Written by SJC Sports Information Intern Christopher Theodores '25
STANDISH, Maine - When Saint Joseph's College Men's Soccer Head Coach Will Pike '11 was tabbed as the Head Coach of the freshly-minted United Women's Soccer (UWS) Maine Footy team, he wondered if a former SJC women's standout was interested in a roster spot.
After being appointed as the head coach, Pike approached Haley DaGraca '19 (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy), who collected 35 individual accolades during her collegiate career while rewriting the Monks' record book, as the two-year captain graduated holding the SJC career records in goals (70), points (155), game-winners (20), and shots (403).
As a senior, DaGraca led the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) in goals (19), points (44) and game-winning goals (7) and propelled the Monks to their first GNAC Championship with a 1-0 triumph at top-seeded Lasell College. For her efforts, she claimed GNAC Tournament MVP, GNAC Offensive Player of the Year, United Soccer Coaches First Team All-New England, and NEWISA Third Team All-New England honors and was selected to play in the NEWISA Senior Bowl.
"Haley is a great player and someone I thought of right away when I was announced as coach," adds Pike. "She has a nose for goal and we were able to share a special moment. The last year I coached for the women's side, we won a conference championship with Haley scoring the winning goal. Hopefully we can create more moments like that with Maine Footy."
The UWS is a national pro-am league constructed of professionally run clubs across the United States and Canada. Founded in 2015, the developing league provides high level competition for college players, aspiring and former professionals, and international stars. A first-year side, Maine Footy is one of the 13 teams in the East Division of United Women's Soccer.
Maine Footy is dedicated to building a championship-caliber women's soccer side led by elite players, proven coaches, and a community of supporters who care as much about winning on the pitch as they do leading, mentoring, and giving-back off of it.
In their inaugural season, Maine Footy will play a seven-game schedule. They kicked off their season on May 21st against perennial contender NE Mutiny, which resulted in a 1-1 draw, and earned the first win in franchise history with a thrilling 1-0 triumph over the CT rush on June 3rd. Maine Footy will also face off against Sporting CT, Albany Rush, Scorpions FC, and double up against Worcester Fuel FC.
DaGraca joins players from all over the country with backgrounds as decorated as hers as she competes alongside players from the likes of University of Maine, University of New Hampshire, University of Louisville, University of New Haven, and Southern Utah University.
Saint Joseph's Hall of Fame inductee Will Pike, who was a two-year starting keeper for the men's side after transferring from Mount St. Mary's University, heads the Maine Footy staff with an established pedigree as a young coach. Entering his fifth season as the SJC skipper and 10th with the program, Pike has been part of several championships. Pike holds a 45-9-6 (.800) record, and claimed his first GNAC Championship as a head coach in the fall of 2021. During his time as an assistant coach for the SJC men's soccer program, Pike helped the Monks win three-consecutive GNAC Championships with a cumulative 55-3-8 (.833) record – including a 28-0-2 (.933) mark in conference play – from 2016 to 2018 and was a member of the 2017 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division III New England Region Coaching Staff of the Year, along with former Head Coach Adrian Dubois, Michael Sanfilippo '12, and Kyle Shangraw '14.
In 2018, Pike served as the head assistant and goalkeeper coach for both the SJC men's and women's programs, helping lead the two sides to GNAC Championships that fall. One of Pike's three captains on the women's side was DaGraca.
A few years after graduating, it may have appeared to Haley, and those around her, that her competitive soccer days were slowly becoming a distant memory.
Like many other elite athletes after college, Haley continued to find joy playing the sport in which she garnered so much success. Playing in local co-ed and women's leagues around Southern Maine, she says "I have been playing 2-3 times a week since 2020 in these leagues. They are great because they are very fun to play in while still providing the level of competitiveness that all athletes enjoy."
These leagues, although just for fun, allowed Haley to seize the opportunity that eventually came her way.
Maine Footy.
Initially, after being approached, DaGraca had mixed emotions. She expresses, "I was hesitant at first - I am at a completely different stage of my life and have a full-time job - but once I hit the pitch with the other girls, I knew I had to take advantage of this opportunity. It means a lot to be able to work with Coach Pike again. He is an amazing, smart, and tactical coach who has a proven success record. He pushes his players to be better not just technically but tactically. He has a unique approach to coaching and all of his players benefit tremendously."
Over the last few years, the soccer scene in Maine has shown steady growth. With a men's professional team on the horizon for Portland, the development of the women's side Maine Footy is a massive step forward.
Pike is excited to be part of the growth and says, "it's great to be involved in bringing a high level of women's soccer to the Portland area." Haley expands, "Maine Footy brings more awareness to women's soccer in Maine and provides something to strive for and work towards for the younger generations."
Not only does it provide a pathway for future generations, but it gives a growing community an exciting team to support.
On a personal level, Haley adds, "I'm excited to have a chance to play the game I love again at a level that many athletes don't get to experience after they graduate. Who knows what the future has in store, but I am thankful just to be playing again. I wasn't ready to hang up the cleats just yet."
She expresses her gratitude toward SJC and the connections she made, "I owe a lot to my time there, it left a lasting impression on who I am today. I still carry a lot of that learned tenacity, work ethic, and confidence not just in soccer but in my personal and professional life."
These characteristics will undoubtedly lead to great success both off and on the soccer field, exactly what Coach Pike is looking for. When asked what his goals are for the season, he only needed one word.
"Win."
Let's hope Head Coach Will Pike and Haley DaGraca can pick up right where they left off as they look to share more success through Maine Footy and leave a long-lasting impact on the soccer community in Maine.
