Merrimack College

North Andover, MA 01845

Massachusetts Northeast

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Coaches

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Gabe Mejail

Recognized as one of the most successful coaches in NCAA women's soccer history, Gabe Mejaíl takes on his 40th season at the helm of the Merrimack College women's soccer program in 2023.

The only head coach that the program has ever known, Mejaíl has enjoyed a long and decorated career – now in his fourth decade with the Warriors – and has guided the program from its inception in 1984 into the perennial regional and national contender that it is today.

The MIT graduate has led the program over all 39 seasons of existence and boasts an all-time coaching record of 507-264-65, including a 473-241-58 all-time mark at Merrimack.

Mejaíl’s milestones are plentiful, but the most notable include his being the winningest active coach (total victories) in NCAA Division II women's soccer, as well as ranking fourth in all NCAA division active coaches, and 2nd all-time in number of seasons coached (all Divisions) behind Anson Dorrance of UNC.

An orchestrator of one of the most consistent programs across the country, Mejaíl has led the Warriors to eight Northeast-10 Conference regular season championships, six NE10 Tournament titles, two ECAC titles and 11 trips to the NCAA Tournament – including an appearance in the Elite Eight in 1996. The Warriors have also excelled in the academic front, receiving the USC (United Soccer Coaches) Academic Award 17 consecutive seasons, and they received the NE10 Team Academic Excellence Award by having the highest team GPA (3.7) of any team in the conference.

Mejaíl recorded his 500th career victory as a head coach on Sept. 21, 2022, as the Warriors downed Vermont 3-1 in North Andover. On Oct. 1, 2011, Warrior Field was renamed Martone-Mejaíl Field, honoring Mejaíl and long-time coaching colleague Tony Martone, the head coach of the Merrimack College men's soccer team.

Merrimack finished the 2022 season in 2nd place in the NEC with a 6-2-1 record and a winning record for the 36th time in the 39 years of program history. Mejaíl coached five Warriors, Abby Cieri ’24, Ella Cormier ’25, Molly Murnane ’23, Hallie Shiers ’23, and Erin Tyldesley ’23 to All-NEC honors. Cieri was recognized as well as NEC Scholar Athlete of the Year.

In 2017 Merrimack qualified for the Northeast-10 playoffs in dramatic fashion by winning 5 of their last 6 games. Along the way, Mejaíl led the team to wins over two top-10 nationally ranked teams, #7 LIU Post in September, while also knocking off #6 Adelphi, the #1 NE10 seed in the first round of the playoffs, thus advancing to the NE10 Semifinals for a record 26 times.

Mejaíl has overseen the development of 97 all-conference performers, and 26 of his players have earned All-America honors including (class): Danielle Dion '14, Jessica Peacock '12, Gabrielle Gramprey '10, Caitlin Hall '09, Heather Macedo '08, Hillary McGarr '08, Shannon Rowan ’08, Lindsay Sheffield '06, Laurie Lamoureux '05, Patty Cronin '03, Rachel McCarthy '02, Alison Skoglund '02, Annmarie Yutkins '02, Lisa Jensen '00, Sue Cookson '00, Kim Hall ’98, Jen Kusz '97, Danielle Ouellette '97, Kathryn Barkman '96, Jessica Lanzo '96, Nancy Daly '95, Bethann O'Leary '91, Beth Licopoli '90, Sue Plante '90, Janice Carter ’89, and Michelle Muise '88.

The Warriors' play within the NE10 has been nothing short of dominant, as Merrimack stood at 267-99-31 (.712) in league play since 1985. Over that same time, Mejaíl has coached his club to six Northeast-10 tournament titles, eight Northeast-10 regular season crowns, 11 appearances in the ECAC tournament – including the 1988 and 2000 championships – and 11 appearances in the NCAA Tournament.

Along with the victories and championships have come the coaching accolades for Mejaíl. He was named the Northeast-10 Coach of the Year on eight occasions: 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1993, 1996, 2003 and 2008. In addition, he was named the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Regional and New England Women's Intercollegiate Soccer Association (NEWISA) Coach of the Year in 1986, 1989, 1993, 1996, 2002 and 2003 and the National Collegiate Coach of the Year in 1996. Mejaíl also received NEWISA's Service Award in 1992. In this past 2022 season he received the NEC Coach of the Year award as well. Mejaíl started his coaching career at Wheaton College, coaching there from 1979 to 1982.

Born and raised in Argentina, Mejaíl moved to the United States in 1967, gaining citizenship in 1974. He studied Urban Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) and earned his degree in 1978. He earned his master's degree in education from Harvard University in 1989 and now teaches at Buckingham Browne and Nichols School in Cambridge, Mass.

Mejaíl resides in Medford, Mass. His twin sons Matthew and Jonathan are in college, Matthew attends UMass Amherst and Jonathan attends Merrimack and is a member of the Track & Field team, while his daughter Emily is also a recent graduate of Merrimack College.

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Paul Athanasiadis

Paul Athanasiadis enters his 23rd season as the Women's Soccer Associate Head Coach in 2023.

He joined the Warrior soccer program in 2001 following nine years as head coach at Marian High School. During his tenure at Marian, Athanasiadis guided the school to a 135-38-18 record and captured the 1999 Massachusetts State Championship; as a result, he was named Coach of the Year by the Boston Globe, the Eastern Massachusetts Coaches Association, and the Metro West Daily News.

Athanasiadis is a former Massachusetts Youth Olympic Development Program state team coach and served as an assistant with the Boston Storm semi-professional team from 1994-95. He also led the Massachusetts Amateur State team to a regional championship in 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 and a National Championship in 2001.

Athanasiadis resides in Lexington, Mass., with his wife, Danielle ‘97, and their four children – Emily, George, Nadia and Aidan. George is currently a member of the Merrimack Baseball team. Paul is currently an executive in Somerset Industries in Lowell, Mass.

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Rich Perry

Rich Perry begins his 17th season as an assistant coach with the Merrimack College women’s soccer staff in the fall of 2023.

Prior to his arrival at Merrimack in 2007, Perry spent six years as an assistant soccer coach at Littleton High School and also served as an assistant coach for the Massachusetts State Select Team in 2006 and 2007.

Perry began his coaching career as a volunteer at his alma mater, Dickinson College, in 1993, while also volunteering his time at the local YMCA, both as a coach and league administrator. He coached the junior high school girls’ soccer team in Bedford in 1993 and the boys in 1994, and later assisted with the varsity team in 1995.

Perry returned to Littleton and coached from 1996-98 before moving onto Lasell College in 1999, where he served as an assistant in 1999 and 2000.

Perry resides in Woburn, Mass. with his wife Marjorie, and is currently a system administrator at NaviSite Corporation in Andover, Mass.

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Tony Martone

One of the most successful coaches in NCAA men's soccer history, Tony Martone begins his landmark 42nd season at Merrimack College in the fall of 2023.

Martone's overall record now stands at 421-296-61 (.580), earning his milestone 400th victory against Central Connecticut on Oct. 27, 2019. Martone is the 50th men's soccer coach across all three divisions to accomplish the benchmark.

The Warriors competed an abridged 2020 season in the spring of 2021 due to COVID-19. Despite competing in six contests, Merrimack had five student-athletes represented on all-conference teams. Junior defender Stefano Pesenti earned All-Conference First Team nods, as Frantz Pierrot, Alessandro Negri and Henry Osei represented on the Second Team, with Dylan Barreira honored on the All-Rookie team.

Martone led the Warriors into their first year in Division I to a record-breaking season in the Northeast Conference (NEC). Merrimack finished with a record of 11-3-2 overall, earning wins against Northeastern and Boston University and draws against Boston College and Harvard. The squad went on to go 9-0-0 in conference play.

Merrimack's coaching staff was honored with the NEC's Coaching Staff of the Year for their outstanding inaugural season. The Warriors continued to bring home honors in 2019, as Tola Showunmi, Marc Torrellas, Lucas Rezende and Mirko Nufi all named to the All-Conference First Team. Nufi was honored as the conference's Defensive Player of the Year as well as the NEC's Fall Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year, United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-Region and Scholar All-American. That same offseason, senior Aasmund Joedahl was honored as a College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District Selection.

In 2018, the Warriors concluded its final season as a Division II program with a 13-6 overall record. Entering the league tournament as the four seed, the Warriors were able to host both the quarterfinal and semifinal round, winning both contests, before falling in the NE10 Championship to Adelphi, 2-0.

During the 2017 season, the team captured the NE10 Tournament Championship, defeating Bentley on November 5th in overtime. The team tied a program record of 16 wins in a season, while making its fourth straight NCAA Tournament and fifth overall. It was the fourth straight season the Warriors had won 15 or more games.

Between 2013-16, Merrimack collected three NCAA Tournament appearances (2014-2016). Despite missing out on the national tournament, the Warriors won 13 games in 2013 and reached the NE10 Final. In 2014, the Warriors advanced to the East Region Final - one of the final 16 teams remaining in the NCAA Tournament. Merrimack hosted the game as well - the first such occurrence in program history.

2012 was historic year for Martone, as the Warriors posted a 15-4-2 overall record, claiming the program's fourth Northeast-10 Conference regular season title in the process while also qualifying for the NCAA Division II Tournament for the first time in program history. Merrimack would finish as the runner-up in the Northeast-10 Championship, but would make up for it with the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament victory.

Martone, who holds a United States Soccer Federation ‘A License,’ have seen his teams capture four Northeast-10 regular season championships as well as three tournament championships. When the Warriors participated in the ECAC tournament, his teams were selected for postseason play for a record six straight years and won the overall ECAC championship in 1997.

During Martone’s tenure, the program has seen comparable success both on and off the pitch; since 2011, the program has had three CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, and nine athletic All-Americans, including seven since 2009 – Lucas Rezendes (2017), Lars Sund (2016), Joseph Briers (2015), Augusto Silva (2015), Jose Silva (2014, 2012), Franklin Lemus Pena (2012) and Robbie Sabadoz (2009).

Martone began his coaching career in 1981 as an assistant coach at Curry College. In 1982, he became the youngest head coach in the country, signing with Merrimack at the age of 24. The veteran coach boasts some of the most prolific awards in all of college soccer, including N.E.I.S.L. Coach of the Year (1994, 2004); E.M.S.C.A. ‘College Coach of the Year’ (1995, 2004); and Northeast-10 ‘Coach of the Year’ (1987, 1994, 2002, 2004). Martone was recognized by Soccer New England as ‘The person who did the most for soccer in 1994’ and was inducted into the Massachusetts Senior Soccer Hall of Fame in 2005.

For his dedication and professional accomplishments in the coaching world, Martone was named the U.S. Adult Soccer Association Region I Coach of the Year, and the runner-up National Coach of the Year following the 2006-07 season.

Along with coaching the Warriors, Martone has been involved with many other soccer programs across the New England Region, ranging from youth to the professional level. Professionally, he has coached with the Boston Bolts of the ASL and the Cape Cod Crusaders of the USISL – both of which qualified for postseason play in each of his seasons behind the bench - and has also worked with the coaching staff and management of the Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution, primarily as a scout.

Several of Martone’s players have moved on to play at various levels of the US National Teams, including the Men’s National team and the Olympic team, as well as several professional teams across the world. Further, over 50 of his former athletes have gone on to join the coaching ranks at the college and/or professional levels.

One of the most rewarding experiences for Martone came in 1994, when he was selected as the Competition Manager for the Boston/Foxboro venue for the 1994 World Cup. In his capacity, he was responsible for overseeing all aspects of competition, including the management of all the World Cup games played in Boston. For his efforts, he was recognized by US Soccer and World Cup USA 1994 as ‘The best competition manager in the country.’

Martone is a 1981 graduate of Boston College, where he earned three varsity letters. The highlight of his playing career came in 1980, when he was invited to train with U.S. Avellino of the Italian First Division. His efforts and abilities earned him a contract offer, loaning him to a third division team. While his dream of playing professionally came to an abrupt end due to a serious injury, Martone has remained an active player for many top semi-professional and amateur teams throughout New England. He currently still completes in an over-50 division.

On Oct. 1, 2011, Merrimack College renamed its turf field Martone-Mejail Field to recognize Tony Martone and Gabe Mejail, the Merrimack women's soccer head coach, for their dedication and service to the Merrimack soccer programs.

Martone resides in Saugus, Mass., with his wife, Patricia, and his two daughters - Rosalba and Antonella.

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Conrad Whyte

Conrad Whyte begins his Fifth season as Tony Martone Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator for the Warriors in 2023.

Whyte brings a wealth of coaching experience to the job at Merrimack, after being an assistant coach at Stonehill College and Northeastern University.

During the 2019 season Whyte helped the Warriors capture their first Northeast Conference (NEC) regular season title. Whyte coached three all-region selections, an All-American on that team and was a part of the 2019 Northeast Conference coaching staff of the year. In 2020, Whyte coached five student-athletes represented on all-conference teams. Junior defender Stefano Pesenti earned All-Conference First Team nods, as Frantz Pierrot, Alessandro Negri and Henry Osei represented on the Second Team, with Dylan Barreira honored on the All-Rookie team.

Whyte came to Merrimack College after spending two seasons as the assistant/Interim Head Coach at Northeastern (2014-2016), and most recently, three years as the Associate Head Coach at Stonehill College (2016-2018).

Whyte’s accomplishments during his time at Northeastern was nothing short of exceptional. On top of helping Northeastern reach the Colonial Athletic Association semi final in 2014, he coached 2014 CAA rookie of the year Frantzdy Pierrot – a Colorado Rapids draftee, in the MLS as well as Harry Swartz, who currently plays professionally in the USL. Whyte has also worked with numerous first and second team All-CAA honorees.

At both Northeastern and Stonehill, Whyte was responsible for videography, recruiting, scouting, game day operations, and planning and implementation of daily training sessions.

Whyte resides in Weymouth, MA and holds a USSF “A” license, a USSF National Youth License, and a NSCAA Director of Coaching Diploma.