Notre Dame hires WW-PS’ Fisher as new head coach
The wheels on the Notre Dame High varsity boys’ soccer bus go round and round, round and round, round and round … again.
For the fourth time in four years, the strong Irish boys’ soccer program will have a new coach in 2021.
Notre Dame’s Director of Athletics Rich Roche announced the hiring of Bryan Fisher as the school’s latest boys’ soccer head coach Wednesday night.
No reason was given for the split with P.J. Barrett, who coached the Irish to an 8-2 record this fall during the coronavirus pandemic. It was the only year the former Lawrence High coach was at the helm. Attempts to reach Barrett for comment were unsuccessful.
Fisher had been coaching with the West Windsor-Plainsboro High South boys’ soccer team for the last 21 years. He had been the program’s head coach for the last 11 seasons, accumulating a 91-84-13 record, which included three Mercer County Tournament Final appearances in four years (2015, 2017, 2018) and five consecutive doubledigit win campaigns from 2015-19.
The Pirates, who did not play in 2020 after WW-P schools elected to go without fall sports because of coronavirus concerns, have not yet made known Fisher’s replacement.
“Coach Fisher is well known and highly regarded in the local soccer community. He brings a wealth of knowledge and coaching experience to our program,” Roche said in a press release. “(With him) having played and coached in Mercer County for many years, I believe he will hit the ground running, and our program will not miss a beat.”
Fisher is no stranger to Notre Dame. He has coached the Irish’s varsity girls’ lacrosse team for eight seasons, leading them to multiple Colonial Valley Conference, MCT and NJSIAA Sectional Championships.
“Bryan is a member of the Irish family. We know the quality of his coaching,” Roche added. “I am most impressed by his ability to build a great culture within a program straight down to the freshman level. His assistant coaches, his players and their families have always shown the utmost confidence in him.”
In the same press release, Fisher, who has also been the WW-P South varsity girls’ basketball coach since 2019, made it official.
“I have learned the greatest lessons of my life on the soccer field, and I am looking forward to sharing my experience, passion and enthusiasm for the game with the Notre Dame student-athletes,” he said. “Notre Dame has a very rich history and tradition. I remember playing against legendary Coach Mike Perone and enjoyed coaching against him when I returned to WW-P.”
Fisher inherits a team which will graduate just four seniors. ND ended 2020 with a hard-fought, 2-0 loss to nationally ranked Gill St. Bernard’s, the state’s top-ranked team, in the NJSIAA’s more regionalized Central West C Non-Public
Tournament semifinals.
“My tank is full, and I am excited to start building relationships with the players,” Fisher added in the press release. “I want to thank (Notre Dame’s) President Ken Jennings, Principal Joanna Barlow and Athletic Director Rich Roche for this incredible opportunity.”
Besides Barrett, Fisher follows
Dan Donigan (17-4, CVC Colonial Division champions in 2019) and Rich Leedom (a combined 20-15-3 in 2018 & 2017) atop the Irish program.
Before that, the ND boys’ soccer bus had steadily rolled along for 40 years under the direction of Perone and varsity assistant Ziggy Zegarski, who amassed 501 wins during their time at the wheel.