Former CT girls soccer coach pleads guilty to sexually assaulting player

BRIDGEPORT — A former high school soccer coach is facing three years in prison after pleading guilty Thursday to repeatedly sexually assaulting one of his female players.

Adam Allerton, 47, who coached high school girls’ soccer in Greenwich and Waterbury and was an assistant coach at the University of Bridgeport, pleaded guilty before Superior Court Judge Alex Hernandez to two counts of second-degree sexual assault.

“Are the facts of the case as presented by the prosecutor essentially correct?” the judge asked Allerton.

“Yes your honor,” Allerton replied.

Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Colleen Zingaro told the judge that under the plea bargain Allerton will get three years in prison followed by 10 years of probation.

The judge agreed to continue the sentencing hearing to June 30 after Allerton said he needed time to spend with his wife, who is expecting their child.

Allerton and his lawyer, J. Patten Brown III, declined comment as they left the Fairfield County Courthouse.

Zingaro told the judge that Allerton sexually assaulted the then-14-year-old victim at his former Brewster Street home here and in his car in 2013 and 2014.

“It was a series of events,” she said.

At the time Allerton was coach at the Chase Collegiate School, a private school in Waterbury.

Police stated in the arrest warrant affidavit that the teen also told them that Allerton sexually assaulted her in his car on the way back to Bridgeport after practices and games at the Waterbury School.

Police said the teen turned over to them texts between her and Allerton in which she later confronted him about the alleged assaults.

“I honestly believed we were in love,” police said Allerton replied in a text. “I didn’t go looking for that and yes professional (sic) it was crazy but love is crazy.”

Police said the teen subsequently made a telephone call to Allerton that they recorded.

“We just got wrapped up in this together,” police said Allerton explained when the teen asked him why he sexually assaulted her at 14.

Allerton started the soccer program at Greenwich Academy in 2003 and coached the team there for five years before becoming the girls soccer coach at Chase.

He was an assistant coach of the University of Bridgeport’s women’s soccer team from 2012 to 2014.

At the time of his arrest he was director of the Baton Rouge Soccer Club in Baton Rouge, La.