Over-65 soccer players from Framingham, Milford reach national championship matches

Dianne Baskind has mingled within a large soccer circle long enough to know how fortunate she is to continue to play the sport as she approaches 70. At stateside tournaments or across the Atlantic, the Framingham resident has listened as other women say how they did not have access to adult leagues.

Not to mention that most of her peers did not – could not – play soccer in high school.

“I was shocked,” she said. “Clearly it wasn’t the same as it is in the U.S.”

Deb Greenslit, also a Framingham resident, is among those peers. She did not take up soccer until age 40, but as of July 16 is a two-time national champion.

The pair play for the Bay State Breakers, an over-50 soccer program with many players hailing from MetroWest, that brought four teams to the United States Adult Soccer Association’s Soccer Fest in Greensboro, North Carolina, on July 12-16. Playing among teams from across the country, Greenslit’s Over-70 team won the title while Baskind, playing on the Over-65 outfit, reached the championship game after defeating the undefeated and recent national champs in the semifinals.

“We feel like little kids,” said Baskind, a physical therapist in Framingham.

The Over 70s included Milford's Rita Wilkie, who was hit by a truck while riding her bike in March of 2022. She recovered to help her team with the Soccer Fest title that summer before undergoing knee-replacement surgery in the fall. Upon recovering from that procedure, Wilkie played in a tournament in South Africa - scoring two goals - then helped the Breakers win Soccer Fest again last week.

Playing in their usual lime green tops, the Breakers stood out for more than their loud uniforms.

Baskind’s team needed to go through nine penalty kicks to get through the quarterfinals before she scored on a breakaway to defeat that unbeaten team from Virginia in a 1-0 semifinal victory.

“They were stunned,” she said.

The Breakers lost, 2-0, in the championship game to a team from California, who like squads from other warm-weather states, play all year long and have tryouts and cuts. But the Breakers are accepting of all skills levels.

“We will take a beginner soccer player who’s fit, who’s an athlete – someone who plays other sports and can run - we’ll teach them soccer,” Baskind said.

“We take everybody,” Greenslit said. “Nobody would say, ‘we’re not good enough.’ Everybody’s invited to join.”

‘That’s all changing now'

Baskind was fortunate to play high school soccer in Liverpool, New York.

“There were no shin guards and cleats; it was kick and run,” she said. “There was no development of skills – kicking and passing and trapping.”

However, her two daughters, Melanie and Julie, both had successful high school and college careers. Julie, the oldest, played soccer and lacrosse at Framingham High and later lacrosse at Michigan. Melanie played both sports for the Flyers and is in the school’s Hall of Fame, inducted the same year (2019) as Lou Merloni. She starred in both sports at Harvard.

Greenslit also has children that played high school soccer - Laura at Framingham High; James at Rivers. James Greenslit is the head men’s coach at Roger Williams, leading the Hawks last fall to their first conference title in 16 years.

While Baskind traveled in England with one of her daughters several years ago, many of the female athletes that she encountered said they played field hockey, but not soccer.

“Young girls have lots of opportunities to play soccer (in the US),” she said. “It’s not the same in other countries, but that’s all changing now.”

After playing intramurals in college, Baskind picked up the sport again in her 30s and joined a suburban league, which included players from Acton, Westford, Hopkinton and Upton. She also plays in the Eastern Mass Women’s Soccer League.

“We’re still learning and we’re still getting better,” she said.

Women’s World Cup players are ’wonderful role models'

Not all of the Breakers are back home. Greenslit stopped over in Maryland, where she grew up, and a few others made the long trip to New Zealand and Australia for the Women’s World Cup, which kicked off on July 19.

The two-time defending champ U.S. team is among the favorites again, but Baskind admires the team more for its prowess on the field.

“What we’re even more proud of is that they fought for equality, pay and coaches and training facilities,” she said. “These women really stood out as the best in the world. Our women have shined for a long time.”

“They’ve done a tremendous amount for women’s sports and women’s soccer,” Greenslit added. “They’re wonderful role models; they work hard; they deserve what they have.”

The Women’s World Cup shines a spotlight on the sport for a full two weeks. That light shines for the players who compete in Soccer Fest as well: "The Today Show" filmed a segment on the tournament last week.

But the Breakers aren’t seeking celebrity. Just a chance to play a sport that wasn’t available in the pre-Title IX days.

“The camaraderie of being together and the opportunity to run around in an organized fashion,” Greenslit said. “It’s much more fun to play as a team rather than being on an elliptical (machine) or sitting in a gym.”

Tim Dumas is a multimedia journalist for the Daily News. He can be reached at tdumas@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimDumas. 

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: With World Cup looming, Over-65 soccer players play for U.S. titles