Soccer playing days over, she'll suit up as coach

Chiachio, just out of college, gets Medford post

Jessica Chiachio will be inheriting a Medford High squad that went 13-5-1 last season. (JIM DAVIS/GLOBE STAFF)

Jessica Chiachio thought her days on a soccer field were over. A senior captain at Bridgewater State last fall, Chiachio wrapped up a playing career that spanned more than 16 years.

This past week, she returned to the field as the girls' varsity soccer coach at Medford High School.

"I started playing when I was old enough to and played until they kicked me out," said Chiachio. "When I was getting ready to graduate, I knew I wanted to keep playing, but it just didn't work out. A few weeks later, I saw there was an opening for a coaching position and went for it. I didn't think I'd get it because I have no experience coaching, but I got that one person to take a chance on me."

That one person was Medford High athletic director Bobby Maloney, who hired the 22-year-old Stoneham native, over a handful of applicants, after she wowed him with her enthusiasm and vision.

"The girls' soccer program is coming off a great season and we have a great, great youth program," said Maloney. "We wanted someone who could come in with ideas of building the program. Jessica was the perfect fit; she's a young, spirited girl who we hope will be around for the long haul."

Chiachio will be the Mustangs' third coach in the past four seasons, so she understands that stability is a key component. Over the summer, she reached out to her players and chatted about expectations. A year ago, Medford finished second in the Greater Boston League race behind rival Arlington and went 13-5-1 overall under George Scarpelli. The Mustangs return all-conference performers Jen Bove and Meghan Woods.

Although she is carrying around a clipboard and a whistle as a coach for the first time, Chiachio is drawing on her experience as a player: four years at the college level following four years at Stoneham High.

"I learned so much from my college coach," said Chiachio of Andrea O'Connor. "She was the one who said there was just as much satisfaction in coaching than playing. She said that and I realized she was right and looked at coaching a different way. She really pushes you, telling you exactly what you did wrong and right. It was a constant interaction, both ways. I'll try to do that to my team too."

She also points to Stephanie Mason, her former Bridgewater teammate and a Burlington native, as a role model. "She's 4 foot 11 and one year, she was so sick all the time," said Chiachio. "She fought through it and played every game like it was the last one of the season. I'll never forget her drive. I'll always take that with me."

Chiachio was a first-team all-conference player as a junior and a second-team pick as a senior.

"[The hire] was a great thing for Medford's program. Jess is a little girl who worked very hard and was very fast. She's only 5 foot 2 and was never the one to look at the taller opponents and be intimidated," said Mason. "She has a great supportive family so she knows how to be supportive. She can have the coach mentality, but also understand what they're going through because she's close to their age."

A few other new coaches in the area:

Bishop Guertin in Nashua has added 2008 Olympian Joanne Dow as track/cross-country coach, Lauren Graham as girls' volleyball coach, and Paul Sullivan as girls' soccer coach. A three-time US outdoor champion in 20-kilometer race walking, Dow won the Olympic Trials earlier this summer to earn a trip to Beijing.

Jodie MacKenzie takes over as the field hockey coach at Wilmington High, John Vlachos will coach girls' soccer at Milford High, and Mark Demming is a cocoach of the Acton-Boxborough cross-country team.

Sapna Pathak can be reached at sportsgalsp@gmail.com.