Mike Purcell not slowing down going into third decade as Brentwood boys soccer coach
BRENTWOOD — Not much has changed about Brentwood boys soccer over the past 21 seasons, Mike Purcell thinks.
According to their longtime coach, the Bruins are just as tight-knit as they were at the turn of the century. The fan support is just as enthusiastic — there's no need for benches at Brentwood's field with how often the fans are on their feet, Purcell quips. Many of the traditions the Bruins had two decades ago have carried over to this day.
"If a guy came back and looked at the team, he would see the same type of guys and the same style of play and the same tight-knit group that we’ve always had here," Purcell said.
The consistency starts at the top. Going into his third decade at Brentwood, Purcell is, in the words of junior midfielder Jack Boring, "pretty much the same guy." During practice and games, he's still tough, disciplined and demanding.
"He yells at us, we yell at each other and then we get going," senior goalkeeper Thomas Fields said of Purcell's coaching style.
And when the Bruins get going, they're basically impossible to stop. After beating Franklin 3-0 in Thursday's District 11-AAA championship game, they're 19-0 and have outscored opponents 76-11. The defending TSSAA Class AAA state champions are ranked No. 4 in the nation, per the United Soccer Coaches poll.
Brentwood will host Columbia Central (4-9-3) on Tuesday to open the Region 6-AAA tournament.
Purcell, 72, used to also coach Brentwood's girls team and has won five state championships (four boys and one girls). This season's Bruins are not only as talented as any of those squads, but might be his deepest team ever.
"We don’t drop off up until about the 15th player," Purcell said. "I’ve never had a team like that."
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Brentwood is an overwhelming state title favorite, something it wasn't last season. That's brought pressure, but also a noticeable confidence. There hasn't been a single game this spring where Purcell thought his team was going to lose.
In large part, that's due to how many ways the Bruins can win. They have a goalie who has nine shutouts this season in Fields, a 20-goal scorer in Cooper Bailey and talented midfielders like Boring, Jack Doyle and Cline Simmons.
"This is not to the point of being cocky," Purcell said. "But they know that we have somebody on our team that's going to step up."
After Thursday's win, Purcell took in a slew of congratulations from former players, some of them from the very beginning. The fact that so many of them are still in touch with the program — all three of Purcell's assistants, in fact, played for him at Brentwood — is gratifying to him.
"I think they got their money's worth tonight," Purcell said.
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TSSAA soccer: Brentwood coach Mike Purcell still going strong
