SALEM EVENING NEWS: Former foes work together for Assumption College soccer

September 18, 2009

By Bill Kipouras

Staff Writer

Salem Evening News

They were soccer opponents in high school when Steve Blaisdell was at Bishop Fenwick and Dom Mondi at Peabody High School, but they were hardly acquainted.

Nowadays they're partners in scoring at Assumption College in Worcester, hoping to change the school's soccer perception in the Northeast 10 Conference.

The Greyhounds were picked to finish eighth in the league's preseason poll. That's par for the course; Assumption has just nine winning season in 49 years, and qualified for the playoffs a mere four times.

But thanks to the terrific play of the two Peabodyites, Assumption is off to a 5-1 start and has its first five-game winning streak in program history.

"I hadn't heard of Steve until I got here; we were two classes apart in high school," Mondi said of Blaisdell. "I went around and asked the guys about him. They said he was a great player and a great guy."

Mondi's no slouch. The 18-year-old freshman forward already has three game-winning goals (4 total) for the Greyhounds" including one in double overtime in a 4-3 victory over Southern Connecticut State on Wednesday" while coming off the bench. He plays between 45-60 minutes per game.

"Those goals are the best points I've had in all my years of soccer," Mondi said.

The Peabody players are lifers and take the sport seriously" especially the challenge of raising the level of the Greyhounds' program.

Assumption was ready to raise the school flag when the New England Regional Coaches Polls came out for the first time this fall and the Greyhounds were ranked No. 9 in their division. Assumption soccer alums probably had to take a second look, as in "What's this?!"

Blaisdell is a good story in his own right. He was the team's top scorer as a sophomore, presently has six goals to lead the entire NE-10 and has 21 career goals thus far as a junior. He has his eye on the Assumption career mark of 41 and thinks it's reachable.

The 20-year-old psychology major is a positive individual. "I never doubt myself," he said.

Surprisingly, the former Salem resident (now living in South Peabody) did not play an offensive position until he enrolled at Assumption.

"Youth level, travel teams, club, Fenwick ... I never was up front. I'm not a natural goal scorer by any means," Blaisdell said. "I was always a defender or midfielder. It just worked out that way."

He looked around at his first Assumption practice, took stock of all the freshman candidates trying out for the midfield positions and when the coach, Jerry Bonomo, asked, "What positions do you guys play?" Blaisdell made a split-second decision to respond that he was a forward.

The rest is history.

"I figured forward was my best shot of getting some time on the field. I decided to tell the coach I was a forward, whatever could get me on the field," he said.

Nor was he exactly a recruit. He contacted Bonomo about going to school there, got invited down and took part in one practice. After doing so, he informed Bonomo he'd be going to school at Assumption.

"My choice was not based on soccer," Blaisdell said. "Assumption was one of the schools that gave me a option to play. It was made clear to me that there was a spot on the team if I worked hard enough.

"I've always been fast, but I still have trouble putting the ball in the back of the net. My teammates giving me more and more chances made the goals possible. Once the coach put me out there I was determined to work so hard that I'd get a job up front."

In recent games, Mondi and Blaisdell have been paired as strikers.

"Dom has done a lot for us," Blaisdell said. "He's been great. It's nice to have a freshman scoring like that,"

Bonomo discovered Mondi in a club league when the freshman business management major was playing for F.C. Roma of the Merrimack Valley.

"Mr. Bonomo coached against my club and started talking to me then. I fell in love with Assumption," said Mondi.

"The coach has only been here for three years, but the veteran players can see what a difference he's made and it keeps getting better. I wanted to be part of this turnaround."