NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Milestone Mejail.
That's what you can call Merrimack College women's soccer coach Gabe Mejail, who added yet another accolade to his legendary career as he earned his 500th victory as the program's head coach. Mejail did so when the Warriors earned a comeback victory against the Bryant Bulldogs over the weekend.
"My 500th Merrimack win, it's a great milestone," Mejail said after the 2-1 victory at Martone-Mejail Field, which was named after the men's (Tony Martone) and women's soccer coaches in 2011.
"But it's a Merrimack win more than my win. It's nice that the program has reached 500 wins. There are not too many programs out there with so many wins."
Mejail is the only head coach in the program's history, meaning his 500th victory was the 500th for Merrimack women's soccer.
"The win itself feels better than the fact that it's a 500th win because of how it affects the team, and how good the team felt," Mejail said. "I know they were cheering for me as well, but they gave me that present."
Mejail currently sits sixth all-time in wins in NCAA women's soccer history. He currently has 530 wins during his 47-year coaching career, one of 13 coaches all-time to reach 500 or more victories.
As a Division II program, the Warriors were among the top teams in the country under Mejail. His teams made 11 NCAA tournament appearances, including a trip to the Elite Eight in 1996. The Warriors also won six NE-10 conference titles and eight regular-season titles.
Since Merrimack's move to Division I, Mejail has led the Warriors to continued success. The program earned a Northeast Conference regular-season title in 2023, and earned a trip to the Metro Conference tournament in 2024.
During four-plus decades on the sideline, Mejail has received numerous accolades at the Division I and Division II levels. He was named National Collegiate Coach of the Year in 1996, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Regional and New England Women's Intercollegiate Soccer Association (NEWISA) Coach of the Year six times and conference Coach of the Year 11 times. He has developed more than 100 All-Conference players during his career with 27 players to All-American honors.
