Cumberland’s Balcarcel takes leap to Quinsigamond

Former SRA coach starting program at community college

CUMBERLAND — When the 2018-19 school year ended back in June, Frank Balcarcel was going to follow the same routine he had each of the previous five years.

First, he had to finish up his work as an Attleboro High computer networking teacher in the vocational department and prepare his classroom for cleaning and maintenance during the summer break. After that, he’d spend some valuable time with his wife and family for a few days before organizing the St. Raphael Academy boys’ soccer team’s annual summer sessions.

He accomplished all of those things, but it all changed one night when he received a jingle on his cell phone. That, in essence, sparked his becoming the first head coach of the inaugural Quinsigamond Community College men’s soccer squad in Worcester.

“It just popped up on my Google feed on my cell; it was late at night, and I had just got home after one of our (SRA) practices,” said the “40-something” Cumberland resident and area “futbol” staple. “It was a message saying Quinsigamond was looking for a coach. I always followed all the high school and college teams around here, and I knew Quinsigamond never had a men’s soccer program.

“The first thing that went through my mind was that I didn’t get involved in coaching as young as

most people. I also thought that I always had wanted to be a college coach, but I knew if I did that, I’d probably have to be somebody’s assistant. I didn’t want the hassle of going through all that again.

“Just for the heck of it, I applied for it.” He did that on June 25, all the while attending his son’s youth practices and organizing those for the Saints, and admitted being surprised when he received another ring on his cell, this one from QCC Athletic Director Lisa Gurnick.

That came the night of July 2.

“She asked me if I could come in for an interview the next day, that she had openings at either 9 or 10 a.m., as she was finalizing the search,” he recalled. “I told her I’d be there at 9, and the interview lasted about an hour. The first 10-15 minutes, I thought I was just there for the ride; she indicated they were looking for someone with college experience, and – naturally – I didn’t have that.

“But the last 20 minutes went so well, I left thinking I had a pretty decent chance,” he continued. “I told her how I had focused on building the program at Saints and how I went about doing that. That seemed to intrigue her. I told her how Saints is a little more diverse than most private schools, and she told me that most of the players who had signed up came from Worcester, which obviously has an international flavor.

“I explained how I had to work with kids from Central Falls, East Providence and Pawtucket, and bring all those personalities together and teach them how to be a dedicated team member.”

Apparently, Gurnick was impressed. She had explained, with the interview process nearly over, she would call the next mentor by 3 o’clock that afternoon.

“My phone rang at 4, and I was at home; when she told me I’d be the new coach, I didn’t accept it right away,” he said. “No. 1, I was floored, and, No. 2, I didn’t know I’d be able to because of my work schedule. I was also thinking about my team at Saints; I knew it was going to be very good this season.

“My heart was going through a tug of war. I applied for it because I was really interested in it, but – to be honest – I never thought I’d get a callback. I spoke to my wife, Heather, and she told me to follow my heart, so I called Lisa the next morning and accepted.”

On Thursday, July 4, he flew to Akron, Oh., for a soccer clinic, then returned home that Sunday. He claimed he thought frequently and deeply during his trip about how to tell his Saints.

“I wasn’t going to do it until I could find someone who I wanted to replace me; I also wanted to make it easier on our athletic director (Ray Tanguay),” he explained. “I wanted someone who would fit the style we had developed, one the kids were used to, and (his Saints’ assistant) Marc Thibault was a big part of it.

“I called a friend of mine, Miguel Sagastume, and told him about the program, but he was already familiar with it; he was involved with Project GOAL and Bayside FC, and a lot of the kids were, too, so it was a really good fit.”

As for Quinsigamond, their new mentor will bring a wealth of playing and coaching experience to its first-ever program. He’s been involved with his favorite sport since he was a youngster, but played in both middle school (where he served as a captain) and at Woonsocket High; he represented the Villa Novans as a sweeper/midfielder for four years before graduating in 1990.

He then attended the University of Rhode Island, and pondered “walking on” the men’s squad before dismissing the notion. In the interim, however, he did play for the R.I. Arsenal, an amateur adult club, for eight years, and has signed on to compete for various teams over the years.

“My best friend, Ryan Cafferty, who now coaches the Classical boys’ varsity, started coaching youth teams in Smithfield after college, and he brought me on as an assistant,” he explained. “He eventually got the job at Classical, and he asked me to help with the feeder program, Capital Soccer. I did that for three years, and that’s how I got into coaching high school.”

He became a volunteer for Cafferty and the Purple for a couple of years, then became the head JV coach at Dover-Sherborne High in Massachusetts for five years. After that, the position at SRA opened up, he applied for and took the job.

In that time, he racked up a superb overall record of 59-19-10, and his teams went to the state Division III finals twice. In fact, last fall, Balcarcel’s Saints manufactured a virtually-flawless 15-0-1 league mark to win the regular-season crown, yet lost to Pilgrim, 1-0, in the D-III title tilt.

That team finished 17-1-1, one of the best in school history.

As for other laurels, Balcarcel has spent four years with the Massachusetts Olympic Developmental Program, is the technical director for Central Falls youth soccer, coaches the premier team at Bayside and InterAmerica Futsal, holds a National Soccer Coaches Association of America Premier diploma and has earned a USSF National “C” license.

He also is a Regional Level 2 Futsal and USSF Referee Level 8.

“I had an initial meeting with the guys who had signed on on July 26th; I wanted to introduce myself and tell them about my hopes and expectations,” Balcarcel said. “Our first practice was on Monday, Aug. 5, at 10 a.m., and I had about 20 kids, but most of them didn’t know about the requirements and paperwork it took to become eligible.

“Probably five of the 20 men had fulfilled those requirements; the others still had to get physicals or fill out all the papers,” he continued. “By the second week, we had 18 men who were all set and could practice, so things are looking up.”

As for his first worry about having enough time to get Worcester for practices and games, he claimed he took care of that when asking old friend Tony Recinos – last year’s head coach for the Jenkis Middle School girls’ team – to join him as his assistant.

“I’ve known Tony for a long time, and I know he can do the job until I can get there if I am late,” he grinned.

As for coaching a college team for the first time ever?

“To be honest with you, the way I look at it, once you get on the field and start coaching the kids, you’re going to forget all about it,” he said. “In the long run, all you’re trying to do is teach a kid how to play the sport better; you’re just trying to teach. The only difference is it’s faster because they’re men, not boys.

“I’m really looking forward to this.”