Northern Essex Community College Men’s Soccer – Coach Eusebio Marote

On today’s episode, I speak with Coach Eusebio Marote from the Northern Essex Community College Men’s Soccer program in Haverhill, Massachusetts. We discuss how Coach Marote is building a successful NJCAA Division III program by recruiting local talent, expanding through ID camps and social media, and preparing for the addition of student housing. He shares what he looks for in recruits, emphasizing leadership, character, and a team-first mentality before technical ability. Lastly, we talk about the academic support, affordable opportunities, and player development at Northern Essex, along with how the program helps student-athletes move on to four-year colleges after their time with the Knights. Learn more about Northern Essex Community College Men’s Soccer.

Matt: [00:00:00] Hi, everybody. Welcome to Discover College Soccer. Today, I’m lucky enough to be joined by Coach Marote at Northern Essex up in Massachusetts. Welcome, Coach 

Coach: Thank you 

Matt: Yeah, thanks for being 

Coach: here. 

Matt: I appreciate it. Yeah, thanks for being here. Looking at the map, man, you can’t be more northeast Massachusetts, can you?

Coach: Yeah, pretty much border of New Hampshire, so… 

Matt: Yeah, nice. All right. Well, uh, but probably some really good seafood up there, I’m guessing. 

Coach: Oh, yeah. 

Matt: Yeah. 

Coach: Well- Not that far from Maine either, so… 

Matt: Yeah. I’m, I’m, uh- I got, I got, I gotta get up there for a visit. Lord knows it’s too damn hot- Yeah … here in Florida right now, so.

Coach: Yeah. 

Matt: Um, well, appreciate you jumping on. So y- you guys are, uh, you know, junior college up, up there, Division III, if I’m not mistaken, uh- Yes … so in terms of, you know, just, just being where you’re at, right? Northeast Mass, Division III junior college. It’s July 9th, your season’s gonna be starting here in about a month or so.

Like, [00:01:00] are you still- Yeah … trying to grab a few more players for this fall, or are you locked and loaded? Like, I, I know junior- Yeah … college folks, it’s all over the map sometimes. 

Coach: Yeah, so right now, um, I was actually looking at my sheet earlier, and it’s about 24 guys locked in so far, but I can have up to 33.

So, um, I do have about seven, eight guys that are on the cusp, you know, I’m still kind of feeling them out, see if they’d be a good fit for our program. And I always like to save a few spots for randoms that show up. I always get a kid that I didn’t know about that comes to tryouts that’s a very good player.

We’ve had one of those each year. So, um, little bit of wiggle room at the moment, so if there’s any, uh, interested players, it’s definitely can still look at them at this moment. 

Matt: So then assume… W- let’s just say maybe you, you’ll, you’ll get one or two more just as time goes on, and then we got the season that’s happening, uh, in the fall, kind of what is your recruiting [00:02:00] schedule then for the next year?

‘Cause, you know, as a JUCO, you gotta recruit twice as much as everybody else, right? 

Coach: Yeah, so normally during my… The way since at this moment, we at Northern Essex, we don’t offer dorming, so I do have to rely fully on, um, the local talent, or at least I give myself about an hour wiggle room, you know, ’cause obviously even an hour commute for some of these kids can be tough everyday trainings.

But, uh, I have had kids do it for me. Uh, last season we had about five, six kids do it, a few kids from Boston area, um, w- uh, South Shore area as well, a few in New Hampshire as well. We’ve gotten Manchester, some Nashua, New Hampshire, um, players on our roster before. So, um, but mainly at this moment, we are in the process of getting, um, housing down the street at Merrimack College.

I think they’re trying to make some sort of, uh, agreement together so that they can offer that to the students here. Um, but I do go to a lot of high school games in, uh, the area, especially Merrimack Valley [00:03:00] Conference is, which is around here, like Haverhill, Lawrence, Lowell, you know, a bunch of schools that are about 20 minutes away.

Good talent, you know, very good players, um- So I go to high school games, and if there’s a player that’s a junior, I do my best to then communicate with them and say, “You know, here’s con- here’s your contact information, and we can follow up, um, for the 2027 season.” Um, that’s one way. And then obviously a bunch of emails I get from recruiting agencies, the player themselves, um, and also Instagram has been huge for us as well.

We’re almost at, uh, 2,000 followers within the last three years. So, um, it’s, Instagram has been very helpful as well, finding a few, um, ’26s and ’27s. 

Matt: Oh, well that’s fantastic. Well- Yeah … in, you know, a lot of times I’m sure, uh, you know, a lot of junior colleges look to, to internationals, but without any housing I’m guessing that’s a little bit tough for you guys to go that route.

Coach: Yeah. Well, any [00:04:00] internationals that we had, kind of been lucky. It’s, it’s either they have family here and then they ended up moving, or they’ve lived here maybe for a couple years, but they’re originally from another country. Um, that’s normally our international status players right now. But, um, like I said, we do have that thing going on at Merrimack College, which I hopefully can find out more information too about two weeks.

Now obviously I have spoken with a few internationals currently to see if we can, uh, get them over, over here, you know? 

Matt: Yeah. 

Coach: So. 

Matt: Well- What about, uh, ID camps and, and things like that? Do you guys run your own? Do you or your staff work external camps to help with recruiting? 

Coach: Yeah, so, um, the thing is with the ID camp, we actually just had our first one this past spring, and, um, since I’ve been here in the program.

So since we are fairly new, it’s only been a seven-year program, if you minus COVID, there’s only six seasons. Um, I’ve been here the head coach since. They had- didn’t have soccer for the [00:05:00] school here for 30-plus years before I came, be- before they re- revived it, and I was hired, um, back in 2019. So since then, it was kind of having to build the program from the ground up.

Uh, for my first season, just having enough players to roster, ’cause I got hired a little late to try to recruit. Um, then the following season, each year it got better and better, making the playoffs, uh, quarterfinal, semifinals, and then the last three seasons we’ve made it to the Region 21 finals, uh, in a row.

We’ve been lucky enough to win back-to-back championships for Region 21. So, um, obviously, since we have more attention, people know us more, and people, more students wanna come. Before it was so tough, I would only have, like, two guys at the ID camp, you know? It wouldn’t have been, uh, efficient for us to really do it.

But now, since the word’s out there, a lot, all the local schools, um, know about us more now, and get kids from all over, um, that wanna come here, and we were successful last time. It was 20, I think we had 25 players at our last ID camp, [00:06:00] so, um, that was great. 

Matt: Yeah, no, that’s great. Well, whether it’s a high school game, an ID camp, a club tournament, whatever it may be, kind of what makes up that hierarchy of things you’re looking for in a player both on and off the field?

Coach: Yeah. So, uh, if you look at a few of the committed players we have for this ’26 season, you’ll notice that a lot of those players were captains on their previous teams. Um, I do look for leadership, um, pr- prior more than anything. You know, how you portray yourself on the pitch. Are you a good teammate, and do you communicate well?

Um, ’cause the end of the day, obviously, it’s a team effort, and, um, I fou- I found very… a lot of, a lot of success getting players that are leaders here, um, that play for the team and not just for themselves. So I think the way you portray yourself on the pitch is very important. If you made a mistake, what, what are you gonna do?

Are you going to just stand there, you know, and not recover, or are you gonna try to win the ball back? Are you gonna be positive? Are you just gonna put your hands up and then look [00:07:00] at the ground and then, and just be not in the play anymore, or, or you gonna fight back and, and try to get the ball back?

It’s just, uh, one of my first steps on finding a player that’s gonna be good for our program here. And then after that, obviously, you want someone that’s good on the ball, technical, um, can keep the ball, passes well. Uh, everything else kind of just funnels underneath it. But the, the first thing is definitely kind of person that, that, that, that player is.

Matt: Okay. Well, let’s talk a little bit more, uh, about the school. Um, you’ve, you’ve been there a, a good number of years at this point, so, uh, what are some of the things that you like about the school? Some great things, maybe some things we wouldn’t even know about going through the website. 

Coach: Yeah. So, um, I actually went to a small school when I was in college.

I went to Daniel Webster College. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with them or not, but they’re in Na- they were in Nashua, New Hampshire. They’re not at the school anymore. Um, but I liked it because it’s a small campus and small classrooms. You can really, [00:08:00] you know, build a relationship with your professor here, and it’s not like you’re in a classroom with 60 kids and you, you know, you don’t really get that one-on-one experience.

It’s, uh… I think that helps a lot for the student athletes we get here. Um, we do have a lot of help for them as well. We have academic coaches here, which are- aren’t necessarily tutors, but, um, people who guide the young adults to manage their time, um, at, in college. You know, you can… It’s not the same as high school.

You’re there for, whatever, seven, eight hours straight, and then you go home. Here, it’s you can go for cla- you can have classes two in one day, or you can have no classes on one day. It’s like, what are you gonna do with that time? Are you gonna try to catch up on your homework? Are you gonna try to, you know, maybe study and things like that?

So I think the school does a very good job here, having people guide these young athletes to be successful, uh, academically and, uh, athletically, so, I… ’cause, you know, the, the, the student that we [00:09:00] do normally get, um, obviously they’re… they may have not been the best student in high school. Normally, they, they would need to come here for a couple years and then get their academics up to then transfer to a four-year school.

So I think with us, having that a- a- accessible to them is very important. And then also, if you are a Mass resident, you could qualify for free college here, so free tuition, um, as a Mass resident. And then you can also qualify for MASFA if you’ve lived in Massachusetts for a certain amount of years, and I believe it’s three years of Massachusetts high school to qualify for that to get financial aid help as well.

So I think the cost is obviously very important to, to the student athletes we have here. Um, and then also the academic part and the academic support that they receive here at Northern Essex I think is phenomenal. 

Matt: Yeah, it sounds like it. Well, let’s fast-forward here to, say, October, right? Y- you’re just in the heart of that season.

W- walk me [00:10:00] through, what does a typical week look like for a player in terms of when are you practicing, when are their classes, meals, game cadence, all that kind of thing? 

Coach: Yeah. So when I came in here, I wanted to make this as a, much of a four-year program as much as possible, uh, kind of mimic what I went through as a s- student athlete, um, because I felt like it was very important for, for me to experience that in life.

It made me who I am today. Very grateful for that experience, so I wanted to do the same with these student athletes. And it’s practice every day, you know. Practice every day. Sundays are days off. Occasionally, maybe we do film on Sunday, something light. But normally Sunday’s off and games are on Tuesdays, Saturdays, sometimes a game on a Thursday.

So Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, no more than three games in the week. No more than two. And, um, practice every day after that. You know, obviously some days are we prep the game, the day before a game is more of kinda, you know, working on a little bit of tactical stuff, something light. Don’t do [00:11:00] and go crazy.

And then, uh, you know, day, like either Wednesday or Thursday could be a little bit competitive. You know, small sided, uh, kind of bread and butter type of deal. I’m not sure if you exactly know what that is, but like three teams of seven and kind of rotate the first of two goals. Um, keep the intensity high at training.

It’s just like a game. And, um, we do also meet once a week, uh, as a t- as a team for study hour. Um, everyone does their homework together. Um, and then a lot of the time the guys kind of really do their own thing here in the lobby. They’ll meet a couple hours before the game. We have foosball, pool tables, play some music, um, hang out before the game as well.

So, uh, and then the after they like to go a couple restaurants with each other or they go to the gas station and kinda all hang out together, um, as well. But, um, yeah, and then film. On any time we try to prepare for a team, get as much information as we can, we either film on [00:12:00] ourselves or film on the opponent team, and we’ll schedule that in as well throughout the week 

Matt: Okay, awesome.

Well, let’s talk a little bit more about the team. I know you, you kind of told us about your roster size, uh, but, but who else is on that roster besides you and the players? What, what, are there assistant coaches, support staff? Who else is helping out with the team? 

Coach: Yeah, so, um, uh, I, I obviously give a lot of credit to our athletic director here.

Um, he takes things very seriously. He, he’s a winner, he wants to win, and I’m very competitive myself. I like to win as well. Um, that’s the first thing that’s driven us to be this good. And then, um, we have… I have two assistant coaches, technically. I do have a few student, um, volunteer coaches, but two coaches.

I have an assistant, and then I’ll have a goalkeeper coach. And then, um, a student ath- stu- student assistant that will do our Instagram and also help out with the team. [00:13:00] And then we do have a ge- like a manager, like equipment manager who takes care of the balls or pumps or the cones are brought out and pennies are washed and stuff like that.

So it’s a big staff, you know. So you got two assis- three assistants, a manager, myself, and then obviously the athletic director that helps you in helping as much as you can as well. 

Matt: Okay. Um, well, what about you? Talk to us about your coaching style and, and how you look to play there. 

Coach: Yeah, so I like to keep the ball as much as we can, um, and also put pressure on the opposing team’s half.

Um, keep the ball as high up the pitch as possible. Um, and then obviously create chances as much as we can. Um, when it’s the… When we are in a defensive end, it’s a little bit more strict for my, for me. I have a little more high standards, um, for defending. Um, I like everyone in behind the ball, especially if it’s so on so-called a team we’re playing that’s supposed [00:14:00] to be favorited more than us, and maybe will have the pos- ball more than us.

But, um, luckily enough, we are more on the other end of keeping the ball and taking it to the teams themselves. But, um, yeah, uh, defensively, we stay tight. You know, we f- play in a 4-2-3-1, um, formation, so I like to have numbers in the midfield. Um, and then like I said, wingers, I also have them help out a lot in defending, um, coming back, ’cause I expect a lot from them.

If you’re a winger, sorry, you probably don’t like me as a coach, but it, it is what it is. But, uh, then offensively, I, I give the creativity to the players. You know, I, I want someone to take a player one v. one if there’s space in behind, you know. I want them to be creative. I don’t wanna be… I never, and, and the end of the day, I never wanna be like I’m managing, like, puppets or anything.

I always want my players to be confident in themselves, ’cause I found that that’s very key. Um, and once you [00:15:00] get the best out of… The way you get the best out of the player is if they wanna play for you, and then if they are confident that you believe in them to make the right decisions for the team to be successful.

So offensively, go ahead. If you wanna score a bicycle off a corner kick, that’s my, that’s fine by me. If you wanna take a guy on one v. one, try to rainbow him on their half, and let’s go, you know? So confidence is key for me. I think that’s the best way to get the best out of a player. 

Matt: Yeah, I love that.

Well, speaking of players, you know, a lot of times folks try to go on to a four-year university after playing for a two-year junior college. So h- how has that been for your players? What successes have your guys seen moving on after, uh, playing for you all? 

Coach: Yeah, so, uh, fortunately enough, obviously, uh, being a former college player, I’ve met a lot of coaches previously, and then obviously throughout the years I’ve had some very good players [00:16:00] that coaches will email me and inquire about, which then I just stay in contact with them between NAIA, um, NCAA Division I, II, and III.

You know, I have a few guy- a few connections in all divisions, and my best I can do is from the players is say, “Hey, I can get your foot into the door with this team,” and from there it’s kinda on them to communicate with the coaches, or I can get them to an ID camp. Um, I can invite their coaches to come to our games, which a lot of s- the coaches actually do, um, which is great.

You know, we’ve had a couple players this year… I mean, from last year mo- uh, move on. I think it was four. I think two f- two players went to play at W- are gonna go play at Westfield State. Uh, one player is going to Salem State. Uh, other player’s going to Viterbo, I believe that’s how you say it, in Wisconsin, NAIA school.

He’s got a scholarship, um, to go academically and s- athletically there. Um, so and then the previous one before that, we had a [00:17:00] player that was dual sport, soccer and basketball, that ended up going to Nelson University in Texas. So the, the opportunity is here. You know, we do film all our games on Hudl, so that’s very good for the players.

It’s very high quality film. And, um, I think that’s what’s really helps them to move on. I, like I said, I’ll do my best for them, ’cause that’s kinda like… A lot of the kids who come here, they do tell me, like, “Hey, this is my ambition. I wanna play here for a year or two, and then I’ll go to a four year. How can you help me?”

And I just kinda show them my contact list about all the coaches that I know, and I have a template as well, a sheet of all the schools that I know someone there, either whether it be a athletic director or assistant coach, head coach, or anything like that. So the opportunity’s there. It’s, it’s as if they wanna take it.

Matt: Awesome. Awesome. Well, Coach, I really appreciate all the info you’ve given us. Gonna give you one last question, and that is if you had one piece of advice, you know, for anybody going through this college recruiting process, uh, what would that be? [00:18:00] 

Coach: I would say there’s always a home for every single athlete, in my opinion, um, as long as they’re hardworking and determined to, to play at the college level.

Um, I think a lot of kids nowadays, it’s unfortunate, I feel like they don’t know much about this process, kind of how you explained in your introduction video, um, on the p- on your page. Um, I think they feel a little bit underwhelmed if they’re not getting for– if they’re not getting recruited by a D1 or D2 school, but I, I think D3 and JUCO is a perfect fit, um, for a lot of these kids.

Just because you start there doesn’t mean that you have to end there. There’s plenty of examples, even in this, uh, World Cup, you know, Bombito starting at, uh, for the– plays for Canada, so played in the JUCO, um, and then played at D1, and now he’s playing in the first division, I think, in France or something.

He’s playing professionally. So everyone has their own path, and what my advice would be is, “Hey, don’t put– don’t be down. Whatever opportunity you get, if there’s a D3 coach pursuing you, give them the, the light [00:19:00] of day. Um, hear them out. You never know if that could be a good place for you.” Um, because I truly believe, uh, everything happens for a reason and, um, you know, I think it could all work out as long as you have the right mindset.

So always be open to whoever contacts you, even if it is, uh, a JUCO or a D3, because that, that’s, that’s the– that’s better than most of these kids. You know what I mean? A lot of these kids don’t even go and play college soccer, so I forget what percent it is, but, I mean, you’ve made it at that point. So I think that’s what, uh, my advice would be.

Matt: Yeah. Couldn’t agree more. Well, Coach- Mm-hmm … really appreciate it. Wish you the best of luck, uh, this fall. Hopefully, you can make it o- one step further and be hanging a national championship banner here soon. 

Coach: I hope so. That’s the goal. But I appreciate you having me here. It means a lot and, uh, we’ll definitely stay in touch.

Matt: All right. Sounds good. Take care. 

Coach: Uh-huh. Thanks. 

Matt: Yep.