New England Soccer Journal recently dropped a new episode of its “The Goal” podcast where Paul Turner, first-year head coach of
Thayer’s girls varsity soccer team, offered his take on the school, the season, and his own experience with the game he loves.
“I felt like maybe I was ready for my last big coaching project in the high school ranks,” Turner told Matt Langone, host of the popular podcast whose latest episode was released Sept. 25. “As soon as I stepped on the campus, the feel of the community there was exceptional.”
The native Londoner has been in the United States for 31 years and has achieved great coaching success at the club and high school levels with both boys' and girls’ programs. In his 30-minute conversation with Langone, Turner discussed the rewarding coaching experiences he’s had at public high schools in Canton, Marshfield, and the combined Dennis-Yarmouth school district. He also discussed the strong play of his current Thayer squad despite relative inexperience and a rash of injuries.
Turner said he is well aware of Thayer’s tradition of excellence when it comes to its girls varsity soccer program but is excited for the challenge of maintaining that level and possibly taking the program even further.
The veteran coach described the enormous level of talent possessed by his current student-athletes; that said, he told Langone that his team would assume a blue-collar attitude and never be outworked by their ISL opponents.
The girls team, which has a 4-1-1 record, will participate in Thayer’s “Saturday Night Lights” celebration on Saturday, Oct. 5, at Kendall Field on Main Campus. The boys team, led by head coach Ian Wheeler, will also play Tabor as part of the celebration, kicking off the festivities at 5:30 p.m. The girls will host Tabor Academy at 7:30 p.m.
Be sure to check out Paul Turner’s interview on the latest episode of "The Goal" podcast below.