Peter Simonini
Encyclopedia
Peter Simonini was an American soccer goalkeeper
who was the 1983 American Soccer League
MVP. He spent two seasons in the North American Soccer League
, one in the American Soccer League
, one in the United Soccer League
and one in the Major Indoor Soccer League
. He later served as the head coach of the Bentley College
men's soccer team for twenty years.
, playing on the soccer team from 1976 to 1979. He finished his career with a 0.35 goals against average
, a NCAA Division III record. In 1990, Plymouth State inducted Simonini into its Hall of Fame. The New England Tea Men
of the North American Soccer League
drafted Simonini in the first round (third overall) of the 1980 NASL College Draft. He saw time in five games that season. Following the 1980 season, the Tea Men moved to Florida and became the Jacksonville Tea Men
. Following the 1982 season, the Tea Men left the NASL and moved to the second division American Soccer League
. The Tea Men defeated the Pennsylvania Stoners
to win the 1983 championship as Simonini was chosen as the league MVP. The ASL collapsed at the end of the 1983 season and the Tea Men moved to the newly established United Soccer League
. The Dallas Sidekicks
of Major Indoor Soccer League
(MISL) signed Simonini as a free agent on September 14, 1984. He played two games with Dallas before suffering a season ending knee injury in November 1984.
soccer team from 1987 to 2007. He finished his tenure with a 188-167-19 record. Simonini has also served as an assistant coach with the New Hampshire Phantoms
of the USISL. From 1996 to 1999 and again in 2004, Simonini was the goalkeeper coach for the New England Revolution
of Major League Soccer
.
Goalkeeper (football)
In association football, the goalkeeper occupies a position that represents the last line of defence between the opponent's offence and his own team's goal. The primary role of the goalkeeper is to defend his team's goal and prevent the opposition from scoring a goal...
who was the 1983 American Soccer League
American Soccer League
The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...
MVP. He spent two seasons in the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
, one in the American Soccer League
American Soccer League
The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...
, one in the United Soccer League
United Soccer League
The United Soccer League was a professional soccer league in the United States in the mid-1980s.After the demise of the second incarnation of the American Soccer League in 1983, four ASL teams founded the USL...
and one in the Major Indoor Soccer League
Major Soccer League
The Major Indoor Soccer League, known in its final two seasons as the Major Soccer League, was an indoor soccer league in the USA from 1978 to 1992. After the folding of the North American Soccer League in 1984, the MISL was the Division I soccer league for the United States...
. He later served as the head coach of the Bentley College
Bentley College
Bentley University is a private co-educational university in Waltham, Massachusetts, west of Boston. Founded in 1917 as a school of accounting and finance in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, Bentley moved to Waltham in 1968...
men's soccer team for twenty years.
Player
Simonini attended Plymouth State UniversityPlymouth State University
Plymouth State University, formerly Plymouth State College, is a regional comprehensive university located in Plymouth, New Hampshire and part of the University System of New Hampshire....
, playing on the soccer team from 1976 to 1979. He finished his career with a 0.35 goals against average
Goals against average
Goals Against Average is a statistic used in ice hockey, water polo, lacrosse, and soccer that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender....
, a NCAA Division III record. In 1990, Plymouth State inducted Simonini into its Hall of Fame. The New England Tea Men
New England Tea Men
The New England Tea Men were a soccer team based out of Foxboro, MA that played in the NASL from 1978 to 1980. Their home field was Schaefer Stadium....
of the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
drafted Simonini in the first round (third overall) of the 1980 NASL College Draft. He saw time in five games that season. Following the 1980 season, the Tea Men moved to Florida and became the Jacksonville Tea Men
Jacksonville Tea Men
The Jacksonville Tea Men were an American soccer team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. Overall, the Tea Men played a total of four seasons in Jacksonville, first in the major league-level North American Soccer League from 1980–1982, then in the lower level American Soccer League and United...
. Following the 1982 season, the Tea Men left the NASL and moved to the second division American Soccer League
American Soccer League
The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...
. The Tea Men defeated the Pennsylvania Stoners
Pennsylvania Stoners
Pennsylvania Stoners is an American soccer team based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 2007, the team plays in National Premier Soccer League , a national amateur league at the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Eastern Keystone Division.The team plays its home...
to win the 1983 championship as Simonini was chosen as the league MVP. The ASL collapsed at the end of the 1983 season and the Tea Men moved to the newly established United Soccer League
United Soccer League
The United Soccer League was a professional soccer league in the United States in the mid-1980s.After the demise of the second incarnation of the American Soccer League in 1983, four ASL teams founded the USL...
. The Dallas Sidekicks
Dallas Sidekicks
The Dallas Sidekicks were one of the longest operating professional soccer teams, either indoor or outdoor, in the United States, based in Dallas, Texas, and operating from 1984 until suspending operations following the 2004 season. The team was founded as a member of the original Major Indoor...
of Major Indoor Soccer League
Major Soccer League
The Major Indoor Soccer League, known in its final two seasons as the Major Soccer League, was an indoor soccer league in the USA from 1978 to 1992. After the folding of the North American Soccer League in 1984, the MISL was the Division I soccer league for the United States...
(MISL) signed Simonini as a free agent on September 14, 1984. He played two games with Dallas before suffering a season ending knee injury in November 1984.
Coach
Simonini has served as the head coach of the NCAA Division II Bentley CollegeBentley College
Bentley University is a private co-educational university in Waltham, Massachusetts, west of Boston. Founded in 1917 as a school of accounting and finance in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, Bentley moved to Waltham in 1968...
soccer team from 1987 to 2007. He finished his tenure with a 188-167-19 record. Simonini has also served as an assistant coach with the New Hampshire Phantoms
New Hampshire Phantoms
New Hampshire Phantoms is an American soccer team based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States. Founded in 1996, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference.The team plays its home...
of the USISL. From 1996 to 1999 and again in 2004, Simonini was the goalkeeper coach for the New England Revolution
New England Revolution
The New England Revolution is an American professional association football club based in Foxborough, Massachusetts which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada...
of Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
.