Greg Bennett said he always wanted to coach his soccer-playing daughter, Quinn, in high school.
Now he will get his chance as the new John Bapst High School girls soccer coach.
His daughter will be a freshman at the Bangor-based school.
Bennett said even though he wanted to coach Quinn, he was unsure if she wanted him to be her coach.
“So when this opportunity arose, I asked her thoughts on it. She wanted me to coach so I threw my hat in the ring and was given the job,” said Bennett, a 42-year-old native of Waldorf, Maryland.
He is replacing Steve Lammert, who guided the Crusaders to a 32-27-4 record in his four seasons including a 3-4 Class B North playoff record.
The Crusaders went 5-9 during the regular season last fall and were seeded 10th for the playoffs. Four of their losses were to Class A and Class B North regional champions Bangor and Ellsworth.
John Bapst upset No. 7 Waterville 4-2 in its preliminary round game before losing to second seed Medomak Valley of Waldoboro 2-0 in the quarterfinals.
Bennett has an extensive coaching background, including a season as the assistant women’s coach as his alma mater, West Virginia Wesleyan College. He has also coached at the recreational and travel soccer levels.
Both Bennett and wife Tracy played soccer at West Virginia Wesleyan. In addition to Quinn, the Bennetts also have a son, Elliott, who is going into fifth grade.
Bennett has been coaching his John Bapst team during summer league play and is enjoying it.
“I’ve been working with the girls in regards to individual development. I want to make sure the kids know what to do with the ball when they get it. Regardless of their skill level, they need to build that confidence,” Bennett said.
He intends to build a team that is resilient and unified.
“My philosophy is we will play together as a team. We will play out of the back and use our goalkeeper when necessary,” said Bennett, who works in the human resources department at Northern Light Health in Bangor. “We will persevere through any challenges.
“We will never give up. They will push through even when they are outside of their comfort zones. You have to do that in life, anyway.”
John Bapst athletic director Dan O’Connell voiced confidence in Bennett.
“Coach Bennett has been a welcome addition to our athletic department,” said O’Connell. “He has a great deal of experience coaching the women’s game at the collegiate, travel and club level and we feel like he will do a great job leading our girls program into a very bright future.”
O’Connell said Bennett was chosen from among several very qualified applicants.
The Crusaders had posted winning records in six of their previous seven seasons prior to last fall including at least nine victories in four of them.
But the Crusaders never advanced beyond the B North quarterfinals.
