention hoisting the MIAA state title in 2016 with East Bridgewater High School women’s soccer.
“The soccer stuff isn’t a big deal; I’ve been doing this stuff for a long time,” Boates said. “It’s more the admin things I’ve had to prepare for.”
As for his squad, they also had to adjust to a new coaching style. Previously, Cannon centered her training sessions around doing everything as a team: one drill at a time.
Boates, however, decided to revise that style.
“He likes to focus on individuals, positions, and how to make adjustments and make things better for individuals before putting it all together,” Daigneault said.
Practices are split by offense and defense. Typically, one side focuses on sharpening their offensive prowess – with a range of drills that force players to check their shoulders, be quick and the ball and confident when in attacking positions – while the other keeps a stout defensive line, working in unison.
Afterward, they bring it all together, an approach which has helped them blaze to a 4-1-4 record, while outscoring opponents by a goal per game as of Thursday, Oct. 10.
“He’s very hard on me and honest,” Daigneault said while speaking on behalf of the team. “When I’m not doing something well, he’s not afraid to shout across the field and be very honest with me about what I’m doing wrong.”
An aspect that is distinctive about Boates’ coaching style is that he credits his background in MMA fighting.
Boates’ two sons both have been training MMA since they were seven and nine, and after a few months of watching them train, Boates thought to himself:
“Man, I really should get in here and start doing this because they’re going to get older and be able to beat me up.”
With that in mind, Boates started training as well. All the hours poured into refining aspects such as striking, grappling and sparring led Boates to his debut fight in 2022. At the time, Boates was 44, going up against a 19-year-old.
After leaving the octagon, Boates was yearning for an encore. Since then, he has fought three more times, one of which the women’s soccer team attended.
Boates always tries to find an incentive to fight, one that’s bigger than himself. He has raised money for a person with stage four cancer, as well as a friend who had a stroke while coaching.
“It was sort of a goofy one-off kind of thing that turned into a multi-year deal,” Boates said. “I say I’m done now, but who knows.”
Another perk of training in a sport that requires unparalleled mental fortitude, is that it transcends other aspects of life. Boates can further relate to his team when they get tired and become slightly reluctant to practice.
“I think back to when I’m in the gym and feeling the same way, ‘All right, what a minute, what do I do to get through this,’” Boates said. “I sort of impress upon them. Look, you can do it; you don’t think you can, but you can do it.”
While Boates’ practices can be tough, he also tries to occasionally switch things up.
With a cool breeze flowing through the Brock-Affleck field, the Pride is split into teams while being tasked with completing a lighthearted relay race – competing for the ultimate bragging rights.
“We always try to add – at least once or twice a week – something silly,” Boates said. “They are all just really good people, so showing up to practice every day is just the best part of the day for me.”
Nonetheless, this season for the Pride is shaping up to be a bit different and special. The team has four touted graduate students returning and the team has been acclimating to a new coaching dynamic. Boates has also had to shift to a slightly new lifestyle, but that hasn’t gone unnoticed by his players.
“As a whole, we have a lot of respect for him, but I have so much respect for him. I’m not sure if he knows that,” Daigneault said.
“He juggles so much to be here for us; sometimes, he’s not home with his family. I respect all the sacrifices he makes, and it can’t be easy to step up from an assistant to head coach while having a completely different coaching style. He’s a great guy and always has our best interest at heart.”
Photo: Springfield College Athletics