LYNNFIELD — Lynnfield girls soccer coach Mark Vermont is no stranger to big games. Now in his 24th season coaching the Pioneers, Vermont has guided the team to two state championships, three sectional championships, three appearances in state championship games, four appearances in the Final Four, and 16 Cape Ann League titles.
Tuesday, Vermont hit another major milestone after his Pioneers traveled to Triton and came home with an 8-0 victory. The win marked his 300th as Lynnfield’s head coach.
“It’s a cool milestone, but it is more a testament to the consistency in the program and the great teams we’ve been able to produce,” said Vermont, who teaches fifth grade math and science at Lynnfield Middle School. “It takes me back to all the kids over the years who have helped me get to this level. Yeah, I’ve been the coach, but it’s the players who are getting it done.”
When Vermont arrived in Lynnfield in 2001, he was already well-versed in how to build a winning tradition, having won back-to-back state titles (1997, 1998) as an assistant on the Winchester High girls team. He stayed there for five years until learning the Lynnfield job was open. Vermont jumped at the opportunity.
He hit the ground running his first year, guiding the Pioneers to a 14-6-2 record and an appearance in the North sectional final.
Two years later in 2003, the Pioneers hit the jackpot. They finished with a final record of 23-1 and won the state championship, defeating Douglas, 2-0. The following year, Lynnfield went undefeated at 22-0-2, the final tie coming in the state championship against Sutton when the teams battled through a blinding rainstorm to a 1-1 draw. The teams were declared co-champions.
The Pioneers have qualified for the state tournament in 23 of 24 seasons under Vermont. It’s no surprise that along the way, Vermont has compiled a record of 300-113-62 and has collected a boatload of awards. He is a four-time Division 3 Coach of the Year (2003, 2004, 2008, 2013) and seven-time CAL Coach of the Year (2003, 2004, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2023).
Vermont attributes his success to three things: chemistry, positivity, and good old-fashioned hard work.
“I learned from my five years at Winchester how important it was to have team chemistry,” he said. “I took it and ran with it at Lynnfield. I think a combination of that as well as my rah-rah personality has allowed girls soccer to have an ‘I-have-your-back’ mentality on and off the field… One of the first things I did was use goal sheets before every game so the players know what they have to do. I think that also encourages camaraderie and commitment.”
Vermont said there is no substitute for solid work ethic.
“A huge piece of the puzzle also, no doubt, is the fact that we work very, very hard,” said Vermont, a 1996 graduate of Gordon College, where he was a goalkeeper. “It starts every year with the fitness test. The kids know that.”
He said his players were very excited about win No. 300.
“They all went nuts, which was really, really special,” Vermont said. “We did our chant that we usually do for road games and then I said to the girls on the bus, ‘How cool is it that this program just got its 300th win?’ Because, that’s what it is. It’s about every girl who has come through the program. They got to get there and get to that mark – and that’s just cool.”
When asked if any of his 300 wins stand out, Vermont said, “not really.
“I was talking to Sarge (assistant coach Bob Sargent) about it and, really, they’re all a blur,” he said. “I have a picture of the first one in my classroom, but now 300 is behind us.”
Vermont, however, isn’t resting on his laurels.
“I was glad today that we were able to get a lot of girls in because they all work so hard and the level of play never dropped off, so I was really happy that they got to be a part of this win,” Vermont said. “But I told the girls that No. 300 is behind us and we now need to go and get No. 301 Thursday against Newburyport.”
