FC Greater Boston Bolts Names Sarah Davey and Jessica Pfeifer as Directors in Girls Soccer Program

Former Bolts and Collegiate Stars, Now College Coaches Join Forces to Promote Club’s New Strategic Girls’ Initiative

June 2, 2010

FC Greater Boston Bolts, one of the country’s premier youth soccer clubs, located in Waltham, Massachusetts, has announced the appointment of Sarah Dacey as the Club’s new Girls Director, and of Jessica Pfeifer as the Club’s Director of the Girls’ Initiative. The two women will team up to implement a revolutionary approach to girls’ soccer in the greater Boston area.

In addition to illustrious soccer-playing careers at the Bolts, high school, collegiate and professional levels, the two new Directors bring extensive youth and collegiate coaching experience to the Club. Both also have significant, essential expertise in individual and team performance psychology among girls and women.

Dacey, MVP of the Bolts U19 national championship winning team in 1994, started playing with the Bolts when she was 13. She went on to start for the University of North Carolina women’s soccer team, which won three national championships during her time there. Before being recruited to UNC, Dacey was a Parade NSCAA All-American at Framingham High School. She was also on the youth national team from 1991-1993, and played in the Women's Professional League (WUSA) for three years.

In addition to her storied soccer career, Dacey played lacrosse at UNC where she led the team to two NCAA Final Fours. Dacey began her coaching career as an assistant at Boston College for both soccer and lacrosse, with subsequent positions at Providence College, University of Tennessee, and the Fay School. In 2005, she became the head soccer and lacrosse coach at Babson College. She has coached at youth soccer clubs, including the Bolts since 2009, and recently returned to the coaching staff of Boston College’s women’s soccer.

Pfeifer played for the Bolts from U10-U18, during which time the team won six State Cups and gained recognition as one of the top five teams in the country. She also played for Newton North High School, winning the State Cup her sophomore year. At Northeastern University she was a four-year starter in the midfield. She gained All-Conference and All-New England honors and ranked third in points all time.

Pfeifer went on to obtain a Masters Degree in sport psychology from Boston University. She served as an assistant coach at Wellesley College and has been with the Bolts since 2008, as a coach and assistant director of the girls’ program. She is a doctoral student studying clinical psychology and female development within athletic teams. Pfeifer has recently worked as a sport psychology consultant for Harvard University women's basketball, hockey, and crew teams during the 2009-10 athletic seasons, among other teams.

"We are extremely pleased to have Sarah and Jessica, with their complimentary skills and perspectives, stepping into their new roles for our girls’ soccer program,” said Brian Ainscough, Bolts' coaching director and Northeastern University men’s head soccer coach. “In today's era, youth sports and personal development can not be separated, just as winning can not be separated from character. We are confident that Sarah and Jessica will bring prominence on a national stage back to our girls’ program through our strategic Girls’ Initiative."

The Girls’ Initiative will be implemented with all FC Greater Boston girls' teams and is designed to empower girls as females, athletes, and active members of the soccer community and community-at-large. A revolutionary approach to girls' club soccer, these goals will be advanced through the balanced integration of both athletic and personal commitment and achievement. The program will emphasize three major areas of personal development: 1) Engagement and Relatedness through a focus on team building and intra-club mentoring, 2) Identity as Female Athletes through wellness programs, such as nutrition awareness and female-focused strength training aimed at injury prevention, and 3) Empowerment of Girls as Leaders through community outreach opportunities as well as the allocation of qualified female coaches in every age group.

"We share a commitment and inner fire to bring the girls’ program back to the level it was when we played with the Club in the 1990s,” the Bolts alumnae, who co-coached the GU14 and U17 teams this past year, jointly said. “With the Girls’ Initiative, we look forward to being heavily involved with the players and parents on a day-to-day basis and providing the best possible experience for our players."

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