Sarah Lawrence College Women’s Soccer – Coach Maurizio Grillo
On today’s episode, I speak with Coach Grillo from the Sarah Lawrence College Women’s Program. We chat about the focus and desire he likes to see in potential recruits. We cover their small school atmosphere and high level academics. Lastly, we discuss how they like to play as a team during games and the passion he likes his players to have. Learn more about Sarah Lawrence Women’s Soccer.
[00:00:00] Hi, everybody. Welcome to discover college soccer today. I’m lucky enough to be joined by coach Grillo from Sarah Lawrence university in New York. Welcome coach Matt. Thank you for having me. How’s everything we’re doing. All right. Doing all right. You know, we’re, we’re, we’re hearing it’s February and, uh, you know, I’m sure you’re, you’re waiting for the weather to warm up so you can get back after it on the field, hopefully sooner, rather than later.
[00:00:26] Right. Yes we are. Yes. All right. Well, Hey, let’s, uh, let’s kick things off and talk a little bit about, um, you know, how you do your recruiting. Uh, so first off, you know, when do you start looking at players? What year in high school. And when do you usually start hearing from players when they’re reaching out to you?
[00:00:46] Uh, as a great question, a great way to start. So as far as when I went, do I start eating from them? I think sometime it, it goes as early as their freshman year on, on, on high school. Wow. Okay. Um, so that’s a little tricky, there are rules and regulation. I’m a division. We are a division three institution.
[00:01:05] So I, you know, there are some limitations in regards to, uh, you know, phone calls. Well, recently we COVID, there has been, you know, zoom calls have been introduced and all of that, but so when. It can be as early as, as, as their freshman year now, is that when I actually start actively recruiting them now? Uh, I usually don’t, um, I usually take those two years to see how the communication develops our approach.
[00:01:33] And then I officially start recruiting intensively probably from their junior year. That makes sense. So how many, um, inbound. Emails from prospective players. Do you get in like maybe a week or a month? Only five a week, a week. Oh, if I have a weak, uh, not let’s, let’s specify out of the five, maybe two to three are direct emails.
[00:02:00] Uh, and then on the, to come from a third party, which I use for recruiting, uh, you know, companies online, online recruiting sites, um, I have relationship ongoing relationships with some of the members. And so they push some athletes who. Are a good match for my school. Um, but I would say probably about five a week.
[00:02:20] Okay. Now what are some of the things you like to see in that first communication you get from a recruit?
[00:02:31] Um, That’s a great, uh, what do I like a purpose, a purpose in the call. I’m okay with I’m okay. With a recruit, not having facts and statistics about my school. Uh I’m okay with that. Right. They talk to a lot of schools and then trying to understand which one is the good fit for them, but I need to see a purpose in email, not just, uh, and I put a plus in the, in the call, right.
[00:02:56] Uh, phone call to be like, oh my God, I talked to a coach. I need to see some, some intellectual desire. Like, do you want to learn about my school? And I’m okay if you don’t know anything about it, but that’s, that’s my, that’s my biggest, that’s my biggest, the biggest thing that I look for some, for a recruit web and a genuine desire to learn about my.
[00:03:17] Okay. Now, do you like to see a highlight videos? You like, if they send you links to full games, like what, what, what do you like to do on that kind of video front and a thing? But the only thing that I let’s let’s take the reverse approach. The only thing I don’t want is a video when they’re winning, Tanzila against the same thing, that that’s the only really video that doesn’t give me any valid.
[00:03:47] It can, if it’s small or larger, I don’t mind. Right. Uh, uh, different teams is a mast different, different approaches, like lose the ball. The back, like I said, the only thing that really has no value to me is, uh, a video against the same team where you are just winning and winning and winning. And clearly doesn’t have any value now on a personal.
[00:04:10] Uh, these might sound a little strange. I really don’t care for the music. It’s not, I don’t need that much. I much rather listen to, you know, to the field noises, to the ambient and like, you know, the communication that the athlete as with other teammates. So that’s my personal thing. There was no music on it, but I get it.
[00:04:29] I get it. Um, all right. Now when you. Uh, when you get to be out and about looking at players, what tournaments do you like to go to? Uh, you know, what, what are kind of some staple places you go to see kids and, and do you, do you, do you check out high school games at all? I do I do. I do high school games. I try to recruit as much as I, as much as I can.
[00:04:52] I’m out as much as they can. I’m lucky enough to work for a, an institution that, that gives me the budget, uh, to be out and recruited. I think that’s a vital piece. It’s a vital key. It’s key for, for the, for the program to continue to grow. Um, so I am often, if we’re not in season, I’m out recruiting so far this year, what I have once.
[00:05:14] I’ve already attended eight events. I’ve got to look three more to go. Couldn’t have, could’ve not done that if it, if the budget wasn’t that right. If that, if my, if my authority directed and not supported, they’re kind of, they’re kind of recruiting. Where do I go? Um, I’m gonna, I’ll be honest. I am Abby. I, we find a lot of success on the west coast.
[00:05:35] Um, Abby, every west coast program. Um, my program it’s, uh, 24 athletes and I will say probably 14, a west coast. Uh, so, um, that’s, that’s what I go. I do a lot of back-to-back San Diego surf cops, uh, Davis Davis showcase. I’m going back in a week. I’m going to Las Vegas for the player showcase. So that’s what, that’s what I find my athletes.
[00:06:03] Okay. Um, locally as well. I don’t want to neglect that. I do a lot of clinics locally and localized schools as well. Well, actually that was perfect segue. My next question. How to, I was going to ask if, do you, how do camps figure in whether they’re your camps or, or other schools camps that you might be coaching at?
[00:06:20] Do you do a lot of camp work? I do. I do because Canberra can come start. Interesting camp. You have. Uh, camps, you have a direct, you have the possibility to directly interacting with the ritual, especially if it’s done on your side, right. Where we’re not, when I’m recruiting, I have to be mindful of English.
[00:06:38] If you’re not a junior yet I can not approach you if I’m in San Diego recruiting. Right. But on my side of Mike and I can do that. And so, um, so camps are important. I try to do as many as I can, whether it’s, whether it’s on my side or whether it’s at, at different schools, you know, friends school, Clearly, you know, I try to go.
[00:06:58] I tried to attend schools where camps at schools, where we’re not directly competing for the same recruit. Um, I usually go to higher division schools. Or like, you know, the elite, exact camps, that kind of stuff. Okay. Um, when it comes to recruiting and you’re looking at players, what’s, what’s your, your, your hierarchy in terms of what you’re looking for in a player, in terms of, on the field stuff, are you looking at their athleticism, their speed, their soccer IQ?
[00:07:30] What’s your, what’s like the top of the list for you? That kind of stands out when you’re recruiting a player. The war, the work rate and the persistence, the work rate, everything. Yeah. Yeah. Sorry. I, I, I can think of it by the immediate answer that comes to my habit is, is the work rate. And then after that, anything, it is my job as a coach itself often forgot that I’d forgotten that a coach.
[00:07:57] It is my role to work with you to help you improve your technical skills. Uh, so I’m not so worried about that aspect of the game. What I, what I need to see is the stuff that I cannot coach to you. So you, your work, great intensity, the communication, all of this stuff. Okay. Um, what about off the field or the non soccer aspects?
[00:08:19] What’s important to you? Uh, when you’re coming into a recruit, talking to her, sorry. A athlete at prosper athlete needs to be as passionate as I am about the. And needs to be, as I’m going to say this word, which I probably probably might not make sense, but an athlete needs to be as much of a nerd as I am the game of soccer comp, send me emails about videos.
[00:08:44] Tell me about, you know, what do you think of the 4, 3, 3 information? Tell me, you know, tell me about stuff that you’ve done with soccer in the weekend. Show me a preview. What are you going to be while I have you do. That’s that’s, that’s what usually gets me the most. It’s a, that’s what I find the most.
[00:09:01] Interesting. Give me a preview of what’s it going to be me coaching you? Like how passionate are you going to be with your teammates? How intense are you going to be about what we do here? Okay. I like that. Um, how do, um, how do transfers or walk ons fit into your recruiting equation?
[00:09:25] Big big, uh, big difference. If I may, uh, transfer do well. Walk on also, well, a transfer, usually I’ve done the research. They’ve picked Sarah Lawrence for particular reason, which is mostly an often related to the education aspect of it. Uh, so they’re not what they’re getting into it. They know what I’ll be demanding of them.
[00:09:45] Walk on. We got a strictly recruiting program out of my last six, five years. I have, I have not been able to retain any walk on, on, on the roster. Um, if, uh, whether it’s for technical research or tactical reason, that just haven’t been that fortunate to find a prospect that was able to immediately plug in.
[00:10:08] And with the rest of the team. I understand now I’m going to go out on a limb here and just say, based on your name and your accent, that there’s a slight chance you’re from Italy. So,
[00:10:22] um, so what about international students? Do, do you have a, an international pipeline? Do you recruit internationally heavy at all? Or is it fairly us specific?
[00:10:34] I do. I do recruit, I don’t recruit internationally, but being a division three institution, there is a big weight which comes with, uh, the inability to provide a list for us with, uh, with, uh, fast-forward financial aid. So all they can get is, uh, uh, given that the medic given that their grades are good, they awfully will receive a merit scholarship, but that says, that will only be a small part of what is a very hefty tuition.
[00:11:02] So, um, do I get international? Yes, I do. Um, but it’s usually, usually because stars align and they, you know, they’re good that clinically tactically and they are able to sustain themselves in. Okay. So last question I have for you on the recruiting front, and then we’ll talk more about the school, but so, you know, you mentioned those merit scholarships and obviously your so athletic, money’s not there.
[00:11:29] What, what is the scholarship situation like for, for a lot of your players? I was salary. Sarah women’s colleges, particularly aggressive with those students who valued education as much as we do. So I am going to say that the vast majority of my athletes ever received a, a scholarship from, from Sarah Lawrence.
[00:11:53] I believe that that it’s also reflected across campus. I think that we are Zaja seventy-five percent of our students receive scholarships. Okay. Great. Well then let’s talk about that. You’ve mentioned a couple of times the, the educational aspect of Sarah, Sarah Lawrence. So besides what I’m going to find a clicking around the website, you know, give me a couple nuggets about the school.
[00:12:16] What is it most known for? What’s something just awesome about, about Sarah Lawrence that I’m probably not going to figure out just by, by checking out the website. It’s an incredible, it’s an incredible institution. It’s a, you know, it’s a small private justice on New York city. Uh, it, the unique approach to education is, well, it’s, it’s, it’s mind blowing to me.
[00:12:36] It’s just, it’s unique. It’s always ahead of the curve ahead of the curve. It’s, it’s a school that as a, we offer areas of concentration. We offer, you know, when you get your degree and not necessarily, it won’t necessarily have a major on it. It’s gonna have an interest in a secondary interest. Uh, Uh, in institutional where let’s say you see at a table, we do a lot of learning class experience with, with, with, with maybe maybe 8, 9, 10 other students.
[00:13:04] Cause that’s the faculty ration, my school 1 9, 1 10. Wow. So, um, it’s a lot of one-on-one interaction. It’s not a lecture hall set up when you’re sitting in the back, waiting for the, you know, the clock thrown down. What are we known? And like I say, definitely, definitely a pioneering approach to education, uh, different, uh, the engagement that I see from our students in campus, the civic engagement, how passionate they are about, about, um, you know, racial equality, gender equality.
[00:13:35] It’s, it’s incredible to see how passionate they are, uh, from facts first school in the nation to have a human genetics. Uh, also the first school to have, uh, a wa a master degree in women’s history program. Um, suddenly you likely won’t find a line at times. Our acceptance rate, uh, medical engineering and law school is as high as 99%, 99, 90 8%.
[00:14:02] Wow. Okay. Interesting. Alright. Well, in terms of a student, you know, they’re, you know, student athletes studying different things and whatnot, but what. How, how do they balance those, uh, academic and athletic commitments at Sarah Lawrence and balance? It goes, they have no choice and they love the game.
[00:14:24] That’s why they balance. Everybody loves to post pictures on Instagram. As I call I’m traveling with my team on the bus, what they don’t show you that they have a laptop on their laps and they’re doing. Um, that’s it. They do, they do it because, because they have no choice. They love the game and they love the school.
[00:14:41] Uh, but something has to give and what, and you have to, they, as a prospect, you have to learn how to manage your schedule from the beginning. Um, understand that you need to every single day, you need to include a day some, a few hours to rest a few hours to, to engage with your friends and then study because.
[00:15:03] It’s just the only way that you can do it. You know, when you, when you, when you’re done at 7:00 AM and we’re done with practicing 9:00 AM, I’m going to ask you to go to class and push just as art after class, you might have to come back and do videos with me or strength and conditioning, where everybody else is going to the dorm to catch up and eat.
[00:15:21] So, uh, like I said, it’s just difficult, but you get it done because. So coach what, you know, in terms of support systems, does the college offer, uh, students, whether that be academic support or, uh, you know, it could be physical health conditioning, uh, mental health, any of those kinds of things. What, what does your school offer to help students as they progress through their studies?
[00:15:49] It’s pretty. So it’s actually pretty, uh, it’s pretty broad and it’s, uh, it’s a unique, uh, what do I mean by that? So set on Lawrence as, uh, as a school offers a. A particular figure on campus, we’ll call them the Dawn. The Dawn is referred as the dawning system. The Dawn is a personal advisor that each or each of our students gets.
[00:16:12] So, um, you have to have meetings with your Dawn on a weekly basis, do researchers and all of that. So each one of our, of our athletes and each one of our students also, non-athletes asked to meet with their advisor every week. And that’s how we check the progress on their, you know, of the. You know of that education is Sarah Lawrence.
[00:16:33] In addition to that, then of course, we try to do study hall group study halls. And you know, whether it’s, whether it’s with a team or what himself, um, paired it up, as you mentioned, uh, it is critical for all the students to have the right support. So we often invite them to be up to date with all the resources.
[00:16:52] They can find them on mental health, proper eating, proper sleeping. That’s just critical. They can be, it can not be successful. As a college athletes, unless you’re eating, sleeping properly. So we, that is in addition, uh, the Dawn is in addition to everything else. Wow. Okay. That’s great. So what would a typical, let’s go through a typical day during the season for both a non game day and a game day?
[00:17:17] What, what does that, what does that look like from, from waking up to going to bed? Yeah. Uh, wake up at 6:00 AM. Uh, If you are in preseason is just liking the movies. Uh, this coach is crazy. Uh, why are we running this March high spats? What is the food? That kind of stuff. So let’s go, let’s go. Once season kicks in and we have a game, um, if we don’t have a game, let’s go, let’s start with the no game where we wake up.
[00:17:45] Let’s say 6:00 AM we’re practice. We go to the field together, practice, usually seven to. Uh, after that, uh, you go to class as mentioned before, uh, I’m going to ask you to push just as much as you did in the class. You get out of class. Uh, usually on 3:00 PM, grab a bite on the way here. We probably have to do videos.
[00:18:06] If we have a game coming up. We’ll do video analysis with the team. If not, we’ll work on individual performance, uh, some might have to go see the trainer. Some might have to do just technical work, some additional strategy conditioning if they want with our strength coach. Uh, sometimes not often.
[00:18:27] Sometimes we do have double sessions, but mostly like endorsed. At this point, you’re probably around 6:00 PM. You get to find out a goal. All of your friends are out and about, you got to catch up with your homework, uh, without a game with a game. Usually we, you know, after class we meet, uh, we just prepare for the game.
[00:18:47] When, you know, we just have a room where we sit and we get ready and, you know, music and all of that stuff. And then we jump on the bus on the bus and we go. So how FA speaking of buses, how far do you guys usually travel for games? What’s your kind of your, your standard game distance traveled in that kind of thing.
[00:19:07] Tri-state but Evie evilly relying on the academic requirements of several arts. So I, uh, I need to have those athletes back on campus before. Before 11:00 PM before midnight or otherwise, the following day, I have to give him a day off. Uh, there is absolutely no way for them to miss classes or anything like that.
[00:19:27] So, so sometimes, you know, sometimes it’s funny cause we, we might be playing a game in, in, in New York state, but it’s all the way at the end of long island. And we won’t be back on deal, you know, late, late at night. So, um, most of the games, you know, in the Connecticut New Jersey, uh, sometimes Pennsylvania 15 wage, if it’s an older game, Okay.
[00:19:50] Um, well, let’s talk about your team then. You know, we were talking about game days here, so. If I’m an incoming freshmen, you know how much, you know, how much might I play? Am I going to be waiting behind some upperclassmen? Am I fighting for a spot? Do you guys, you said earlier, you only carry 24. So I’m guessing there’s no sort of like reserve team or anything at Sarah Lawrence?
[00:20:12] No, it’s, uh, recruited only, it’s a recruited only, uh, program. So, uh, you come in, you’re expected to play. You’re expected to play. This is a fresh. I have a very strange approach. I give a very strange approach to my program. I don’t see why w recruit someone from California and then see them on the bench just because their first year.
[00:20:33] Right. Uh, so we tell them, go ahead. And actually we asked our freshmen to play most of the games, and then we tell our seniors, go in with leadership, finish the game, take the, take the victory on, uh, sort of like a baseball finisher for say, As long as everybody’s on the same page. I usually, when, whenever I have problems about playing time or not, so every game is different.
[00:20:58] Some sometimes you play more. Sometimes we just play less. But our first year players are asked to jumping action right away. How big is your soccer staff?
[00:21:12] Coach assistant coach goalkeeper coach, and the strength and conditioning, which doesn’t come with the team, but you stays here in door and loaned to your coach per se. So it’s about three, four. So what roles? So each of those coaches play on a, on a regular basis. Uh, we divide the sessions with each session is divided.
[00:21:32] I. Direct, we all actively play a part on each other’s role, but I am really not a fan of technical work. So I’m always uploading that to the coach. I like to be the one that has to the, you know, the magic tactics, you know, that kind of stuff. Uh, so that’s what that’s, that’s me. I just jumped in and at the end and I do the tactical work, uh, you know, my assistant coach Daniella.
[00:21:56] She does all that. Then yeah, let him Delores did the goalkeeper coach and they do the technical work with the team, but often enough they just, they might just run out and then target practice. Well, you mentioned tactics, so, so how would you describe your, your style of coaching and your team’s style of play?
[00:22:16] Did you, did you have to ask this question, inquiring minds want to know coach, right? So let’s put it this way. I have a, we as a program, I have a very healthy desire for competition. Very held. We play, we are very much playing with F we want to represent the school the best we can. We’re very. Thinking about the result, right?
[00:22:39] For us winning is important because it represents the school and all of that. And we want to have pride. So five minutes left in the game, I’m winning ones. You know, I’m going to put template in front of the goalie and I just get into that. Fair enough. Fair enough. But especially if it was a big game, if actually, if it was a big way, if not, it’s a very, it’s a very imposing style of soccer.
[00:23:00] We play. We fall in the back. The rest can be. Uh, very vertical. I’m not a fan of the switch, the field. Okay. You can do that all game, but if you don’t score, so it’s more like for me, it’s my break. The line. I could penetrate the lines, you know, turn, receive, check your shoulders and go the opposite way.
[00:23:21] That’s very, session-based soccer, very offensive line. No, I like it. I like it. So, you know, we’re, we’re talking it’s February. What, what does that off-season program look like? They are, they are back. I won’t be allowed. I’ll follow the rules and regulation imposed by NCAA. I won’t be back until March 1st for spring season, but right now the team is doing captains workouts.
[00:23:50] They are organized on their own, um, whether it’s strength and conditioning or whether it is. Just it pick up games in the gym. Uh, uh, so they are, they are back there getting ready for spring season. I will be back on spring season on March 1st when the official with the non-traditional spring season.
[00:24:09] Okay. Um, well, it’s been. Talking to you. I’ve got, this is the last question and I, and I kind of give this as the, as the catchall. Um, what else would you like, uh, prospects, recruits, families to know about your school, your team, that, that maybe we haven’t covered yet so far.
[00:24:32] Okay. The, I, I, I don’t want him to follow any standards. I don’t want my recruits to follow any standards. B B.
[00:24:44] He intrigued about the process, be ask questions, don’t make yourself vulnerable, ask the silly questions. Like, do we take a, you know, show me the crime? Do we take them in a big buses and that kind of stuff or anything that shows me that you really want to leave the whole college athlete life? So be like, you know, like I said, be intrigued by the process, show me passion and pride and.
[00:25:08] That’s I don’t, I don’t want my athletes to follow the, you know, a set number of questions, uh, recruits to ask me the same questions. How many players, how many times I’m going to games? Well, you know, coach that’s, hopefully, hopefully they’ve, they’ve watched this interview and they don’t have to ask those questions because we answered them here.
[00:25:23] Right. Of course, of course. Thank you, Matt, for the opportunity. No, thank you, coach. I really appreciate it. Best of luck this season and, uh, and we’ll keep track and see how you guys do. All right. Thank you. Thank you.
