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Sarah Lawrence College

Bronxville, NY 10708
New York Northeast
Private Small Developing team

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Maurizio Grillo

In July of 2017, Maurizio Grillo was named head women's soccer coach at Sarah Lawrence College.


Grillo has quickly transformed the women's soccer program in his first two seasons, compiling 28 wins, including sixteen victories against Skyline opponents, the most of any coach in team history. Under his guidance, the Gryphons have earned nine all-league selections.


2019 was the Gryphons' best season to date under Grillo. The team finished 14-5 overall with an 8-2 record against league opposition. The squad returned to the postseason, winning their first round playoff game for a second straight campaign, a 6-0 verdict over Old Westbury. Grillo produced the conference's Rookie of the Year, Niki Dalrymple, while coaching three others to Skyline All-Conference status. In addition, Grillo was crowned Skyline Coach of the Year. Under the guidance of Grillo, Tiffany McBrayer became the first Gryphon in team history to earn United Soccer Coaches All-Region recognition.


Grillo made an immediate impact in his very first season in Bronxville in 2017, guiding the Gryphons to nine new program records, including marks for wins, conference wins, points, goals, assists and goals allowed. Under the direction of Grillo, Lauren Ashby became the program’s first-ever all-conference performer, setting team records for points and goals in a single-season.


Sarah Lawrence fared even better in 2018, setting a school victory record while finishing 9-8 overall and 5-4 in the Skyline, its first winning season in school history. Sarah Lawrence earned the No. 4 seed, clinching a postseason berth for the first time in program history and a first round home playoff game for the first time in Sarah Lawrence Athletics history. The Gryphons won their first round playoff game over fifth-seeded St. Joseph's Brooklyn before falling to conference champion and nationally ranked Farmingdale State in the semifinals.


Grillo coached a team-record four Skyline All-Conference performers, highlighted by Kiley Ritter, who was crowned Rookie of the Year after leading the Skyline in points (45) and goals (20), both program single-season records.


In addition to getting it done on the pitch, the Gryphons have also excelled in the classroom, annually receiving United Soccer Coaches Team Academic recognition.


Grillo joined Sarah Lawrence following a stint at Manhattanville College, where he helped the Valiants with in-game strategy and academic support, along with other day-to-day duties. During his time at Manhattanville, he also coached the New York Soccer club, a member of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy.


In addition, Grillo was the director of coaching for the Eleven United Soccer club, overseeing recruiting, game scheduling, equipment, and the team’s social media accounts. Grillo previously spent four years at Evanston High School, guiding the program to regional and sectional titles. During his time with the team, he led the squad to two third-place finishes at the PepisCO Showdown, the largest high school tournament in the country. Grillo’s varsity team ranked as high as No. 2 in the state of Illinois and seventh in the nation by SIMA.


Grillo, a native of Italy, graduated from G. Galilei in 1997.

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Daniella Ford

Ford joins the Gryphons following a stint as a goalkeeper for Eastleigh FC, a semi-pro club in Southampton, England.


Prior to playing professionally, Ford attended Farmingdale State College where she was a member of the women's soccer team. She served as team captain and president of the student-athlete advisory committee. She was named Skyline Conference Rookie of the Year in 2016 and earned first team all-conference honors every year of her collegiate career. In 2018, she was the Skyline Conference Defensive Player of the Year.


As an undergraduate student, Ford worked as an Executive Cup College Showcase coach for AndGosports Inc. in Mineola, N.Y. In 2019, she began coaching for Pro Touch Soccer Academy in Hicksville, N.Y. In the same year, Ford started offering private goalkeeper lessons, training children with intensive goalkeeping sessions.


Ford graduated from Farmingdale State in 2020 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. She received her Associate's Degree in Criminal Justice from FSC in 2018.

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Evan Brandsdorfer

Evan Brandsdorfer was named Sarah Lawrence College men’s soccer head coach in July of 2019. Brandsdorfer joined the Gryphons after spending the four years as an assistant coach at NCAA Division I Saint Peter’s University.


2019

Brandsdorfer led the Gryphons to new heights in 2019, leading the program to records in wins (6) and league victories (3).


2021

This season showcased Brandsdorfer's ability to work with all positions, working with goalkeeper Kian Silva who would set the SLC single-season record for goals against average while finishing second in save percentage.


2022

Brandsdorfer took an incredibly young team and put together one of the program's best seasons. The team set the program mark for winning percentage while there were some individual standout performers as well. Leon Bronshvag tied the SLC single-season assists record with six and Nicholas Fajardo earned a hat trick in an early-season win over Old Westbury.


Saint Peter’s posted 21 victories during Brandsdorfer’s tenure, highlighted by a conference playoff appearance and an eight-win campaign in 2018, the Peacocks’ most wins in a season since 2010. The Peacocks’ 21 wins are eight more than the previous four years combined before his addition to the staff. Brandsdorfer mentored five All-MAAC selections and two All-ECAC performers while in Jersey City.


Brandsdorfer was one of four men’s collegiate coaches selected to the United Soccer Coaches 2018-19 Class of the 30 Under 30 Program. The class featured 15 men and 15 women that were selected from a pool of nearly 400 applicants. Launched in 2013, the 30 Under 30 Program is a year-long education and mentorship opportunity designed to support up-and-coming members of the coaching profession who are 30 years of age or younger.


Prior to Saint Peter’s, Brandsdorfer served as an assistant coach at Division I NJIT for the 2014 season. He helped the Highlanders to a 7-8-4 overall mark and 2-3-0 record in the Sun Belt Conference. Brandsdorfer coached the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year (Cristian Marcel) and the conference's Defensive Player of the Year (Marko Drljic).


Brandsdorfer also spent a season an assistant coach at Division II Drew in 2013, helping the squad to an 11-4-5 record. The Rangers finished 2-2-3 in the Landmark Conference and participated in the first round of the ECAC Tournament.


Brandsdorfer has also coached in the Premier Development League (PDL), serving as assistant coach for the Jersey Express. At the youth level, Brandsdorfer was an assistant coach for the National Champion u17 team at Cedar Stars Academy, and he has also coached at TSF Academy and the East Brunswick Soccer Club.


Brandsdorfer was a three-year member of the Division 1 Temple men’s soccer team, where he appeared in 48 games. The Owls posted a 26-26-4 overall mark and 15-11-1 in league play in his three seasons. He started his collegiate career at North Florida in 2008. Following his collegiate career in the U.S., Brandsdorfer played a year of semipro soccer in Scotland.


Brandsdorfer graduated from Temple in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science degree and earned his Master's Degree from the University of Stirling in the United Kingdom in 2013.

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