Podcast: Bridgewater State’s Brendan Adams on keeping a D3 state school competitive

Bridgewater State men's head coach Brendan Adams joined 'The Goal.' (Courtesy photo)

The latest guest on New England Soccer Journal’s “The Goal” podcast is Bridgewater State University men’s soccer head coach Brendan Adams.

Adams is entering his 23rd season as the head coach at Bridgewater State. He was promoted to the position prior to the 2002 season, after serving as an assistant coach on the staff in 2001. 

He picked up his fifth MASCAC Coach of the Year award in 2023, as he guided the Bears’ to their sixth MASCAC tournament championship and seventh NCAA Tournament appearance. The squad hit the 10-win mark for the ninth time in Adams’ tenure, as the Bears went 12-3-5 and finished atop the MASCAC regular season standings with a 6-0-1 conference mark.

Through 2023, Adams’ coaching record at BSU stands at 196-163-41 (.541), with an impressive 91-39-17 (.677) mark in conference regular season matches. He became the men’s soccer program’s all-time winningest coach in 2008.

Adams joined host Matt Langone to discuss his time at Bridgewater State and how a Division 3 state school stays competitive in the talent-rich New England D3 landscape.

The full podcast can be accessed below and is available on all major platforms. If you enjoy it, please leave a rating and a review.

Here are some highlights from our discussion with Adams:

On the identity of the Bridgewater State program:

Adams: “I guess you always look at it from the perspective of how you see the game. Me growing up as more of a defender, I look for hard-tackling, working-hard-for-90-minutes type of kids, but at the same time having a good soccer IQ and things like that. That’s what we kind of try to look for in some of the players. Then, of course, you’ve got to put the ball in the back of the net.”

On competing against NESCAC schools:

Adams: “It’s funny, because I think usually the team that wins the MASCAC ends up playing probably against a NESCAC school (in the NCAA Tournament). You’ve got to come as pretty much close to perfect in those games. One little mistake — these teams are so good — they’ll capitalize on that mistake.”

On why a state school is a good fit for players:

Adams: “Some kids are walking out with loans that they could buy a house with. The benefit with Bridgewater is, before financial aid, if you’re living on campus, it’s $28,000. And if you commute, which we have probably about five or six (players) who do that, you’re only looking at about $13,000 to go to school, more or less. So that’s definitely a huge draw, especially in this day and age with the economy. How many of my alumni come to me and say ‘it’s the smartest decision I ever made,’ just going to a state school, because you don’t have the loans, so you’re not strapped down, buying that new car or cell phone.”

On expectations for the 2024 season:

Adams: “Everything is a new experience. I like being blue collar, and part of that is being the underdog. This year, we’re not really the underdog, we’re kind of the hunted, the top dog at this point. Sometimes that’s tough, and that’s a whole new avenue that we have to go down with the players. You can’t stand on your laurels, and you’ve got to continue to work.”