Rattlers tab U Sports coach Pinsent to lead soccer & futsal teams

Pinsent’s resume is extensive to say the least, leading the soccer program at the University of New Brunswick for the last 17 years to win four conference championships and two national medals over that span.

In 2012-13, Pinsent was named Canada’s top coach when it came to university men’s soccer while also serving as the head coach for Canada’s national team at the 2017 World Universiade in Taiwan.

“I’m really excited about the opportunity and what it represents,” said Pinsent. “I really had been looking for an opportunity that tied in two things that are important to me. Obviously, my love for soccer, but also community work as well.”

Spending a large part of his adult life coaching student-athletes, Pinsent said he’s excited to continue that passion at the ACAC level with the Rattlers.

“I very much value everything that goes along with working with student-athletes,” said Pinsent. “Obviously, my job as a soccer coach is to develop them as players and to bring them together to make them the most effective team that they can be. But, I think in all of that there’s a lot of life lessons and things that transfer over to other more important things in their life.”

According to the Rattlers, Pinsett rocketed up their candidate list when he showed interest in moving to Medicine Hat for the position.

“Somebody who spent 17 years at the helm of a university, U Sports program certainly comes with the national credentials of being able to coach college soccer and futsal,” said MHC’s manager of sport and wellness Terry Ballard. “On top of that with him having success at the national level, how can we not be attracted to that resume and that person?”

In 2019-20, the Rattlers men’s soccer team finished with a 5-5-2 record, while the women’s squad picked up a 5-4-3 record in 12 games.

There’s still no word if ACAC soccer will be able to take place this spring, but elevating the Rattlers through the standings will be a top priority for Pinsent.

“One of the questions I asked Terry before I took the job was, ‘How important is it to be successful?’” said Pinsent. “He wanted to win and I said, ‘Good, so do I.’ So, I’ll take that same approach and use some of the things that I’ve gained in my previous experiences to help me with this transition.”

Along with the head coaching gig with the college, Pinsent will also take on the role as executive director for the Medicine Hat Soccer Association.

He will be taking over from Robert Cavicchia, who held down the dual-role for the better part of two years before deciding to move back to Ontario during the pandemic.

The head coaching role for Rattlers soccer and futsal has passed through multiple people since 2017, leaving little consistency in instruction for the players who have made their way through the program.

For Pinsent, that is something he’s looking to stabilize as he becomes a Rattler.

“I think Robert came in and had a lot of wonderful ideas, and took some major steps forward,” said Pinsent. “So, I hope to be able to continue that. I think it’s good to have new ideas and a fresh approach perhaps, but at the same time you also want some continuity so things can continue to grow.”

by Scott Roblin

Rattlers tab U Sports coach Pinsent to lead soccer & futsal teams

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