PVCC Puma Press: April 2006

Paradise Valley Community College has named Tim Marchisotto as the new men’s soccer coach, taking over for Barry Van Patten II.

Marchisotto was a seven-year assistant coach for the men’s and women’s teams at Grand Canyon University, a NCAA Division II school in Phoenix. The GCU team went 59-71-7 during that time, with four winning seasons. In comparison, PVCC was 5-11-2 and did not qualify for the postseason last season for the second straight year.

“I’m obviously very excited to step out after seven years at Grand Canyon after some ups and downs,” Marchisotto said. “I think PVCC is a great location.”

Marchisotto was part of a GCU team that went 14-6 last season, winning the Pacific West Conference with a 9-1 record. The GCU Antelopes won their final 12 games of the season and boasted the NCAA Division II leading goal scorer (33) in senior David Hague.

Marchisotto also assisted with the women’s team at Grand Canyon and was an event coordinator at Phoenix College.

“I’m excited because it seems to be a really good fit,” PVCC Athletic Director Greg Silcox says. “Tim has a really good soccer background. He’s committed to putting a competitive team together on the field and in the classroom.”

Marchisotto has appointed two assistant coaches, Paul Barrow and Pasquale Carrotenuto. Barrow was an assistant at GCU in 2000 when the Antelopes went 11-7-3. Carrotenuto was an assistant under one of Marchisotto’s Arizona Olympic Development Program teams.

In his first full day on the job, Marchisotto announced the signing of forward and midfielder Jon Connors, a Redshirt freshman who sat out last year at Fort Lewis University in Durango, Colorado.

He is also excited about the opportunity to work with players already in the fold at PVCC such as Juan Mendez, Robert Griffin, Eric Lespron and Josh Beson.

Furthermore, his former boss thinks Marchisotto will land more key additions soon. “He has a knack for recruiting,” Grand Canyon head coach Petar Draksin said. “He will get kids to go to PVCC. Fortunately or unfortunately, the most important part of coaching is recruiting. If you don’t have eggs, you can’t make omelettes.”

One of the areas Marchisotto is hoping to improve, in addition to winning, is better performance in the classroom. “One thing is to make our student athletes accountable,” he says. At GCU he handled junior college eligibility issues and is familiar with the rules that enable junior college students to move onto the NCAA level.

“He knows all those rules for athletes to go onto four-year schools,” Draksin said.

Silcox is content with his hire. “Marchisotto’s very passionate about soccer. I definitely would identify Tim as a soccer guy, which is a good thing.”

Marchisotto said he needs to help PVCC secure more players like those the Pumas had on their last playoff team in 2004, which established a school record for wins at 12 and scored a school record 49 goals. Six former PVCC players are now playing at four-year schools.

“We have to get back that quality of student athlete,” Marchisotto says “It’s going to hinge on the existing players and the players I bring in. Recruiting is very integral.”

Marchisotto is determined to bring the National Junior College Athletic Association men’s and women’s soccer national championships to Phoenix. The PVCC women hosted the 2004 and 2005 national championships at Rose Mofford Sports Complex. “I want the men’s and the women’s national championships back here again,” he says.

He also says the facilities at PVCC lend themselves to academic success, and he has a plan to get that across to his athletes. “There are a lot of resources available at PVCC. These are top-notch facilities here that are better than a lot of four-year schools. I have to change the mentality of these guys. At Grand Canyon, we always preached academics first. Winning is important, but make no mistake—you’re here for both.”

Abridged and reprinted with permission from the PVCC Athletic Newsletter.