Peter Simonini (born January 19, 1957, in

Somerville, Massachusetts Somerville ( ) is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, and north of Cambridge, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a total population of 81,045 people. With an area o ...

) was an American soccer

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

who was the 1983 American Soccer League MVP. He spent two seasons in the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

, one in the American Soccer League, one in the

United Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

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. Now has a son Peter Simonini who dances for the Boston Ballet.

Player

Simonini attended Plymouth State University, playing on the soccer team from 1976 to 1979. He finished his career with a 0.35

goals against average Goals against average (GAA) also known as "average goals against" or "AGA" is a statistic used in field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and water polo that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender or goalkeeper (depending ...

, an

NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletic scholarships to their st ...

record. In 1990, Plymouth State inducted Simonini into its Hall of Fame. The

New England Tea Men The New England Tea Men were an American professional soccer team based in Greater Boston. They played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1978 to 1980. Their home venues for outdoor play were Schaefer Stadium (shared with the NFL's ...

of the

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 The Jacksonville Tea Men were a soccer team based in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Overall, the Tea Men played a total of four seasons in Jacksonville, first in the major league-level North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1980–1982, ...

. 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 The Pennsylvania Stoners were an American soccer team based in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 2007, the team played in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), a national amateur league at the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, ...

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

. 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.

Coach

Simonini has served as the head coach of the

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...

Bentley College soccer team from 1987 to 2007. He finished his tenure with a 188-167-19 record.Record Book
/ref> Simonini has also served as an assistant coach with the

New Hampshire Phantoms The Seacoast United Phantoms (formerly the New Hampshire Phantoms) are an American soccer team based in the coastal region of southeastern New Hampshire and northeastern Massachusetts. The team is based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where it p ...

of the

USISL United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

. From 1996 to 1999 and again in 2004, Simonini was the goalkeeper coach for the

New England Revolution The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having compe ...

of Major League Soccer. He later moved on to coaching youth soccer, becoming a goalkeeper coach for Duxbury Football Club (DFC) in

Duxbury, Massachusetts Duxbury (alternative older spelling: "Duxborough") is a historic seaside town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb located on the South Shore approximately to the southeast of Boston, the population was 16,090 at the 20 ...

. He helped lead them to a 6-1-1 record and the Maple D5 title in 2014. His protégés, Tim Mehrmann and Jacob Hochstein, went on to become the goalkeepers for Duxbury High School.

References

External links

Dallas Sidekicks player profile

1984-1985 Dallas Sidekicks Media Guide

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simonini, Peter 1957 births Living people American men's soccer players American soccer coaches Bentley Falcons men's soccer coaches New England Tea Men players Jacksonville Tea Men players American Soccer League (1933–1983) players United Soccer League (1984–85) players Dallas Sidekicks (original MISL) players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players College men's soccer coaches in the United States New England Revolution non-playing staff Men's association football goalkeepers USISL coaches Major League Soccer coaches Plymouth State Panthers men's soccer players Association football goalkeeping coaches