Dacey Steps Down As Women's Soccer Coach; Pineault Named Acting Head Coach
BABSON PARK, Mass. -- After guiding her team to 50 wins over the last five seasons, Sarah Dacey has announced that she is stepping down from her position as head coach of the Babson College women's soccer program. In conjunction with this move, Babson Director of Athletics Josh MacArthur announced Tuesday that longtime assistant Nellie Pineault has been promoted to the role of acting head coach for the 2010 season.
Dacey departs Babson after a successful four-year stretch that saw the Beavers go 50-30-17 with a pair of third-place finishes in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference regular season standings. In 2007, she guided her squad to the NEWMAC Championship Game - the program's first finals appearance in 10 years. She has also served as an assistant coach for the Beavers' women's lacrosse team over the last three years, during which time the squad won three straight NEWMAC Championships and advanced to the Sectional Semifinals of the NCAA Tournament each season.
A native of nearby Framingham, Dacey made the difficult decision to leave Babson after accepting a pair of new positions. She will take over as the Girls Director of Coaching for the club FC Greater Boston Bolts while also serving as an assistant for the women's soccer program at Boston College - one of the top 10 Division I teams in the nation.
"I have greatly enjoyed my past five years working at this institution," said Dacey, "And will take away a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience that Babson has provided me. I want to thank the athletics staff, co-coaches, support staff, the student-athletes, and everyone who has supported me over the years. I leave with nothing but fond memories of Babson, which will always hold a special place in my heart."
"I’d like to thank Sarah for her years of passion and commitment to our women’s soccer and lacrosse programs," said MacArthur. "Her teams have had some great success, and she leaves our program on strong footing for the future. I wish her the very best in her future endeavors."
With Dacey's departure comes a welcome opportunity for one of the department's own, as Pineault assumes the first head coaching duty of her 11-year Babson career. One of Babson's most liked and respected individuals, Pineault first came to the College as an administrative assistant in the summer of 1999. Since then, she has worked a variety of roles, including Coordinator of Student and Community Services and Coordinator of Compliance and Special Events. Foremost among her duties has been the role of assistant soccer coach, which she has held since 2004 - a year prior to Dacey's arrival.
"I can’t think of a better candidate to oversee our women’s soccer program than Nellie Pineault," MacArthur says. "In many respects, Nellie has had a six-year interview for this position as our assistant coach. During that time, she has been involved in every single facet of our program, and she is more than qualified to lead the young women in our program."