Central Maine Community College Women's Soccer

Rob’s coaching career began in Connecticut in 1990 with the Naugatuck Youth Soccer program coaching at the recreational level.   Shortly after moving to Maine in 1993, and finding very limited soccer opportunities in his town, he started the girls program in the Sacopee Valley Soccer Club in 1995, growing the club and serving on the board of directors for Soccer Maine until 2021.   Rob developed the SVSC into a very successful club program and in 2005 he made the jump to the premier level in the early stages of development of the Velocity Premier Soccer Club where he continued to coach until 2016 focusing on preparing and developing elite level players from all over southern Maine to play at the college level.   In 2008, Rob was awarded the Liberty Mutual Responsible Coaching Award which is given to one coach among all sports from each state.  In 2011, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Velocity Soccer Club for his continued dedication in developing young athletes and helping them reach the college level.  Rob was awarded the President's Award from Soccer Maine in 2015.   Rob holds a USSF “D” License, and USSF referee certification.  He is also an NASM certified Personal Trainer and Sports Performance Specialist and is certified through IYCA in High School Strength & Conditioning, Youth Speed & Agility, Youth Nutrition, and is a Level 3 Youth Fitness Specialist.   Rob is a believer in developing very versatile players who can step into any role on the field when needed.   His teams become very familiar with multiple playing styles and formations and as a result are able to adapt well to opponents tactics.  He believes that fitness is critical for success and he trains his teams to become strong second-half game finishers.    With experience in recruiting and building soccer programs from the ground up, Rob took over the women’s soccer program at Central Maine at a time when it needed to be rebuilt with a goal of turning it into a yearly contender for a conference title.  

Scott Leighton began coaching with the Mustangs in the fall of 2018. A huge fan of the game, Scott has been coaching players of all ages since 2004. Since 2014 he has coached high school boys for Central Maine United, a premier club based out of the Waterville area. Scott is extremely organized and well versed in the organizational and management aspects of coaching as well as the on-field training portion of coaching. His ability to relate to players of various levels of ability and motivation is a rare commodity and his skill set has translated well to the college level. Scott’s ability to read the game and make adjustments in the moment and communicate those changes to his players make him a very valuable addition to the Mustang coaching staff. Scott is employed by the State of Maine Department of Environmental Protection as a Hazardous Waste Management Inspector/Regulator. He holds a Bachelors of Science Degree in Geology from the University of Maine at Orono, along with certifications in CPR & First Aid.

Ali was a goalkeeper for the Mustangs in 2017, 2018, and 2019, earning YSCC All-Conference in 2017 and Coaches Award for the Mustangs in 2018 and 2019, along with being named to the Mustangs All-Decade Team for the 2010 to 2020 period. She graduated from Central Maine in May of 2021 with Associates Degrees in Physical Fitness and Criminal Justice and joined the Women’s Soccer coaching staff that summer. Ali was a middle school lacrosse coach for St Dominic Academy in Auburn and has worked coaching soccer and softball at a summer camp in upstate NY.  Sult is now working alongside Mustangs goalkeeper coach Butch Dow with whom she trained under for many years. As an assistant coach, she will not only be working with the goalkeepers but she will be expanding her coaching experience by working with the field players also.  Ali wants to help teach the players to carry the same energy and confidence that they have in practice into their game situations.  

Butch Dow is joining the Mustang staff as Goalkeeper Coach for the Women’s Soccer team. Butch is the former goalkeeper coach for Bates College women’s soccer, as well as the 2017 state champion Lewiston High School boy’s soccer team. He is a former coach and co-director of Soccer Plus Goalkeeping School and is the current director for US School of Goalkeeping, a position he has held for the past ten years. Butch is also the current goalkeeper/assistant coach for Lisbon High School girl’s soccer. His extensive background in teaching players of all levels allows him to tailor his training to the specific requirements and uniqueness of the individual keepers.